Solar is the Fastest Growing Industry in the US! So What? According to the last report put out by the Solar Energy Industry (SEIA), solar, specifically solar pv is the fastest growing industry in the US. So what? What does this mean for your business or job prospects? How you can… Continue reading “Solar is the Fastest Growing Industry in the US! So What?”
Geothermal Designer Tax Credit: Don’t Leave Money on the Table “Your database of completed geothermal projects is a goldmine.” That was the message at tonight’s New England Geothermal Professional Association member’s meeting. Charles Goulding, from Energy Tax Savers, gave a compelling presentation about some underutilized government programs that directly benefit… Continue reading “Geothermal Designer Tax Credit: Don’t Leave Money on the Table”
2 Things Electricians Should Ask Themselves When Going Solar At HeatSpring Learning Institute, we do a lot of NABCEP solar training for electricians who are going to be starting companies in solar or moving their existing business into solar. After 4 years and 500 solar alumni who have gone through… Continue reading “2 Things Electricians Should Ask Themselves When Going Solar”
Five Key Items for Writing a Solid Renewable Energy Sales Proposal If you’re currently a contractor and interested in entering or expanding your business into the renewable energy industry, there are four main hurdles you will face. Understanding the technology. See this free course to learn more about the technology basics.… Continue reading “Five Key Items for Writing a Solid Renewable Energy Sales Proposal”
How You Can Use Geothermal To Gain LEED Certification Here is an excerpt from a white paper I just published on how and where a ground source heat pump can be utilized to gain LEED certification. By now, nearly everyone has at least heard of LEED but not many… Continue reading “How You Can Use Geothermal To Gain LEED Certification”
6 Ways to Not Waste Your Money on Solar Training BUYER BEWARE; when purchasing training, there are a lot of training providers coming into the market. Some are good, but some are bad. You’re smart–just do your homework. Everyone looking to get into solar industry should take some quality technical… Continue reading “6 Ways to Not Waste Your Money on Solar Training”
Enphase and Micro-Inverter Benefits Are Becoming Clear Over Traditional String Inverters If you’re new to the solar industry, go to the Solar 101 Reading list. It has free tools and articles on solar design and installation, sales and marketing, policy, finance and best practices. According to the Solar Energy Industry Association, the residential market… Continue reading “Enphase and Micro-Inverter Benefits Are Becoming Clear Over Traditional String Inverters”
The 9 Best Geothermal and Solar Resources on the Internet This is a simple post. Here are our favorite solar and geothermal resources we’ve run into (or created!) over the past couple years that are really useful resources for understanding the technology, basic design, policy and sales of solar and… Continue reading “The 9 Best Geothermal and Solar Resources on the Internet”
SRECs…The Heartbeat of the Solar Industry What the SREC (Solar Renewable Energy Credit) has done for the solar power industry is akin to what the Ford industry did for the affordable car over a hudred years ago.
What the Heck is Home Performance? Seriously. One Contractor to Another. Paul Eldrenkamp has been a residential remodeling contractor for 26 years. Energy efficiency work has been the competitive advantage that has gotten his business through the current recession. He has a knack for breaking a very complex topic down into… Continue reading “What the Heck is Home Performance? Seriously. One Contractor to Another.”
Sollega: Developing the Fastest Mounting and Grounding Solar Racking for Flat Roofs Module prices have been drastically dropping. The result is that companies are increasingly focused on using software to decrease business overhead but there has also been a huge focus on driving down Balance of System (BOS) costs, namely racking. This… Continue reading “Sollega: Developing the Fastest Mounting and Grounding Solar Racking for Flat Roofs”
How to Avoid Costly Mistakes When Selling Solar: An Interview with Andy Black from On Grid Solar Anyone who is anyone in the solar industry has heard of and probably knows who Andy Black of On Grid Solar is. Andy created, as far as I know it, the first solar sales tool in 2005 which continues to… Continue reading “How to Avoid Costly Mistakes When Selling Solar: An Interview with Andy Black from On Grid Solar”
What Is The Value of the NABCEP Certification? The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) has become the primary certification entity for the solar industry and they continue to add more certifications. There is continued debate online about the value of the certifications. Some states are… Continue reading “What Is The Value of the NABCEP Certification?”
Free Course: How to Make Money in Renewable Energy Here is one thing we know how to do really well at HeatSpring, help contractors get into and excel in the solar and geothermal business. We do this through a variety of means; advice, contacts, training, and resources. We talk… Continue reading “Free Course: How to Make Money in Renewable Energy”
FEATURED ARTICLE: Vote: What are the Best Solar Panels on the Market? We have trained over 1,000 solar contractors that are starting solar companies or working in some of the largest solar integrators on the east coast. Module selection is a huge part of the process when building a company and completing… Continue reading “FEATURED ARTICLE: Vote: What are the Best Solar Panels on the Market?”
Which is Better: Solar Thermal Flat Plate or Evacuated Tube Collectors? Solar thermal flat plate or evacuated tube collectors? This is an incredibly common question in the solar thermal industry. Strangely enough, many people weigh in, and take different sides. Like a Red Sox vs Yankees type of rivalry, it’s a heated debate. In the end, it… Continue reading “Which is Better: Solar Thermal Flat Plate or Evacuated Tube Collectors?”
Software Can Decrease Your Costs, Close More Sales and Grow your Solar Business I’m always on the hunt for the new products, trends and technologies that are decreasing the cost of clean energy solutions. In the past few years the innovation has mainly come from decreasing the cost of the large system components… Continue reading “Software Can Decrease Your Costs, Close More Sales and Grow your Solar Business”
5 Helpful Tips to Sizing and Selecting Solar Thermal Equipment Today’s guest post comes from Bob Ramlow, the instructor if our Solar Thermal Boot Camp. Bob Ramlow has more than 30 years of experience with solar-energy systems and is a co-founder and Board member of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association.… Continue reading “5 Helpful Tips to Sizing and Selecting Solar Thermal Equipment”
Lessons For Succeeding in a Family Business Did you know that 50% of US GDP is generated from family business? Or that 35% of the Fortune 500 are family companies? Chances are very high that you have worked with your parents, children, siblings, or spouse at some… Continue reading “Lessons For Succeeding in a Family Business”
Family Business: Solar Training Only Your Dad Can Offer Tony Maglio, president of Maglio Solar, got started in the electrical business working with his father. In this short video, Tony tells the story of the most important lesson he ever learned – don’t trust anybody, even your father. Did… Continue reading “Family Business: Solar Training Only Your Dad Can Offer”