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”
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 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”
Shading Losses for PV Systems, and Techniques to Mitigate Them This article was originally published on Aurora Solar’s Blog Since PV systems generate electricity based on the amount of sunlight they are receiving, it makes sense that when a shadow is cast on a panel, from either a passing cloud… Continue reading “Shading Losses for PV Systems, and Techniques to Mitigate Them”
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”
Infrared Imaging & The Future of Solar PV: A 30 Year Industry Veteran Reflects Dr. James rand is a 30-year solar veteran, president of Core Energy Works, a HeatSpring expert instructor AND a Sustainable Scholar. He spoke with us about his professional journey, how the industry has changed, his HeatSpring courses and the future of… Continue reading “Infrared Imaging & The Future of Solar PV: A 30 Year Industry Veteran Reflects”
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”
Installers: Put the Solar Breaker on the Opposite Side of the Main Breaker – Here’s Why In this discussion board thread, Sean White explains why installers need to put the solar breaker on the opposite side of the main breaker. Please share your experience in the comments section below. Student: Could you please explain the reasoning… Continue reading “Installers: Put the Solar Breaker on the Opposite Side of the Main Breaker – Here’s Why”
PPA Deal with 3 Investors: Questions to Ask to Model and Structure the PPA When you’re working on a PPA deal with multiple investors you need to know each investor’s end goal and then structure the PPA accordingly. Do you need to consider a Partnership Flip or the Unstructured model returns? Here’s a discussion from our… Continue reading “PPA Deal with 3 Investors: Questions to Ask to Model and Structure the PPA”
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”
Meet NABCEP! By now, all solar professionals have heard of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) certifications. But, what does it mean to be NABCEP certified, and how can you get certified? How is the new Associate Program different from… Continue reading “Meet NABCEP!”
UW Greek Community Perpetuating College Sustainability Movement Officially launched in November 2015, the Green Greek Representative Program (GGRP) is a student-run program at the University of Washington working to make the Greek Community a more sustainable place. Working through UW EcoReps and supported by the UW Sustainability office,… Continue reading “UW Greek Community Perpetuating College Sustainability Movement”
Resilient Community Microgrids: An Introduction Learn about the potential of community microgrids in this new short course. Microgrid Institute Director Michael Burr provides a comprehensive introduction to how community microgrids work, what problems they can solve, and how market trends are driving microgrid development, in… Continue reading “Resilient Community Microgrids: An Introduction”
Learn Infrared Imaging as a PV Characterization Tool for $30 Along with the increasing popularity of solar PV systems comes the need for high-quality operations and maintenance (O&M). This is an area that is often overlooked but has been gaining attention in recent years. In this lecture, Dr. James Rand… Continue reading “Learn Infrared Imaging as a PV Characterization Tool for $30”
Volta: A Start-Up Company Powering West Africa As the solar and clean energy industry grows, it’s no surprise that the target market for renewable energy technologies is now expanding to include developing communities and countries. In fact, a host of new start-ups and innovative business models are… Continue reading “Volta: A Start-Up Company Powering West Africa”
What’s Going On With Global Renewable Energy Investment? From a macro perspective, renewable energy technologies seem to be a relatively safe bet for investors… 2015 hit a world record for global renewables investment despite challenging conditions, solar and wind have been deemed “unstoppable,”1 jobs in this sector seem… Continue reading “What’s Going On With Global Renewable Energy Investment?”
Eradicating Energy Poverty: 80 Microgrids by 2020 The EarthSpark team spent 5 years developing their first microgrid in Haiti. Inaugurated in June 2015, it is currently serving 449 homes and businesses with affordable, reliable electricity 24/7. The grid contains 93 kW of PV panels, a 30 kVa… Continue reading “Eradicating Energy Poverty: 80 Microgrids by 2020”
Talking Energy Policy with Industry Leaders Join GRID Alternatives for the Women in Energy Policy webcast Leading women in the field of clean energy policy will discuss their career paths, projects they’re currently working on and the growing role of women in traditionally male-dominated fields. This lecture… Continue reading “Talking Energy Policy with Industry Leaders”
Monetizing the Federal ITC For Your Business If you are taking your business solar, it’s important to understand the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC). Wunder Capital has designed this guide to help answer your questions about the Federal ITC and walk you through the process of how… Continue reading “Monetizing the Federal ITC For Your Business”