The Top 3 Objections when Selling Commercial Solar HeatSpring instructor Tim Montague is a solar developer who has originated and developed over 50 MW of solar projects. Despite all those megawatts, sometimes he hears objections from his clients. Join Tim as he walks through some of these commonly… Continue reading “The Top 3 Objections when Selling Commercial Solar”
How to Start Your Registered Apprenticeship Program “How to Start Your Registered Apprenticeship Program” is a free course where we distill a confusing topic (solar apprenticeships) down into actionable steps. If people are crucial to the success of your business, we hope you’ll join us for this… Continue reading “How to Start Your Registered Apprenticeship Program”
Visual Guide to the New Solar Apprenticeship Requirements Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAP) are a hot topic because there are new requirements for some (not all) solar companies. We offer this visual guide as a time-efficient way to get your head around this emerging opportunity. This is a super… Continue reading “Visual Guide to the New Solar Apprenticeship Requirements”
The 2023 National Electrical Code is Now Available Online for Free Becoming familiar with the National Electrical Code (NEC) is an absolute requirement for anyone planning on advancing in residential and commercial solar installation, design, or operations. It’s created by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to safeguard persons and property… Continue reading “The 2023 National Electrical Code is Now Available Online for Free”
New Free Course: Inflation Reduction Act: Energy Storage and Solar Tax Credits The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 was signed into law on August 16th, 2022, providing a historic $369 billion of clean energy and climate investments over the next 10 years. The expert team at Energy Toolbase has been diving… Continue reading “New Free Course: Inflation Reduction Act: Energy Storage and Solar Tax Credits”
145 Gigawatts of Pure Opportunity Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, we’re going to triple the solar industry by 2027. Yes, that’s right, triple. Today we are installing 20 GW of solar in the US. By 2027, we will be installing 60 GW… Continue reading “145 Gigawatts of Pure Opportunity”
Why Your Company Needs a Solar + Storage Display System and Other Ways to Get Proficient with Energy Storage Systems We asked Chris LaForge, instructor of several solar and storage courses on HeatSpring, what steps companies newer to energy storage should be taking to get up to speed and do quality work. Chris explains the value of training, why your… Continue reading “Why Your Company Needs a Solar + Storage Display System and Other Ways to Get Proficient with Energy Storage Systems”
Changing Standards for the PV Industry: UL 61730 for PV Modules and UL 3741 for PV Hazard Control (Rapid Shutdown UL Listing) Codes and standards are regularly updated for the constantly evolving solar and storage industries. Sean White and Bill Brooks recently updated their advanced codes courses on HeatSpring to include information on UL 61730 and UL 3741. Here’s some information on… Continue reading “Changing Standards for the PV Industry: UL 61730 for PV Modules and UL 3741 for PV Hazard Control (Rapid Shutdown UL Listing)”
Key Takeaways from the National Solar Jobs Census 2021 + Updates to Solar Career Pathways Course Sharing out the latest information on solar employment statistics is a big component in HeatSpring’s free Solar Career Pathways course. When partners on the course, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), released their National Solar Jobs Census 2021, we jumped… Continue reading “Key Takeaways from the National Solar Jobs Census 2021 + Updates to Solar Career Pathways Course”
The Most Common Problem When Troubleshooting PV + Energy Storage Systems When asked about the most common problem regarding solar + storage, HeatSpring instructor Chris LaForge came up with his answer without hesitation. Tune in to the video or the transcript below to hear Chris’s thoughts on the issue. Chris has… Continue reading “The Most Common Problem When Troubleshooting PV + Energy Storage Systems”
What the Inflation Reduction Act Could Mean for the HeatSpring Community UPDATE: The Inflation Reduction Act has passed Congress and has signed by President Biden. For many of us working in clean energy and environmental stewardship, hearing that the Inflation Reduction Act passed through the Senate filled us with hope for… Continue reading “What the Inflation Reduction Act Could Mean for the HeatSpring Community”
Building and Managing Decentralized Solar Project Teams Chris Lord has helped fund and develop hundreds of megawatts of solar projects over the past eight years, but his company is small. I asked Chris to explain how he builds and manages a decentralized group of collaborators to have… Continue reading “Building and Managing Decentralized Solar Project Teams”
Why Your Install Crews Don’t Have (M)any Women It’s no secret that women are very underrepresented in the solar industry. According to the National Solar Job Census, women made up just under 30% of solar employees in 2021, which is well below the 47% of women that make… Continue reading “Why Your Install Crews Don’t Have (M)any Women”
Managing a Commercial Solar Portfolio: How Solar Developers, EPC Contractors and O&M Teams Work Together Chris Lord helps his clients manage a portfolio of solar assets. In that role he’s also managing a network of subcontractors who don’t always have aligned interests. This is the sort of thing Chris and Keith Cronin cover in their… Continue reading “Managing a Commercial Solar Portfolio: How Solar Developers, EPC Contractors and O&M Teams Work Together”
Simulating a Power Outage to Test Battery Health Batteries that are used strictly for resiliency are oftentimes rarely discharged, as these storage applications only get used when the utility has an outage. That has a lot of implications for the storage equipment. Join HeatSpring instructor Chris LaForge as… Continue reading “Simulating a Power Outage to Test Battery Health”
The Importance of Surge Protection on PV + Energy Storage Systems Chris LaForge has been in the solar and storage industry for over 30 years. You can imagine he’s seen it all when it comes to operations and maintenance on solar and energy storage systems. We wanted to know what is… Continue reading “The Importance of Surge Protection on PV + Energy Storage Systems”
What are the biggest deal breakers when it comes to large scale solar projects? – Ask an Expert In the Ask an Expert series, HeatSpring instructors and industry thought leaders answer a question on the minds of the HeatSpring community. We are joined by Dylan Reitenbach, Project Manager at a national solar developer and financier. In this session,… Continue reading “What are the biggest deal breakers when it comes to large scale solar projects? – Ask an Expert”
How Does a Solar Project Dealmaker Spend His Time? “Solar Project Dealmaker” is the best way to describe Chris Lord. He’s a lawyer, financial modeler, and builder of project teams. Hearing about his work helps you understand how big solar projects happen. Below you’ll hear about a few projects… Continue reading “How Does a Solar Project Dealmaker Spend His Time?”
Dialing in the Solar Development Process As the solar industry continues to boom, it’s easy to see that a rising tide lifts all boats. Solar companies virtually everywhere are growing at rapidly increasing rates. It’s not uncommon to hear about long installation timelines and even some… Continue reading “Dialing in the Solar Development Process”
The Whys of String Sizing Let’s go over the whys of string sizing. What is it and why do we do it? String Sizing Basics String sizing is critical when you’re putting modules in series. Remember that when you put modules in series, the voltage… Continue reading “The Whys of String Sizing”