SolarPro, HeatSpring, Ryan Mayfield Launch Megawatt Solar Design Class The online technical training experts at HeatSpring have teamed up with photovoltaic design and instruction professional Ryan Mayfield and technical media specialists SolarPro to launch a 10-week online course in megawatt-scale solar PV system design. To learn more about the… Continue reading “SolarPro, HeatSpring, Ryan Mayfield Launch Megawatt Solar Design Class”
Introduction to the new HeatSpring and High Performance Building Institute The new HeatSpring website is now live, and the High Performance Building Institute is your new source for information and courses on high performance building and clean energy. If you only have 15 seconds, read this: Our new HeatSpring website… Continue reading “Introduction to the new HeatSpring and High Performance Building Institute”
5 Keys for Greening Commercial Roofs Dr. Jim Hoff currently serves as vice president of research for the Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing in Washington, D.C., and president of TEGNOS Research Inc., a consulting organization dedicated to expanding understanding of the building envelope. He’s also… Continue reading “5 Keys for Greening Commercial Roofs”
[Interview] How to Provide Solar Financing to Any Non-Profit Solar Project Larger Than 50kW Lee Barken and his team at Collective Sun have figured out the holy grail of commercial solar financing. Collective Sun can provide solar financing to non-profit solar projects from 50kW and up. Currently, they’re offering their product in California but… Continue reading “[Interview] How to Provide Solar Financing to Any Non-Profit Solar Project Larger Than 50kW”
5 Perspectives for Using Solar Subcontractors for Residential PV Installation This is a guest post by Fred Paris. Fred teaches our 6 week Solar Startup Accelerator where students get the tools (budgeting, planning, pricing, project management) and business plan they need to start new solar business or solar division within… Continue reading “5 Perspectives for Using Solar Subcontractors for Residential PV Installation”
Your Invitation –> NESEA Building Energy Trade Show Discount, Startup Alley, Building Energy Masters Series Meetup Next week is the Building Energy Conference. I’m going to be there, and there’s going to be a lot of fun things happening. I’ve gone to the NESEA show ever year since I was 16, and my buddy Gilbert from… Continue reading “Your Invitation –> NESEA Building Energy Trade Show Discount, Startup Alley, Building Energy Masters Series Meetup”
[Interview] How Faze1 Used Data to Acquire a 5kW Residential Solar Customer for $0.25/watt This is the story of how Faze1 learned how to acquire a 5kW residential solar customer in Massachusetts for $1,250 or $0.25/watt. This is about 50% lower than the $0.49/watt that is typically referred to for average residential customer acquisition… Continue reading “[Interview] How Faze1 Used Data to Acquire a 5kW Residential Solar Customer for $0.25/watt”
Interview with Jason Riback, Co-founder of Vulume I don’t build buildings, but a lot of my colleagues and customers do. So I spend a lot of time at building conferences, reading about buildings, and listening to the most knowledgeable people in the industry teach the skills and… Continue reading “Interview with Jason Riback, Co-founder of Vulume”
5+ Trends that will Drive the Growth of the Hydronic Industry in the Next 3 Years: A 30-Minute Conversion with John Siegenthaler There are a variety of forces changing the dynamics of the hydronic heating and renewable thermal industries that were not happening five years ago. While hydronic distribution is still attractive for similar technical reasons that it was five years ago—comfort,… Continue reading “5+ Trends that will Drive the Growth of the Hydronic Industry in the Next 3 Years: A 30-Minute Conversion with John Siegenthaler”
[30 Minute Interview] Why SREC Markets Will Grow in a Post-ITC Solar World + Other Trends in Commercial Solar Finance All eyes are on the reduction or expiration of the 30 percent federal solar tax credit (ITC). While it’s the prime goal of SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association) to maintain the federal ITC, some have argued explicitly that it’s time to… Continue reading “[30 Minute Interview] Why SREC Markets Will Grow in a Post-ITC Solar World + Other Trends in Commercial Solar Finance”
50 Minutes of Video Answering 5 Questions on Finding, Pitching, Managing Solar Tax Equity Investors This event has already happened. Please scroll down to see the recording and read the answers to the questions. This week our focus has turned to a question that everyone wants answered. Investors, investor, investors! Everyone needs more capital for projects,… Continue reading “50 Minutes of Video Answering 5 Questions on Finding, Pitching, Managing Solar Tax Equity Investors”
Advice from a $20MM Solar PV Investor for Commercial Solar Installers = Focus on a Niche, Be Fast, and Standardize your Operations This article is part of a series of tutorials, interviews and definitions around commercial solar financing. If you need to learn more about solar finance, click here to test drive our Solar MBA. In the Solar MBA students will complete financial… Continue reading “Advice from a $20MM Solar PV Investor for Commercial Solar Installers = Focus on a Niche, Be Fast, and Standardize your Operations”
Get Ahead of the Curve in the Solar Industry The solar industry in the U.S. is growing at a breakneck pace. A recent report by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association states that, for the first time in well over a decade, the U.S. is expected to… Continue reading “Get Ahead of the Curve in the Solar Industry”
Why Online Learning? While there are many benefits to in-person learning, we have found that online learning allows our instructors to dig deeper into course material at a lower cost in a way that’s more inclusive and convenient for everyone. Here are the… Continue reading “Why Online Learning?”
The HeatSpring Difference There are a staggering number of online learning websites and applications out there, and new ones are created every day. So what sets HeatSpring apart? HeatSpring courses provide all the benefits of online learning while avoiding its pitfalls. There are… Continue reading “The HeatSpring Difference”
Getting the Most Out of the Discussion Board Much of the learning in our courses takes place on the discussion board. We’ve found that students who actively engage on the discussion board get the most out of our courses. Here are some general guidelines for using the discussion… Continue reading “Getting the Most Out of the Discussion Board”
Organizing Your Time Since there is no specific time when you need to complete your coursework, time management and organization are critical to your success. Here are some tips for organizing your time: Set aside time at least every other day to work… Continue reading “Organizing Your Time”
‘Commercial Roofing Boot Camp’: A new online workshop from Jim Hoff, ARW Magazine, and HeatSpring Jim Hoff is the VP of research at the Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing (The Center) and a longtime industry executive. This spring, he’s teaching a ten-week, advanced design course online for 50 professionals. It’s a details-oriented design course… Continue reading “‘Commercial Roofing Boot Camp’: A new online workshop from Jim Hoff, ARW Magazine, and HeatSpring”
Part Two of John Siegenthaler’s Free Hydronics Lesson: Pipe Expansion John Siegenthaler is the grandmaster of hydronic heating systems and in our last video, he covered fittings. In this 12 minute segment, John discusses pipe expansion. This is obviously critical information for anyone designing high-performance hydronic systems. Click here to… Continue reading “Part Two of John Siegenthaler’s Free Hydronics Lesson: Pipe Expansion”
Free Hydronic Design Video From John Siegenthaler This ten minute video is all about fittings. Fittings can be an afterthought, but they are a critical component for designing a high-performing hydronic heating system. In this video, John Siegenthaler outlines the universe of fittings, and even tells you… Continue reading “Free Hydronic Design Video From John Siegenthaler”