solar generators

during an expected life span of 25 years. Petra Solar says it takes just 30 minutes to install one of its panels, which feeds its electricity directly into the utility's power lines. Included in the gear are devices that hook up to an AT&T (T) communications network to allow utilities to remotely monitor their electricity lines. The network gear helps old-school copper power wires behave more like an Internet-based information-technology system. "The panels help create distributed energy, which takes stress away from central generation stations," Kuran said. "When you generate power closer to the load, it's more effective. Also, the smart-grid technology lets utilities have their eyes and ears open to what they're delivering to their customers and that allows them to deliver the right amounts of power." Kuran said he came up with the idea to use utility poles when he asked a prospective employee during a job interview to brainstorm about ways to apply solar technology. "I was challenging the candidate to think outside the box in order to tackle the challenges we faced in New Jersey, where land is expensive...and the labor rate is high," Kuran recalled in a phone interview with MarketWatch. "I looked outside my window and saw a pole. I said, 'How about if we put (the solar panel) on the pole?' " Panels Draw Complaints, Praise While the panel program continues to fan out across Public Service Electric and Gas Co.'s service area, the utility has drawn aesthetic complaints from some residents and municipal officials. Robert Cotter, a director in the Division of City Planning for Jersey City, said municipal officials held a meeting with PSE&G to complain about Petra Solar panels upsetting the integrity of some historic blocks. Cotter said the city has no plans to mount any legal challenge because they would almost certainly lose. "They agreed to remove five or six of them, but we're stuck with them," Cotter said. "Some folks do think they're beautiful because they help create more sustainable power. I just don't notice them any more." Steven Fulop, a city council member in Jersey City, said he's heard complaints about the panels. "It certainly distorts the streetscape and in particular the historic districts that we have worked to protect," Fulop said. "We have always been told the poles are owned by the power companies and we have very little ability to stop them." Fran Sullivan, a spokesman for PSE&G, said about 1,200 solar panels are being put up per week under the Petra Solar contract. PSE&G maintains that it doesn't need a building permit or other paperwork to put up the panels since they're placed onto existing