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”
Instructor Sean White: Solar Energy Author, Interpreter and Comedian Sean White, instructor of numerous HeatSpring courses, is a highly regarded expert who has worked with solar energy notables, authored popular books about solar PV and served on NAPCEP (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners) exam committees. But what… Continue reading “Instructor Sean White: Solar Energy Author, Interpreter and Comedian”
Four Trends Shaping the Solar-Plus-Storage Market Until recently, consumers and businesses embraced solar-plus-storage because they either wanted a backup in the case of utility outages or desired to be off-grid, says Wes Kennedy, instructor of HeatSpring’s Comprehensive Solar-Plus-Storage course. But in recent years, all that has… Continue reading “Four Trends Shaping the Solar-Plus-Storage Market”
What Solar Installers Need to Know about the 2017 National Electric Code and its Big Changes for the Solar Industry An image of a solar PV system appears on the cover of the 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC)—and for good reason. “The 2017 NEC has more changes than any other version of the NEC since any of us have been… Continue reading “What Solar Installers Need to Know about the 2017 National Electric Code and its Big Changes for the Solar Industry”
Get Solar Smart and Boost Your Income in the Solar Industry Many solar professionals worry right now that the Trump administration may impose tariffs on solar panels from China, a move that would increase the costs of doing business in the US and spark layoffs in the industry. However, if… Continue reading “Get Solar Smart and Boost Your Income in the Solar Industry”
Why All Solar Workers Need to Know Solar Energy Industry Basics In the past, a small crew of workers with a truck served as a whole solar company, and each crew member had a good grasp of the basics of the industry. They all were well-versed enough in the industry to… Continue reading “Why All Solar Workers Need to Know Solar Energy Industry Basics”
NABCEP PV Associate Credential Goes International Are you located outside of the United States and interested in earning the NABCEP PV Associate credential? We have great news! You can now take the PV Associate exam at any Castle Worldwide testing center in the world. You could… Continue reading “NABCEP PV Associate Credential Goes International”
“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”
How to Design Smart Solar Systems in a Fast-Moving Industry Because technology, regulations and software are evolving rapidly in the solar industry, it’s important for contractors, designers and engineers to stay informed about the latest ways to design solar systems. While it may seem daunting to track industry changes, you… Continue reading “How to Design Smart Solar Systems in a Fast-Moving Industry”
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”
What You Need to Know to Create a Successful Solar-Plus-Storage Project With a booming market, evolving technology and ever- changing incentive programs, energy storage is the Wild West of the solar business right now, says Wes Kennedy, an application engineering manager and instructor for HeatSpring’s “Comprehensive Solar Plus Storage” course. “People… Continue reading “What You Need to Know to Create a Successful Solar-Plus-Storage Project”
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”
How Profitable Companies Offer More than Just Solar Would you rather do $5 million in sales with a 20% profit or $10 million in sales with a 10% profit? And what if I said that the $5 million in sales wasn’t all from solar? The most profitable way… Continue reading “How Profitable Companies Offer More than Just Solar”
What is the Largest Opportunity in Energy by 2020 and How to Get Your Piece of It You’re looking for the hottest trend. Newest product. Ways to wow and amaze your family and friends. You want to be a leader. A source of knowledge. An authority. Little secret. You will be, as it relates to the energy… Continue reading “What is the Largest Opportunity in Energy by 2020 and How to Get Your Piece of It”
Reminder: Aug 4, 2017 Application Deadline for NABCEP PV Installation Professional Exam The fall 2017 application deadline for the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification is August 4, 2017. Do you have your 58 hours of required training in order to sit for the exam? HeatSpring has several convenient options for getting your… Continue reading “Reminder: Aug 4, 2017 Application Deadline for NABCEP PV Installation Professional Exam”
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”
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”
How do I Understand Optimal Voltage Drop Percentage? Q+A from NABCEP Advanced PV Installer Training I have question about voltage drop. In my area, some sources say if Voltage drop is less than 3% it is ok, some sources say it must be not more than 2%. How do I understand optimal Voltage Drop %?… Continue reading “How do I Understand Optimal Voltage Drop Percentage? Q+A from NABCEP Advanced PV Installer Training”