Starting April 1st, for a limited time, Andy Nyce’s “The Hydrogen Economy” is included with your HeatSpring Membership. Membership is an inexpensive way to access premium courses that usually cost more. There are tons of other benefits, too – you… Continue reading ““The Hydrogen Economy” Free to HeatSpring Members for a Limited Time”
Younger Investors Want to Own Solar Too
The founders of Legends Solar joined our Solar Entrepreneurship course recently to talk about their startup. Every month we invite a solar entrepreneur to present their unique approach to the class so we can learn from them and – hopefully… Continue reading “Younger Investors Want to Own Solar Too”
The best time to get into climate technology was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.
Want to hear a true story about the growth happening in renewable energy? In 2005 Dan Leary and Will Thompson – two veterans – started a solar company called Nexamp in North Andover, Massachusetts. Committed to expanding access to clean energy, the company grew out of… Continue reading “The best time to get into climate technology was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”
Project Managers & Interconnection Specialists Needed to Build 437GW of New Utility-Scale Solar
Wood Mackenzie projects the U.S. utility-scale PV market will add 437 GW between 2022 and 2032. That’s 43,700 MW every year for ten years. It’s a staggering number and no solar company has the people they need to deliver at… Continue reading “Project Managers & Interconnection Specialists Needed to Build 437GW of New Utility-Scale Solar”
“We Don’t Have a (Solar) Labor Shortage”
“We don’t have a labor shortage. We have a shortage of jobs people want to do.” That’s my favorite quote from the IREC Workforce Summit that took place last week in Washington D.C. The room was full of educators, policy… Continue reading ““We Don’t Have a (Solar) Labor Shortage””
How to Start Your Registered Apprenticeship Program
“How to Start Your Registered Apprenticeship Program” is a free course where we distill a confusing topic (solar apprenticeships) down into actionable steps. If people are crucial to the success of your business, we hope you’ll join us for this… Continue reading “How to Start Your Registered Apprenticeship Program”
IGSHPA Accredited Installer (AI) Training – LIVE from the 2022 IGSHPA Conference
For the second year in a row, Ryan Carda is teaching the IGSHPA Accredited Geothermal Installer course live and in-person at this year’s IGSHPA Conference. It’s a hybrid course, with the majority offered in an online learning environment with the… Continue reading “IGSHPA Accredited Installer (AI) Training – LIVE from the 2022 IGSHPA Conference”
Visual Guide to the New Solar Apprenticeship Requirements
Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAP) are a hot topic because there are new requirements for some (not all) solar companies. We offer this visual guide as a time-efficient way to get your head around this emerging opportunity. This is a super… Continue reading “Visual Guide to the New Solar Apprenticeship Requirements”
145 Gigawatts of Pure Opportunity
Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, we’re going to triple the solar industry by 2027. Yes, that’s right, triple. Today we are installing 20 GW of solar in the US. By 2027, we will be installing 60 GW… Continue reading “145 Gigawatts of Pure Opportunity”
eQUEST vs. OpenStudio
Is eQUEST or OpenStudio better for running energy models? That was the question from a student this week. Here’s how they framed it: “I’m interested in gaining a qualification in building energy modeling, to perform my firm’s energy rating building… Continue reading “eQUEST vs. OpenStudio”
An Easy Win: I Will Set Up a Free Employee Learning Platform for Your Team
The solar industry needs more people. So every solar company leader should know about this free benefit: For $0 any solar company can use HeatSpring as a learning platform to train employees. You can request yours right now. It takes… Continue reading “An Easy Win: I Will Set Up a Free Employee Learning Platform for Your Team”
3 Things Your Solar Company Should Do Right Now to Capitalize on the Inflation Reduction Act
Adam Gerza from Energy Toolbase joined this week’s live Solar Entrepreneurship class. Adam is incredibly knowledgeable about solar policy and we asked him to speak about the Inflation Reduction Act. What’s really changing and where are the new opportunities for… Continue reading “3 Things Your Solar Company Should Do Right Now to Capitalize on the Inflation Reduction Act”
Building and Managing Decentralized Solar Project Teams
Chris Lord has helped fund and develop hundreds of megawatts of solar projects over the past eight years, but his company is small. I asked Chris to explain how he builds and manages a decentralized group of collaborators to have… Continue reading “Building and Managing Decentralized Solar Project Teams”
Provisions Affecting Geothermal Heat Pumps in the Proposed “Inflation Reduction Act”
The Geothermal Exchange Organization (GEO) is the voice of the geothermal heat pump industry in the United States. Below is their summary of the provisions affecting geothermal heat pumps in the ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ and a brief outlook on where… Continue reading “Provisions Affecting Geothermal Heat Pumps in the Proposed “Inflation Reduction Act””
Managing a Commercial Solar Portfolio: How Solar Developers, EPC Contractors and O&M Teams Work Together
Chris Lord helps his clients manage a portfolio of solar assets. In that role he’s also managing a network of subcontractors who don’t always have aligned interests. This is the sort of thing Chris and Keith Cronin cover in their… Continue reading “Managing a Commercial Solar Portfolio: How Solar Developers, EPC Contractors and O&M Teams Work Together”
Construction & Project Managers: Demand is High, Supply is Low
Chris Lord helps put together and finance large solar projects. From that vantage point he’s able to see where bottlenecks are in the industry. Recently Chris was telling me how hard it is to find experienced construction and project managers… Continue reading “Construction & Project Managers: Demand is High, Supply is Low”
Have You Ever Thought About Teaching?
That’s a question I ask almost everybody who’s been successful in their career. At some point you arrive at a place where you look around and wonder, ‘what’s next?’. Your options are infinite, but teaching will be appealing if things… Continue reading “Have You Ever Thought About Teaching?”
How Does a Solar Project Dealmaker Spend His Time?
“Solar Project Dealmaker” is the best way to describe Chris Lord. He’s a lawyer, financial modeler, and builder of project teams. Hearing about his work helps you understand how big solar projects happen. Below you’ll hear about a few projects… Continue reading “How Does a Solar Project Dealmaker Spend His Time?”
Who Is Making Money in Solar Plus Storage? – Ask an Expert
In the Ask an Expert series, HeatSpring instructors and industry thought leaders answer a question on the minds of the HeatSpring community. This session, we are joined by Chris LaForge, instructor of the Designing Small Scale PV Systems with Energy… Continue reading “Who Is Making Money in Solar Plus Storage? – Ask an Expert”
New Free Course: Unirac’s Faster Solar Design with Online Tools
What tools do solar designers use to improve the speed and accuracy of their project designs? This new, free solar design course from Unirac gives you a quick introduction to many of the top solar design tools available. I’ve always… Continue reading “New Free Course: Unirac’s Faster Solar Design with Online Tools”