About Lisa Cohn

Lisa Cohn, a regular contributor at HeatSpring Magazine, has worked as a writer for more than 20 years, focusing on energy and environment. She is a former U.S. stringer for Windpower Monthly Magazine, a former associate editor of Oregon Business and a former editor of Forest Perspectives, a quarterly magazine published by the World Forestry Center. She began her writing career as an energy and environment reporter for The Cape Cod Times. Lisa has received numerous writing awards, from the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, Willamette Writers and Associated Oregon Industries.

Energy Storage Could be a Gold Mine for Utility Customers. What’s Holding it Back?

Solar-plus-storage can be a gold mine for residential, commercial and industrial utility customers, says Christopher LaForge, co-instructor of HeatSpring’s 35-Hour NABCEP Advanced Solar Plus Storage: Proposals and Planning course.

But right now, the customers face obstruction from utilities that are intent on retaining old-fashioned utility models, says LaForge, CEO of Great Northern Solar.

Often, the conflict between […]

June 23rd, 2020|Categories: Certification, NABCEP, Solar Plus Storage||
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HeatSpring Gets High Marks for Students Taking the NABCEP Associate Exam

Over the past 12 months, 98% of the HeatSpring students who have taken the NABCEP PV Associate exam have passed it.

HeatSpring instructor Sean White teaches the students how to prepare for the exam with his course, Solar PV Installer Boot Camp and NABCEP PV Associate Exam Prep. White was the 2014 Interstate Renewable Energy Council […]

June 10th, 2020|Categories: Certification, Solar Business Growth, Solar Design & Installation, Solar Sales & Marketing||
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Why Hydronic Distribution Systems Can be Ten Times More Efficient than Forced Air

Policymakers often focus on providing incentives for efficient heat sources, but neglect to do their research on distribution systems.

As a result, they’re missing out on opportunities to boost the efficiency of the overall heating system. They could do this by developing programs that help designers optimize hydronic distribution systems, says John Siegenthaler, instructor of HeatSpring’s […]

June 10th, 2020|Categories: Hydronic Heating||
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Jokes, Music and Memory Tricks Help Keep Students Engaged in NABCEP Course

Sean White brings original guitar music, his own jokes, quick responses to questions and tried-and-true memorization tricks to HeatSpring’s 40-hour NABCEP Advanced PV Certification Training and CEUs course.  

Funny Professors Role Models for White

He learned some of his teaching strategies from his favorite college professors, he says.

“In college, I made friends with great professors. They were […]

June 10th, 2020|Categories: Certification, NABCEP, Solar Business Growth, Solar Design & Installation||
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Striking a Balance Between Aggressive and Conservative Solar Project Designs

It’s tempting to pack a roof with too many solar panels to sell a system, says Randy Batchelor, instructor, along with Ryan Mayfield, of HeatSpring’s Megawatt Design course.

“An engineer might say, ‘It will only fit 1 MW.’ A salesperson might say, ‘Let’s fit more on to win the deal.’”  

It’s important to strike a balance between […]

March 26th, 2020|Categories: Certification, Solar Design & Installation, Utility-Scale Solar||
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