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”
How Salespeople Can Harness the Psychological Principle of Unity to Turn Problems into Opportunities to Connect Is it possible to take something seemingly negative – like supply chain issues delaying your client’s solar and energy storage installation – to build more rapport with your clients? Can you transform problems into opportunities to connect on a deeper… Continue reading “How Salespeople Can Harness the Psychological Principle of Unity to Turn Problems into Opportunities to Connect”
How Much Solar PV Can a Feeder Host? As increasing amounts of solar PV connect to electric distribution systems, in the forms of utility-scale solar PV and behind-the-meter solar PV, a critical question that many in the industry have is “How Much Solar PV Can a Feeder Host?” The… Continue reading “How Much Solar PV Can a Feeder Host?”
What Motivates Us to Pay More for a Better Product? Selling better quality solar for a premium is all about delivering high quality customer experiences consistently. It’s the culmination of all the touchpoints between the customer and the business, not just being reactive to particular inquiries. Join Charlie Saginaw of… Continue reading “What Motivates Us to Pay More for a Better Product?”
You Think You’re Selling Solar. You’re Actually Selling These Ten Steps Toward Solar. The tired sales phrase “always be closing” may have killed more solar deals than it ever landed. It’s not wrong, per se, but dramatically and widely, misunderstood. Early on in my solar sales career, I remember walking around believing that… Continue reading “You Think You’re Selling Solar. You’re Actually Selling These Ten Steps Toward Solar.”
The Role of Art and Design in the Energy Transition – Perspective from Alex Nathanson Solar photovoltaics can seem strictly utilitarian to most, especially those deeply entrenched within the solar industry. Solar Power for Artists founder, Alex Nathanson, sees it differently. He asks questions like what is the role of art and design when it… Continue reading “The Role of Art and Design in the Energy Transition – Perspective from Alex Nathanson”
Building a Solar Passive Greenhouse With No Energy Inputs Other Than the Sun Harnessing the power of the sun can look like many different things. For HeatSpring instructor Chris LaForge, solar energy means so much more than photovoltaics. In this short video, Chris shows us the beginning phases of his passive solar greenhouse… Continue reading “Building a Solar Passive Greenhouse With No Energy Inputs Other Than the Sun”
Innovative Solar Microgrids for Resiliency with the Footprint Project The Footprint Project’s mission is to provide cleaner energy for communities in crisis. They work to green disaster response in the aftermath of climate change emergencies. In this blog post, we hear from William Heegaard, Operations Director at the Footprint… Continue reading “Innovative Solar Microgrids for Resiliency with the Footprint Project”
Impacts of IEEE 1547 to Developers and Engineers Working on Distribution Interconnections The latest revision of IEEE 1547TM-2018 – IEEE Standard for Interconnection and Interoperability of Distributed Energy Resources with Associated Electric Power Interfaces turns five years old this year. Many solar PV developers and engineers that are just entering the industry… Continue reading “Impacts of IEEE 1547 to Developers and Engineers Working on Distribution Interconnections”
New Free Course: Denowatts Installer Certification Training Total global solar installed capacity is expected to reach 2.2 terawatts by 2030, which means the solar O&M sector will be continuing to rapidly grow to keep pace. According to research from Wood Mackenzie cited in Solar Builder Magazine, the… Continue reading “New Free Course: Denowatts Installer Certification Training”
Younger Investors Want to Own Solar Too The founders of Legends Solar joined our Solar Entrepreneurship course recently to talk about their startup. Every month we invite a solar entrepreneur to present their unique approach to the class so we can learn from them and – hopefully… Continue reading “Younger Investors Want to Own Solar Too”
New Free Webinar: Digital Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Solar Business Solar capacity in the United States is expected to grow at unprecedented rates. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie, over the next 5 years, the industry is expected to install nearly 200 GW of new solar… Continue reading “New Free Webinar: Digital Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Solar Business”
Understanding Active and Passive Income Offset While Investing in Solar Projects When investing in solar projects, one of the biggest concepts to understand is whether you are looking to offset passive or active income. Join Chris Lord, HeatSpring instructor and Managing Director at CapIron, Inc., and Nick Giannotti, Managing Member at… Continue reading “Understanding Active and Passive Income Offset While Investing in Solar Projects”
Standards for Distributed Energy Resources Interconnecting to Utility Systems Interconnection standards for Distributed Energy Resources (DER) connecting to utility transmission and distribution systems have evolved and will continue to change in the coming decades. DER includes inverter-based resources (IBR), such as solar PV, battery energy storage, and vehicle-to-grid (V2G),… Continue reading “Standards for Distributed Energy Resources Interconnecting to Utility Systems”
OSHA 10 and Other Safety Courses Now Available with HeatSpring Safety training is often required – and arguably should always be required – to work on construction job sites. It’s also essential to qualify for most NABCEP professional certification exams. The HeatSpring community asks us all the time where to… Continue reading “OSHA 10 and Other Safety Courses Now Available with HeatSpring”
Tax Benefits and Investing in Solar Projects With so many commercial and industrial solar projects slated to come online in the next ten years, investing in solar projects is becoming a more popular and lucrative business venture. In this blog post, we are joined by Nick Giannotti,… Continue reading “Tax Benefits and Investing in Solar Projects”
New Free Webinar: Unconventional Solar Applications While we know solar can be a great way to reduce energy costs for your residence or business, there are so many ways to apply solar technology to projects outside the standard use cases. If you’ve worked in the solar… Continue reading “New Free Webinar: Unconventional Solar Applications”
Celebrating Top Solar Companies: A Conversation with Ecogy Energy According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), more than 255,000 Americans work in solar at more than 10,000 different companies. That’s a ton of options for companies in the solar industry to work for and work with. We wanted… Continue reading “Celebrating Top Solar Companies: A Conversation with Ecogy Energy”
New Course Announcement: The Hydrogen Economy If you see yourself as a solar person like me, you’ve likely heard about hydrogen being a key to unlocking a decarbonized future, but you may not know too much about the technology or how many opportunities for partnership lie… Continue reading “New Course Announcement: The Hydrogen Economy”
New Course: Understanding IEEE 1547-2018 – The Interconnection Standard for DER on Distribution HeatSpring is pleased to announce a new course focusing on IEEE 1547-2018, the interconnection standard for Distributed Energy Resources (DER) on utility distribution systems. Understanding IEEE 1547-2018 – The Interconnection Standard for DER on Distribution, will launch in February 2023,… Continue reading “New Course: Understanding IEEE 1547-2018 – The Interconnection Standard for DER on Distribution”