Winery-Contractor Turned Solar Mogul

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A new player in the solar game has arrived: his name is Al Hernandez of Al's Wine and he has a newly acquired penchant for solar. Al's wine cellar constructing was a successful business, but Al saw more. Being located in hot and sun-soaked Palm Desert, Al saw a perfect opportunity to try something that would change his and his community's destiny – forever. Al teamed up with LA-based CEGA - a solar consulting/engineering firm - and began his journey as a solar PV-system installer, starting his solar company Solar Solutions. He completed his debut project in early December and hit the ground running, completing another residential project in January 2012 with net profits exceeding expectations. With two completed projects under his belt and another two in the process of completion, Al is heating up. Al's recent successes have invigorated him with a passion to help his community go solar – protecting the environment and their wallets. We asked Al a few questions regarding his solar accomplishments and his newfound mission:

Did you ever imagine you would be here sitting under a solar panel-covered roof?

I was thinking about solar a while back, when I'd go to trade shows it was so expensive – but once I found out about the rebates and all the incentives I knew I had to be a part of this.

Do you feel any sense of satisfaction, from getting solar on your roof?  

I definitely like the environmental benefits, and especially the financial – it's great to not have to worry the electric bill anymore!

Would you ever consider starting a commercial project?

I'm currently in the process of starting one actually. I'm really excited about it considering that there is increased incentive for business owners such as tax write-offs and depreciation.

What do you see as the most exciting new development in the solar industry?

I think the fact that as the technology is quickly improving – with up to 400 Watt solar panels now – and the cost of equipment decreasing, solar technology poises to be an all-around better alternative to fossil-fuel electricity.

Any words of advice you'd give to aspiring contractors looking to get into the solar industry? 

Doing research in advance is always the best idea; get some knowledge on it, and learn from those before you as I did with CEGA.

Contact: CEGA, www.cega.bz, [email protected], +1-310-860-6446

SOURCE CEGA