Let me first start by saying that this article is indeed a piece of shameless promotion. It is about a solar installation tool that I invented while I was running a crew installing residential photovoltaic arrays in Massachusetts.

At first, I was not going to share the story and details of the tool. However, I now believe that the story of how and why we created the tool is a useful one. Also, we’ve received some initial sales and positive feedback from solar installers, leading me to believe other installers will find it useful. Lastly, everyone in the industry is looking to increase profitability by making high quality installations go faster and with less manpower and time. The PV Pal address all three of the issues. Here is the story behind its invention, what we learned and how you can apply it to sell more solar projects to homeowners, and how you can get more information on the PV Pal.

The Story – Why did we Invent the Tool?

The story is indeed very simple. Anyone who has installed residential solar knows that the hardest part of the array installation is getting the first row in and parallel with the bottom of the roof.  It MUST look parallel. This can be challenging for an experienced crew and very difficult for contractors new to being on a roof. The rapid growth and demand for solar installers has created a few precarious situations where contractors new to, and maybe nervous of,  the roof find themselves on the edge of a roof trying to install solar panels. This is the situation I found myself in.

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