What Makes Construction Challenging? Working in construction can be very challenging. Why is this? HeatSpring instructor Amy Powell asks her teammates, colleagues, and trade partners to dive deep to get to the bottom of this question. She found that the majority of the challenges… Continue reading “What Makes Construction Challenging?”
1 NABCEP CEU – New Free Webinar – Selling Solar-Driven Home Electrification in a Virtual World In today’s rapidly evolving market, online selling has become indispensable. Gone are the days where brick-and-mortar stores were the primary hubs for shopping. The post-pandemic digital age has ushered in a new era of convenience, accessibility, and efficiency, compelling all… Continue reading “1 NABCEP CEU – New Free Webinar – Selling Solar-Driven Home Electrification in a Virtual World”
Active Power Priority vs. Reactive Power Priority This is the fourth of five articles in the series “Reactive Power in Utility-Scale Solar PV Applications.” Here’s the last article – “Inverter-Based Resources Reactive Power Capabilities” – in case you need to catch up. In the earlier articles in this series,… Continue reading “Active Power Priority vs. Reactive Power Priority”
Inverter-Based Resources Reactive Power Capabilities This is the third of five articles in the series “Reactive Power in Utility-Scale Solar PV Applications.” Here’s the last article – “Reactive Power and Transmission & Distribution Operations” – in case you need to catch up. Inverters are a… Continue reading “Inverter-Based Resources Reactive Power Capabilities”
New Free Course Announcement: Construction Communication Methodology Construction communication methodology is a critical, yet rarely discussed, element that shapes the overall outcomes of a construction project and the experiences of those working there. With the countless timely needs that require our focus on construction projects, it can… Continue reading “New Free Course Announcement: Construction Communication Methodology”
Reactive Power and Transmission & Distribution Operations This is the second of five articles in the series “Reactive Power in Utility-Scale Solar PV Applications.” In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the differences and relationship between real, reactive, and apparent power. We also looked at… Continue reading “Reactive Power and Transmission & Distribution Operations”
What Are Reactive Power and VArs? This is the first of five articles in the series “Reactive Power in Utility-Scale Solar PV Applications.” Right after I started my first job out of college, I found myself presenting at a meeting and talking about reactive power and… Continue reading “What Are Reactive Power and VArs?”
How to Get Your NABCEP PV Technical Sales Certification The NABCEP PV Technical Sales (PVTS) Board Certification was created for experienced solar sales professionals who have demonstrated knowledge in qualifying prospects, site analysis, conceptual system design, performance analysis and financial incentives of PV systems. PVTS Board Certified Professionals can… Continue reading “How to Get Your NABCEP PV Technical Sales Certification”
The Most Important Factors When Specifying a Transformer Going from designing residential solar systems to commercial and industrial (C&I) solar systems requires new knowledge in many areas. One area in particular is equipment selection. When megawatt-scale solar systems are designed and put into operation, medium voltage electrical equipment… Continue reading “The Most Important Factors When Specifying a Transformer”
Quick Trick to Find the Roof Slope Using Rise Over Run In residential solar, knowing the roof pitch is an essential part of preparing for any solar design and installation. The roof pitch can affect a system’s energy production. Sometimes, steep roofs include a cost adder because it is more difficult… Continue reading “Quick Trick to Find the Roof Slope Using Rise Over Run”
Troubleshooting a String Inverter Functioning inverters are absolutely key to a successfully operating residential solar system. In the event there’s an issue with the string inverter onsite, the system downtime means the homeowner can’t use any of their own solar energy during that period.… Continue reading “Troubleshooting a String Inverter”
The Ultimate Guide to the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification NABCEP’s PV Installation Professional (PVIP) Certification is considered the gold standard for solar PV professionals. It’s intended for folks who have been in the industry for a while and find themselves often (if not always) in a decision-making role that… Continue reading “The Ultimate Guide to the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification”
Help Your Team Get a Foundation in Solar with this Free Bundle of Courses to Onboard New Installers Residential solar saw its biggest year in 2022 with 40% growth in installations and the residential market adding 9,500 jobs, according to the Solar Jobs Census 2022. The long-term demand for skilled residential solar installers is expected to grow as… Continue reading “Help Your Team Get a Foundation in Solar with this Free Bundle of Courses to Onboard New Installers”
Pathways to Solar: Jan’s Journey to Leading Installs Employment of solar photovoltaic installers is projected to grow 22 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statics. To meet this surge in demand, the industry will… Continue reading “Pathways to Solar: Jan’s Journey to Leading Installs”
Battery Capacity Basics for Solar and Storage When choosing the right energy storage device, we must consider what we are doing with them, where we will put them, how much we will work on them, and how long we want them to last. Of course, all of these… Continue reading “Battery Capacity Basics for Solar and Storage”
One Year Trial of HelioScope Now Included in Megawatt Design Course Through Aurora Partnership HeatSpring and Aurora are teaming up to provide a pretty incredible hands-on learning experience for students. Now when students enroll in Megawatt Design, they will get access to HelioScope by Aurora for the duration of the course, which is one… Continue reading “One Year Trial of HelioScope Now Included in Megawatt Design Course Through Aurora Partnership”
Our Most Popular Free Class Gets an Update With just under 10,000 students enrolled, HeatSpring’s free Introduction to Solar PV Design, Installation, and Code just got a major upgrade, courtesy of our amazing instructor – Sean White. If you’ve never taken a course with Sean, this is a… Continue reading “Our Most Popular Free Class Gets an Update “
Strategies to Succeed in Clean Energy Business Development With the clean energy deployment moving faster than ever, relatively new companies as well as new solar professionals are coming in droves to support the transition. With each new solar system on the grid, technicians and system owners must be… Continue reading “Strategies to Succeed in Clean Energy Business Development”
“Will Solar Damage My Roof?” – How to Handle Objections in the Residential Solar Sales Process Buying a $15-30k solar system is a big purchase decision for homeowners. It’s inevitable that solar sales people will hear what are commonly called objections during the sales process. HeatSpring instructor and seasoned solar sales professional Taylor Jackson prefers to… Continue reading ““Will Solar Damage My Roof?” – How to Handle Objections in the Residential Solar Sales Process”
Utility-Scale Solar PV Flourishes Despite Mixed Business Conditions In September 2023, SEIA and Wood Mackenzie released its “Solar Market Insight Report Q3 2023” report. The report projects more than 20 GW of additions in utility-scale solar in 2023, up from 11.8 GW in 2022. Last month, EIA reported… Continue reading “Utility-Scale Solar PV Flourishes Despite Mixed Business Conditions”