Solar energy pioneer has seen industry boom
When Gay Canough founded Extraterrestrial Materials Inc., or ETM Solar Works, the company was focused on retrieving solar energy from space by mining asteroids and putting solar rays in orbit.
It was also run out of her basement.
Now, Canough says she has "come back to earth," focusing on solar energy that falls on the planet, or terrestrial solar energy. And now the firm has a storefront on 300 North St. in Endicott.
Since Canough founded ETM Solar Works in 1988, it has installed solar energy panels for everything from municipalities, to businesses, nonprofits and privately owned homes across New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It is also expanding its horizons to other ecologically friendly ventures beyond solar power.
“When I started, there were maybe one or two other installers in New York," Canough said. "And that was it.”
At the time, the solar energy business was uncharted territory in the Southern Tier, let alone the state.
But Canough worked to expand this territory, as a founding member of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association in 1994. She also helped create the first incentive program for solar energy in New York through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYESRDA, in the early 1990s and gave her first class for solar installers in 2000.She estimates that she has given over 200 classes since.
At first, the Binghamton region was not ETM Solar Works main market. In fact, the company did very few installations in the area, with a majority of installations in Ithaca and Long Island.
Canough said that the company's first local customer was in Deposit, providing solar power for camps, cabins and remote homes without utility power.
But now, Canough said that the local market has caught on, attributing this to marketing efforts by ETM Solar Works and education and outreach in solar power by the Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition.
A reduction in cost and special financing has also attributed to the rise in solar power locally, Canough said.
ETM Solar Work's Vice President Roger Ley attributes affordability to the rising popularity of solar energy, noting that the cost is comparable to any other type of home remodeling work.
"I remember they used to call it the ‘wild, wild west days of solar,’" Ley said. "But now it’s just so mainstream. If you know what you’re doing, [it's] a worthwhile adventure to go into.”
Canough has also debunked myths about local solar power, pointing out that we get 20 percent more sun locally than the sunniest place in Germany.
"And the reason I’m bringing up Germany is because they are the world leaders in solar power," she said. "So, in fact, every place in the continental United States has more sun than the sunniest place in Germany.”
And competition has increased as well, with more local solar power companies rising and national companies also moving into the local market.
“Many of these places have taken my class,” Canough said with a laugh. “So, I’ve trained my competition.”
Canough said the industry is “growing like crazy.”
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the number of solar installations in the U.S. increased 85 percent between 2015 and 2016. Currently, 9,000 solar businesses operate in the United States.
“The economic boon potential of solar is huge," Canough said. "And, at this point, it’s a question of who is going to get in on that boon. Is it going to be us? Or is it going to be California or New Jersey or China or Germany?”
But the company is not stopping solar panels. It is now beginning to install solar-powered air source heat pumps — which Canough's is testing at her own home.
ETM Solar Works is also beginning to install permeable pavement, which limits flooding by soaking up water. This is opposed to regular asphalt and concrete, where rain water runs off and and contributes to rising river levels.
“You’ve got to try to reduce your CO2 and reduce climate change, but meanwhile, guess what? We have to deal with flooding, Canough said. "So, the permeable pavement is a way to deal with that reality quicker.”
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ETM Solar Works
Year founded: 1988
Address: 300 North St., Endicott
Number employees: 11
Owner: Gay Canough
Three key strategies to success: Excellent customer care , well-trained installing crews and high-quality installations
Two greatest challenges: Getting the word out about how affordable solar power has become.
Website: etmsolar.com
