Contractor’s Corner: Bombard Electric Electrical contractor and solar developer rides wave of large-scale energy storage growth.

Utility-scale solar is experiencing a particularly exciting boom lately, with SEIA reporting an increase of 22.5 GWDC of capacity in 2023, a 77% increase over the year before. Several companies are capitalizing on this growth, bolstered by supportive federal policy and innovative technological developments.

Bombard Electric is a Las Vegas-based full-service electrical contractor with expertise in utility-scale solar and battery energy storage. The company currently has over 600 MW of solar installed in Nevada.

In this edition of our Contractor’s Corner series, we talk to Cliff Brooks, solar division manager at Bombard Electric, about how technology is improving installations, the role of energy storage and recent developments in utility-scale solar.

How does your company stand out from competitors? 

Bombard Electric has had a renewable energy division since 2004 and is a proud International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) union contractor. The fact that we utilize IBEW labor for all of our renewable installations and have been doing it since 2004 separates us from most of our competitors.

How has the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) changed the way you do business? 

The passing of the IRA has leveled the playing field and allowed Bombard Electric and other union organizations to have a larger presence in the utility-scale solar/BESS sector as well as the utilization of a higher apprentice-to-journeyman ratios.

What’s one way you’ve cut soft costs at your company?

Our continual effort in safety has reduced some of our soft costs such as insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses associated with safety incidents and accidents. We have also utilized pre-fabrication processes that allow us to pre-build certain assemblies in a climate-controlled environment then ship said assemblies to the project.

What solar technology improvement has made installations easier or better? 

Although solar technology has come a long way, I believe that improvements in solar design software have been the most valuable improvement to our field. Some of today’s solar design software include things such as light detection and ranging (LIDAR), string configuration assistance and detailed shading analysis allowing for better production expectations and more accurate solar designs.

How have recent changes in utility-scale solar impacted your business? 

Outside of the IRA, I believe the most recent change we see from old to new utility-scale projects is the addition of BESS systems being a key component of the projects. The BESS element of the solar projects allows companies like Bombard Electric to expand our work portfolio and make affordable peak demand energy possible for all the power consumers in Nevada.

What’s your view of the future of the U.S. utility-scale solar sector?

The utility-scale sector in the United States is only going to expand. As more coal powered power plants are decommissioned and natural gas continues to hit all-time highs, the need for an alternative form of energy for the masses must be available.