The Solar Developer’s Modeling Challenge: How Much Detail Is Enough?

In the article below, Chris Lord, HeatSpring’s expert instructor, outlines when and why detail in modeling cash flows from a renewable energy project really matters.
Key Takeaways:

Modeling forces us to confront the troubling “unknowns” about our project, and that implicates two curious aspects of human nature.
The purpose of modeling is to help us get a handle […]

4 Reasons Commissioning on Larger Solar PV Systems is Important

The article below is an excerpt from the discussion board of our last Solar Executive MBA cohort. Student A and Student B are interested in learning more about:

The importance of commissioning on larger solar systems
The potential volatility of SRECs and how to account for changes and potential sunsets
Areas that it would be advantageous to engage “third-party […]

Interview: Financial Models and Sample Documents for Commercial Solar Projects

I recently spoke with Chris Lord and Keith Cronin about some of the financial modeling tools and sample  documents that they frequently use to teach solar professionals working on commercial projects. Chris and Keith, who co-teach our Solar Executive MBA course, first talked about the financial modeling tools, how they came to use them, and […]

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Sell Your Commercial Solar Projects to Investors

In this video, Noel Lafayette from SHR Energy discusses in step-by-step detail what a commercial solar developer needs do to sell a project to a solar fund. If you’re curious, I interviewed Noel in the beginning of 2014. The article is titled, “Advice from a $20MM Solar Investor.”

This article is the second part of a […]

December 9th, 2014|Categories: Solar Finance|Tags: , , , |

How Commercial Real Estate Owners Deal with Solar PPA Pricing Risk

In the 10-minute video above, Darien Crimmin, VP of Energy and Sustainability for WinnDevelopment, describes how he looks at the pricing risk of signing solar PPAs from the perspective of a large property owner. WinnDevelopment has a $2.5 billion real-estate portfolio across 23 states and Darien is responsible for determining if solar is built on their […]

December 9th, 2014|Categories: Solar Finance|Tags: , |