Be Worth the Wait Let me guess – You’re booked out months. The phone rings steadily, and you’re turning people away because you can’t come out until the spring or summer. One of my clients – a residential energy contractor in Oregon – turned… Continue reading “Be Worth the Wait”
Ask an Expert: What Is the Best Practice for Commissioning a Residential PV System with Battery Backup? HeatSpring Magazine is launching a new series, Ask an Expert, where HeatSpring instructors and industry thought leaders answer a question on the minds of the HeatSpring community. In this inaugural Ask an Expert, we are joined by Designing Small Scale… Continue reading “Ask an Expert: What Is the Best Practice for Commissioning a Residential PV System with Battery Backup?”
The Basics of Utility Transmission for Utility-Scale Solar Access to high voltage transmission lines is integral for utility-scale solar projects. Transmission is part of the high voltage system that connects generation (like utility-scale solar power plants or coal-fired power plants) with load centers, subtransmission, and distribution. Essentially, high… Continue reading “The Basics of Utility Transmission for Utility-Scale Solar”
New Course: Connecting Utility-Scale Solar PV to Distribution Systems The United States is forecasted to add an additional 21.8 GW of utility-scale solar in 2022 and 24.1 GW in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In fact, they expect solar additions to account for nearly half of… Continue reading “New Course: Connecting Utility-Scale Solar PV to Distribution Systems”
Addressing Common Hazards on Solar Installation Projects Safety should always be the top priority on solar installations. Running a safe jobsite means properly managing the risk that your team faces each day. In solar installation work, your installation team regularly faces what the Occupational Safety and Health… Continue reading “Addressing Common Hazards on Solar Installation Projects”
Solar Job Highlight: Solar Service Technician As a part of HeatSpring’s free Solar Career Pathways course, professionals from across the solar industry provide students with an inside look at their careers through bite-sized interviews. Professionals share the details on what their jobs entail, their day-to-day activities,… Continue reading “Solar Job Highlight: Solar Service Technician”
Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) Leadership Forum Kicks Off Its Second Year Hosting Virtually The Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) Leadership Forum will be held virtually from February 22-24, 2022 with speakers and attendees joining from across the country. The Leadership Forum is an annual, one-of-a-kind professional opportunity that includes career… Continue reading “Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) Leadership Forum Kicks Off Its Second Year Hosting Virtually”
Reimagining Disaster Response with Solar Generators: A Conversation with Footprint Project HeatSpring’s Brit Heller connected with Will Heegaard, Operations Director, and Jamie Swezey, Program Coordinator, at Footprint Project. They help build back greener after climate disasters by mobilizing cleaner energy to communities in crisis. Footprint Project develops and deploys mobile solar… Continue reading “Reimagining Disaster Response with Solar Generators: A Conversation with Footprint Project”
Recycling PV Equipment – Why We All Should Be Talking About the End-Of-Life of Solar PV Systems: A Conversation with Kate Collardson of SolarRecycle.org HeatSpring’s Brit Heller sits down with Kate Collardson, one of the founders of SolarRecycle.org, about the need for the solar industry to begin addressing solar power plant’s decommissioning and recycling for projects as they are being built today in order… Continue reading “Recycling PV Equipment – Why We All Should Be Talking About the End-Of-Life of Solar PV Systems: A Conversation with Kate Collardson of SolarRecycle.org”
New Free Course: Solar Career Pathways Solar power will account for nearly half of new U.S. electric generating capacity in 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. With large increases in solar capacity comes huge increases in solar jobs. To showcase the abundance of opportunities… Continue reading “New Free Course: Solar Career Pathways”
Chris LaForge Updates and Improves “Designing Small Scale PV Systems with Energy Storage” Energy storage is the fastest moving area within the solar energy industry. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that 10 GW of battery storage capacity will be added to the grid over the next two years. As more storage is… Continue reading “Chris LaForge Updates and Improves “Designing Small Scale PV Systems with Energy Storage””
Tiny Home Courses Land on HeatSpring Much has changed over the past few years. The realm of what’s possible at our jobs and how we live has broadened. While tiny home living has been growing for years, the pandemic has accelerated the movement. Between the (lack… Continue reading “Tiny Home Courses Land on HeatSpring”
Selecting DAS Equipment on Utility Scale PV Projects Data acquisition systems (DAS) are often employed on small utility scale solar projects to gather information about the performance and conditions of a site. Various sensors, meters, and equipment collect the data that must then be evaluated and visualized within… Continue reading “Selecting DAS Equipment on Utility Scale PV Projects”
Agrivoltaics in Action – Jack’s Solar Garden Connecting the dots between clean energy, local food, and community building may seem like a utopian dream, but for Byron Kominek, founder of Jack’s Solar Garden, it is an intentional undertaking that has been generations in the making. By co-locating… Continue reading “Agrivoltaics in Action – Jack’s Solar Garden”
Agrivoltaics: a multi-faceted approach to climate change Climate change affects everyone and farmers are feeling the pressure now more than ever. Higher temperatures, dwindling water supplies, and a challenging economy are pushing farmers to explore new revenue streams and opportunities for their land. What is agrivoltaics? Local… Continue reading “Agrivoltaics: a multi-faceted approach to climate change”
Scott Sklar’s New and Improved “Solar Power 101” Course Amory Lovins, Co-Founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, says “Scott Sklar is a walking encyclopedia of American renewable energy.” He’s not kidding. 2,500 solar professionals have taken Scott’s “Solar Power 101” course, which was created in 2014. The material held… Continue reading “Scott Sklar’s New and Improved “Solar Power 101” Course”
What’s happening with solar in CA and why it matters everywhere? An interview with the California Solar + Storage Association HeatSpring sat down with Carter Lavin, Director of Membership at the California Solar and Storage Association, to discuss the proposed changes to net metering policy in the California and what that means for states across the country. Brit: Thanks for… Continue reading “What’s happening with solar in CA and why it matters everywhere? An interview with the California Solar + Storage Association”
Photo Contest Giveaway: Fluke Solar Irradiance Meter Thanks to our partners at Fluke, HeatSpring is giving away two Fluke Solar Irradiance Meters! Fluke was founded in 1948. Ever since, they have been making quality testing and troubleshooting tools for a variety of manufacturing and service industries. Solar… Continue reading “Photo Contest Giveaway: Fluke Solar Irradiance Meter”
How to get your NABCEP PV System Inspector (PVSI) Certification The NABCEP PV System Inspector (PVSI) Board Certification recognizes the advanced experience and skill of inspecting residential and commercial photovoltaic systems. This Board Certification is for those who are highly knowledgeable of PV systems, applicable codes and ordinances, and assessing… Continue reading “How to get your NABCEP PV System Inspector (PVSI) Certification”
Earn NABCEP Credits, Learn Solar PV Basics for Free “Introduction to Solar PV Design, Installation and Code” is the most popular free course we’ve ever offered. Almost 7,000 people have taken it. Recently we began the ongoing process of updating the course and took the additional step of getting… Continue reading “Earn NABCEP Credits, Learn Solar PV Basics for Free”