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• California Contractors License Exam
• California Contractors License Exam Prep
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The wave of concern for the environment, especially in the state of California, has led to great demand for specialty contractors who can help homeowners and business make their buildings more green. These efforts may be a part of the construction of a new home, with the entire job overseen by a general building contractor, or as is more often the case, they may consist of adding some new piece to an existing house.

More and more often, homeowners are adding either solar electric systems or solar hot water systems to their existing homes. If the entire contracting job consists only of the addition of such a solar system, then a solar contractor can be the main contractor for the job without a general contractor being involved. If, however, the solar panels are being put on a new addition to the home or are otherwise a part of some larger remodeling effort, then the job must be handled by a general contractor who would engage a solar contractor along with the other skilled laborers required for the entire job.

A licensed solar contractor is only allowed to work on the solar installation. However, he may handle structural components directly required to attach the solar units to the building securely, plumbing that is a part of the solar unit, and even electrical connection within the solar unit. Subcontractors may be employed by the solar contractor to handle these same areas only so long as they are a direct part of the solar installation. Once the scale of the work expands beyond that, a licensed general contractor is required by California state law.

Even with the housing collapse, solar contractors are one of the areas with good growth prospects going forward. California’s Governor Schwarzenegger recently signed an executive order directing that California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard be raised to 33% by the year 2020. A substantial portion of that will likely be solar energy. Additionally homeowners are seeking to lower their carbon footprints with solar systems and even reduce their own energy costs over the long term.

There is a tremendous focus from industry to find ways to improve the efficiency of photovoltaic panels to get their cost per kilowatt down to levels that will be competitive with electricity produced by other sources. Great strides are being made in this direction already. Even though electricity produced by photovoltaic panels still costs more than other sources of electricity, many homeowners have already installed them on their home in order to help protect the environment from the detrimental effects of burning fossil fuels to create electricity. The improvement of the technology will only serve to increase the growth rate of solar system adoption within the state.

For the solar contractor, then, the future looks bright indeed.