By Ryan Kennedy, pv magazine
Distributed rooftop solar PV comes with numerous benefits, be they financial, environmental, or grid resilience. Another benefit that Pfister Energy places focus on is the human element.
In addition to performing work as a long-standing commercial and industrial solar engineering, procurement, and construction firm based in New Jersey with a national presence, Pfister Energy adds a few more elements to its projects to make them stand out from the competition. Taking experience from a long career in roofing, Wayne Pfisterer moved into solar about 20 years ago and has since added numerous ancillary services to boost the value of renewable energy for his customers.
Early on in his solar story, Pfisterer’s company, like all others starting out in the relatively new field of photovoltaics, was highly reliant on federal and state incentives to deliver a value proposition to its customers. At the time, he had about 3 or 4 employees, and uncertainty caused by the potential of incentives drying up, Pfisterer pivoted, adding energy efficiency services to his company.
“Growing up, I got yelled at if I left a light on in the other room,” Pfisterer told pv magazine. “I always thought it was a little wasteful to put solar on an inefficient building.”
Wayne Pfisterer, CEO
So, Pfisterer’s company got to work on new solutions for his customers to expand beyond PV on roofs and carports. The company installs daylights in factory buildings, a device that brings in electricity-free natural light that doesn’t let in or out unwanted thermal changes. The team has also installed green roofs, planting vegetation on an otherwise dead space, which absorbs excess heat and helps the solar array perform at a more ideal temperature. It also extends the life of the roof by protecting it from UV rays. Solutions like these are both proven to have beneficial impacts on worker health, bringing a more natural environment to the factory floor.
