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”
Free 26 Minute Lesson on Performing Heat Loss Calculations for Net Zero Energy Homes Calculating heat loss, and designing for minimal heat loss, is absolutely critical to designing and building net zero energy home or to passive house standards. Watch this 26 minute video lesson, from Marc Rosenbaum’s Zero Net Energy Homes course to… Continue reading “Free 26 Minute Lesson on Performing Heat Loss Calculations for Net Zero Energy Homes”
Full Case Study of 8 Net Zero Energy Homes The following post is a case study of 8 Net Zero Energy Homes that were designed by South Mountain Company (SMC). SMC’s Marc Rosenbaum is teaching a class on Net Zero Energy Design that will give you all of the… Continue reading “Full Case Study of 8 Net Zero Energy Homes”
Guide to Solar Water Heater Installation Best Practices In my work with many solar water heating manufacturers, designers and installers here in the upper Midwest I have compiled a list of best installation practices for solar water heating systems. This work is collaboration and is ongoing, so if… Continue reading “Guide to Solar Water Heater Installation Best Practices”
Battery Backup Basics for Solar PV When choosing the right battery, 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 factors will… Continue reading “Battery Backup Basics for Solar PV”
Chris LaForge on Load Analysis for Battery-Based Solar Projects [Video] ISPQ Master trainer and solar legend Christopher LaForge is teaching a class on designing battery based solar PV systems. The capstone project for the class is design a complete battery based solar PV system. This is an intensive six-week training… Continue reading “Chris LaForge on Load Analysis for Battery-Based Solar Projects [Video]”
Leveraging your HeatSpring training using LinkedIn You know your HeatSpring training is valuable, but how do you share that knowledge with prospective employers, business partners, or potential clients? One easy, effective way is through LinkedIn, the largest professional social network in the world. This video provides step-by-step… Continue reading “Leveraging your HeatSpring training using LinkedIn”
Success Begets Success: Why Your Trip to Ball State’s GeoCon is a Great Investment in the Future of Your Business I’m not a fisherman, but I have plenty of stories about the one that got away. Big, fantastic opportunities don’t come along frequently, so they tend to catch us off guard. Ball State is the one that didn’t get away.… Continue reading “Success Begets Success: Why Your Trip to Ball State’s GeoCon is a Great Investment in the Future of Your Business”
Two Things You Should Know About the Michigan Solar Industry The Open PV Project ranks Michigan as the 28th best state for solar PV with 7.09 MW of installed capacity. Here are two things you might not know about the Michigan solar industry if you’re not spending a lot of… Continue reading “Two Things You Should Know About the Michigan Solar Industry”
Meet Tom McCormack, HeatSpring’s First ‘Student Advocate’ It’s no secret we’re excited about online and blended learning. Education is going digital – everyone knows it, but there’s a ton of fear and uncertainty about what that future looks like. If online training is the Wild West, then… Continue reading “Meet Tom McCormack, HeatSpring’s First ‘Student Advocate’”
How to Design Homes to be Solar PV Ready Many homeowners might be building a new home or doing renovations and they want solar, but not right now. The following is a guest post from Jamie Leef, an expert builder and solar installer at S+H Construction that will be… Continue reading “How to Design Homes to be Solar PV Ready”