Build a Solar Financial Model from Scratch with This New HeatSpring Course Brit Heller Plenty of solar professionals can spec a system. Fewer can build a financial model that can inform a real investment decision. HeatSpring’s new course, Intro to Solar Financial Modeling in Excel, helps to close that gap. The course is led by Chloe Weise, a data and energy professional with experience in commercial and rooftop solar, real estate investment, and financial modeling. She holds two Master’s degrees from the University of Michigan in Ecology and Bioinformatics, and her work has focused on connecting technical system design with financial outcomes. In other words, she’s built the kind of models this course teaches, and she knows how to make them make sense. What you’ll build The course is hands-on by design: you build the model, not just watch one get built. You’ll build one from scratch, tab by tab, starting with inputs and working through production, revenue, costs, and cash flow, all the way to return metrics like IRR, NPV, and payback period. Each module includes a short video, a hands-on assignment, and a solutions check so you can validate your work before moving on. By the end, you’ll have a working model and a solid intuition for how solar projects are evaluated in real-world development. Who this course is for Chloe designed this course for a wide range of learners: people already working in solar who want to sharpen their financial literacy, professionals looking to break into the industry, and anyone who wants to understand how these numbers actually work. Prior modeling experience is welcome but not required. The course is structured to meet you where you are. Why learn financial modeling in solar Solar projects follow a predictable life cycle: site identification, development, design, financing, construction, and operations. Financial modeling threads through every one of those stages. It’s how developers determine whether a project is worth pursuing, how investors evaluate risk, and how assumptions about production and pricing translate into real decisions. As Chloe puts it in the first course video, the model is where assumptions meet reality, and with project lifespans of twenty or more years, getting that foundation right matters. A practical approach The course emphasizes understanding over perfection. If you get stuck on a formula, Chloe’s advice is to write out the logic in plain language first, almost like pseudocode, then translate it into Excel. The goal is to build something that works and to understand how the pieces connect, so you can adapt the model for your own projects down the road. Enroll in Intro to Solar Financial Modeling in Excel today to build your understanding of solar finance principles and modeling! Solar Solar Business Growth Solar Finance Solar miscellaneous Solar Sales & Marketing Originally posted on May 7, 2026 Written by Brit Heller Director of Program Management @ HeatSpring. Brit holds two NABCEP certifications - Photovoltaic Installation Professional (PVIP) and Photovoltaic Technical Sales (PVTS). When she isn’t immersed in training, Brit is a budding regenerative farmer just outside of Atlanta where she is developing a 17-acre farm rooted in permaculture principles. She can be found building soil health, cultivating edible & medicinal plants, caring for her animals or building functional art. More posts by Brit