Electrical contractor focuses on charging stations (Silicon Valley)

New methods of delivering power are spurring one local electrical contractor to adjust its growth strategy.

San Jose-based Sprig Electric wants to become a leader in green energy installation and capitalize on the alternative fuel marketplace. This strategy could become a new direction for other electrical contractors aiming to grow as the construction industry looks for ways to pull out of the recession.

Sprig, which reported revenue of $104 million in 2009, has experienced a surge in interest for electric vehicle charging stations in homes and alternative energy through fuel cell power.

Jim Conlow, head of Sprig’s energy solutions division, believes that in three to five years, alternative energy installations could become a $50 million-and-growing business line, or about 50 percent of the company’s total revenue.

"We have made a strategic decision to make fuel cells and other renewable energies core to our business, and we are going after this business very aggressively," Conlow said. "As a result, we are doing projects with Bloom (Energy) and other fuel cell manufacturers, as well as solar."

Sprig has installed 15 fuel cells in California, including ones made by Bloom Energy of Sunnyvale and Oregon-based ClearEdge Power, which has offices in Sunnyvale.

In one project, Sprig partnered with San Francisco-based Swinerton Builders to install a 1.5 megawatt cell at San Francisco State University. That project is being funded by Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which also is installing two Bloom Energy servers on the campus.

Read the full story in the Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal.