Managing the Moving Targets of Getting a Solar Power Purchase Agreement Signed Getting a power purchase agreement (PPA) signed for a solar project requires juggling numerous tasks–all of them moving targets, says Chris Lord, instructor of HeatSpring’s Solar Executive MBA Training course. It’s not easy to maneuver through this process and rope… Continue reading “Managing the Moving Targets of Getting a Solar Power Purchase Agreement Signed”
Do Your Financial Modeling for Solar, and Keep Your Eye on What Qualifies for the ITC When you’re creating financial models for solar projects, it’s important to understand what qualifies for the solar investment tax credit (ITC), says Chris Lord, instructor of HeatSpring’s Financial Modeling for Solar PV course. And it’s also critical to begin your modeling… Continue reading “Do Your Financial Modeling for Solar, and Keep Your Eye on What Qualifies for the ITC”
3 Lessons I Learned From Collaboration It was early 2002 and the idea of a solar PPA was in its infancy. I got an email from a guy from BP Solar seeing if I was interested in buying some solar panels. His name was Jigar Shah.… Continue reading “3 Lessons I Learned From Collaboration”
How to sell a utility scale solar project There is constant interest from developers looking to sell their solar projects. How can you get a piece of this lucrative opportunity and help wean us all off of dirty fossil fuels? Solar development breaks down into three essential steps:… Continue reading “How to sell a utility scale solar project”
How Mineral Rights Can Kill Your Solar Farm Deal There is probably nothing more frustrating than spending months talking to land owners and learning late in the program that the deal is dead. How much did you invest in time and money knocking on doors and drumming up engineering… Continue reading “How Mineral Rights Can Kill Your Solar Farm Deal”
Why You Should Embrace Solar Financial Modeling and Avoid Guesswork “People often have a tendency to make decisions based on unverified instincts and outright guesswork – because it’s quick,” says Chris Lord, instructor of HeatSpring’s Financial Modeling For Solar PV Projects class. Too often, those instincts and guesswork land developers in less-than-… Continue reading “Why You Should Embrace Solar Financial Modeling and Avoid Guesswork”
Avoid These Mistakes When Developing Solar Projects It’s easy to make mistakes when developing solar projects—and just one goof can lead to other goofs, extra costs, and wasted time. That’s the word from Keith Cronin and Chris Lord, instructors for HeatSpring’s Solar Executive MBA Training course, which… Continue reading “Avoid These Mistakes When Developing Solar Projects”
Your Solar Finance Primer: What to Know About the Top Four Solar Financing Options This article was originally published on Aurora Solar’s Blog With many solar installations costing tens of thousands of dollars, a solar project is a significant investment for most customers. Fortunately, there are a number of financing options to help clients… Continue reading “Your Solar Finance Primer: What to Know About the Top Four Solar Financing Options”
“Bring me tariffs!” U.S. Solar Industry Braces After ITC Ruling Friday the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issued its decision finding “a substantial cause of serious injury to the domestic industry” due to dumping of low cost Chinese solar panels in the U.S. market. By the “domestic industry” the ITC… Continue reading ““Bring me tariffs!” U.S. Solar Industry Braces After ITC Ruling”
New Course Format – Solar Business Masterclass We are excited to introduce a new course format, developed by veteran HeatSpring instructor Keith Cronin. We are now accepting enrollments in Keith’s Solar Business Masterclass. In 2011 Keith helped us develop what would become our most popular course, the… Continue reading “New Course Format – Solar Business Masterclass”
The Trump Administration is Expected to Keep the Solar ITC on Track; Here’s How to Best Take Advantage of it With the Trump administration pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement and scuttling the Clean Power Plan, many in the solar industry wonder whether the schedule of the Investment Tax Credit phase-out for solar projects will be changed. A number… Continue reading “The Trump Administration is Expected to Keep the Solar ITC on Track; Here’s How to Best Take Advantage of it”
How to Get More Clients, Team Members and Profits for Your Solar Business We are excited to announce a new free lecture: How to Get More Clients, Team Members and Profits for Your Solar Business by veteran instructor and solar business expert Keith Cronin! Keith will be hosting live Q&A sessions and answering… Continue reading “How to Get More Clients, Team Members and Profits for Your Solar Business”
Innovative Financing Solutions that Get Solar Energy Projects Up and Running A recent study by Deloitte demonstrated just how interested business owners are in going solar. The study, “Resources 2017 Study – Energy Management: Sustainability & Progress,” found that half of the businesses surveyed said they’re looking to procure more electricity… Continue reading “Innovative Financing Solutions that Get Solar Energy Projects Up and Running”
Interview: Role of Appraisal and Cost Segregation Analysis in a Renewable Energy Project A new free short course by solar finance expert Chris Lord contains an insightful 20 minute interview about appraisal and cost segregation and their role in solar and other renewable projects. In this episode, Chris interviews Mike Bammel a Managing… Continue reading “Interview: Role of Appraisal and Cost Segregation Analysis in a Renewable Energy Project”
How Time of Use Rates Work THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AURORA SOLAR’S BLOG What do the prices of movie tickets to Hollywood’s latest blockbuster and the cost of energy in California have in common? First, in most theaters, you will find that ticket prices… Continue reading “How Time of Use Rates Work”
Why You Don’t Need Bankable Solar Panels Developers are often told to use “bankable” panels. But what if you don’t? Can you get a project funded? In helping several developers who struggled with this, Zenergy found that the answer is yes. Below we’ll explain how to make… Continue reading “Why You Don’t Need Bankable Solar Panels”
How to Profit in Solar in 2017 The following article was written by Keith Cronin, who teaches our Solar Executive MBA Training with co-instructor Chris Lord. The solar industry saw great strides in 2016. It looks like 2017 is going to be a banner year. We saw… Continue reading “How to Profit in Solar in 2017”
Solar O&M: Tips for Contractors, The Future of Solar & Workforce Development The solar industry is booming, and there’s a lot to keep track of. From system configuration to energy storage, O&M (Operations and Maintenance) and beyond, the job of Franklin Beach Energy’s Managing Director Carter Wall is never really done. Sustainable woman Carter… Continue reading “Solar O&M: Tips for Contractors, The Future of Solar & Workforce Development”
Developing Your Solar Project: Research, Permits & Market Opportunities Chris Lord and Keith Cronin discuss property records, attractive solar markets and permitting processes on the Solar Executive MBA Training discussion board. Takeaways: It’s often helpful to work with a county clerk when determining which property records you’ll need Solar market… Continue reading “Developing Your Solar Project: Research, Permits & Market Opportunities”
The Best Way to Sell Solar, According to a Nobel Prize Winning Economist “So Myron, have you installed solar panels on your house?” I asked. The answer was no: “I have these magnificent redwood trees, so that gives me trouble”… THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON BLOG.AURORASOLAR.COM ON 9/3/2016 …Indeed, we performed a shading analysis… Continue reading “The Best Way to Sell Solar, According to a Nobel Prize Winning Economist”