Meeting the Demands of the Solar Plus Era: Why Shaw Solar is Launching their Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Electrical Apprenticeship Program Based in Durango, Colorado, Shaw Solar can be described as a big fish in a small pond. Opening their doors back in 2006, they initially worked on residential and small commercial solar thermal and PV and some lead-acid battery storage.… Continue reading “Meeting the Demands of the Solar Plus Era: Why Shaw Solar is Launching their Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Electrical Apprenticeship Program”
New Course Announcement: Creating Solar Courses to Meet the Needs of Electric Membership Co-ops in Georgia and Beyond Georgia has been hit hard by unscrupulous solar businesses, particularly in the residential space. Misinformation about solar has been spread to homeowners far and wide. There are even quite a few solar systems out there that don’t work properly due… Continue reading “New Course Announcement: Creating Solar Courses to Meet the Needs of Electric Membership Co-ops in Georgia and Beyond”
What are “the BIG four” in electrification? Oftentimes adding solar PV to a home is just the tip of the spear into whole-home electrification. Once homeowners begin generating their own electricity, they’ll want to maximize their system production by using or storing as much energy onsite as… Continue reading “What are “the BIG four” in electrification?”
Residential Solar O&M Course Now Free With HeatSpring Membership Starting today, for a limited time, Keith Rohman’s “Residential Field Operations & Maintenance” is included with your HeatSpring Membership. This is the practical residential solar O&M course you have been looking for, and it counts for NABCEP credit, too. Membership… Continue reading “Residential Solar O&M Course Now Free With HeatSpring Membership”
What’s It Take to Get the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification? The NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification is considered the gold standard for PV certifications. It’s renowned for being challenging. Many skilled installers take more than one shot to successfully pass it. It carries weight and holding the esteemed PV Installation… Continue reading “What’s It Take to Get the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification?”
The Basics of Home Electrification In 2020, 26% of U.S. households used electricity as the only source of energy (32.25 million out of 123.53 million homes), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. With new incentives for electrification and renewable energy in the Inflation Reduction… Continue reading “The Basics of Home Electrification”
Looking to be Professional in Solar PV Systems – 10 Things You Need to Learn Learning solar photovoltaic systems might not be as straightforward as they appear while standing, fixed on a roof, or installed on the ground. Even though it seems like basic electricity-generating modules, the process of creating electrical energy involves various theories… Continue reading “Looking to be Professional in Solar PV Systems – 10 Things You Need to Learn”
“Electric Utility Distribution Equipment” now included with HeatSpring Membership Starting May 31st, for a limited time, Tim Taylor’s “Electric Utility Distribution Equipment” is included with your HeatSpring Membership. Membership gives you access to premium courses that usually cost more, including: There are tons of other benefits, too – you… Continue reading ““Electric Utility Distribution Equipment” now included with HeatSpring Membership”
The Factors that Establish You – the Sales Person – as a Trusted Authority You’re sitting down with a homeowner who is considering going solar. They have questions, concerns, and are looking for guidance. In this scenario, how can you establish yourself as the go-to expert and someone they can trust wholeheartedly? It all… Continue reading “The Factors that Establish You – the Sales Person – as a Trusted Authority”
Power Flow Studies on Utility Distribution If you work with utility-scale or community solar PV, you may have heard the utility refer to the term “power flow study”, also called “load flow study”, and wonder what that is. Utility distribution feeders are designed and operated at… Continue reading “Power Flow Studies on Utility Distribution”
Celebrating Top Solar Companies: A Conversation with Arevon The United States had 73.5 GW of utility scale solar capacity as of January 2023, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). If everything continues as planned, it will be the first year that more than half of the U.S.… Continue reading “Celebrating Top Solar Companies: A Conversation with Arevon “
What is All This Water Doing in the Inverter? – What Can Happen When Rooftop Conduit Fittings Are Improperly Installed While it may seem like a minor detail to new solar installers, using the wrong conduit fittings, or installing the right ones incorrectly, can have disastrous consequences. Conduit fittings are used to connect sections of electrical conduit, which protect and… Continue reading “What is All This Water Doing in the Inverter? – What Can Happen When Rooftop Conduit Fittings Are Improperly Installed”
The Simple, Yet Effective Power of Newsletters in Digital Marketing One of the most overlooked, yet valuable tools in the solar company’s marketing toolkit is their ability to send newsletters to their email list. Sending a regular newsletter will help to build trust and stay relevant with your audience of… Continue reading “The Simple, Yet Effective Power of Newsletters in Digital Marketing”
New Course Announcement: Understanding Utility Scale Solar Construction Drawings Being able to understand and read construction drawings means everyone onsite and at the office can speak the same language. It’s an absolute necessity for teams, especially when working on utility scale solar projects. Get everyone on the same page… Continue reading “New Course Announcement: Understanding Utility Scale Solar Construction Drawings”
Time to Recertify Your NABCEP Professional Certification? – A Comprehensive Guide You met all the qualifications. You completed the application. You studied and – most importantly – you passed your NABCEP certification exam! Now that you’ve done the hardest part, it’s time to recertify and maintain your NABCEP professional certification. Here’s… Continue reading “Time to Recertify Your NABCEP Professional Certification? – A Comprehensive Guide “
Content Marketing Basics for Solar Companies Every business needs some digital marketing component to stay competitive. Digital marketing allows for businesses to reach wider audiences while building trust and credibility in cost effective ways. Join Melanie Kelly, VP of Marketing at Pivot Energy, as she shares… Continue reading “Content Marketing Basics for Solar Companies”
Troubleshooting Isolation Faults Like a Pro Isolation faults happen on PV systems when DC current leaks to ground. It can be caused by a number of issues like damaged or pinched wires, defective optimizers, or an inverter fault. In the new Residential Field Operations & Maintenance… Continue reading “Troubleshooting Isolation Faults Like a Pro”
New Course Announcement: Residential Field Operations & Maintenance With a total of 5.9 GW of residential solar installed in the United States as of the end 2021, there is a huge growing (and glaring) need for well trained, experienced solar technicians to keep systems running smoothly and producing… Continue reading “New Course Announcement: Residential Field Operations & Maintenance”
Taking Your New Solar Company from $0 to $500k in Year One – Marketing Tips for Brand New Companies There’s no shortage of challenges and opportunities when launching a brand new solar company. Building a brand and reputation from scratch certainly can be one of the most daunting tasks for new business owners. Join Gustavo Arce as he shares… Continue reading “Taking Your New Solar Company from $0 to $500k in Year One – Marketing Tips for Brand New Companies”
America Sucks at Selling Solar – Why U.S. Resi Solar Prices are 2x-3x Australian Prices Before incentives and rebates, a typical 10kW residential solar system costs around $12,000 in Australia. In the U.S., pre-incentives, the same system costs almost $30,000. $18,000 difference. $1.20W vs $3.00/W. A $1.80/W problem, which I believe is almost entirely… Continue reading “America Sucks at Selling Solar – Why U.S. Resi Solar Prices are 2x-3x Australian Prices”