Solar Power World March 2022

March 2022

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THE FIRST WORD

Residential installer talent shines again at second Solar Games grid systems in some rounds. Winning this competition Amidst the blazer-and-dress-shoe crowd at Intersolar 2022, shows customers are in good hands when they choose these installation crews wearing matching shirts and work belts top-placing teams. heavy with tools stood in circles hashing out their strategies "It's a huge endorsement for any of these companies for the Solar Games. At this second annual competition in that they take their job so seriously. There's a very high skill Long Beach, California, the stakes were higher than before, level involved," Doane said. with $10,000 up for grabs for the winning team.

The Solar Games showed how a solid installation skillset The mock roofs were short enough that conferencecan set contractors apart in a sometimes-crowded field. goers could watch the action from all angles. The audience In this annual installation tips issue, we explore the ways looked on as seven teams took different approaches to companies can get even better at their craft. Although daily installation, with some getting right to work securing the installations aren't always observed or judged, completing rails and others assembling the panels first — clipping rapid a near-perfect install means happier customers, a longer shutdown devices onto panel frames and attaching wires project lifespan and, ultimately, more referrals to keep the to junction boxes before rushing to the roof. Teams once again had 90 minutes to complete the installation, but bonus jobs rolling. SPW points were up for grabs if they finished in under 60.

As the rounds went on and teams were eliminated, Las Vegas-based returning champion Sol-Up USA maintained a slow-and-steady strategy. In the two final rounds, the teams competing against Sol-Up finished in around 40 minutes, but Sol-Up did not rush under pressure. They double-checked every element of the installation, while still completing their work in under 60 minutes to collect bonus points.

"You can get focused on the time aspect, and it is important, but the safety and quality ended up winning the day almost every time," said Wes Doane, executive director of Diversified Communications, the company behind Intersolar.

Kelsey Misbrener Sol-Up's final opponent, Northern CaliforniaManaging Editor based Solar Works, received just two infractions kmisbrener@wtwhmedia.com in the championship round — one installer wasn't @SolarKelseyM @SolarPowerWorld tethered to the roof for a few minutes, and some roof mount pins were mispositioned. But Sol-Up's painstaking work gave the team a perfect score and a $10,000 check.

"The thing that differentiates them the most over two Solar Games now is just the quality, the attention to detail of the work they do," Doane said. "It's just above and beyond, and that's why they were able to win it again, even with all these teams."

Doane pointed out the added challenge competitors must overcome by installing racking, inverter and panel brands they may not use on a daily basis — as well as off-

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CONTENTS

37

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ON THE COVER

Roofing companies have pulled ahead in the solar shingle manufacturing race installation requirements with low-profile products.

6

56 AD INDEX

SOLAR POWER WORLD

MARCH 2022

41

TECHNOLOGY

10 SOLAR ADVOCACY

24 PANELS

POLICY

30 MOUNTING

The industry owes much of its policy and workforce development progress to nonprofit organizations

14 NET METERING

INSTALLATION A barn from the 1800s is moved multiple states over and equipped with rooftop solar

54 CONTRACTOR’S CORNER

24

BUSINESS

20 CASE STUDY

Photo courtesy of GAF Energy

8 NEWS BRIEFS

14

A close-up on the net-metering policy battles in the differing solar markets of California and Florida

by combining practical

2 FIRST WORD

MARCH 2022 • VOL 12 NO 2 w w w. s o l a r p o w e r w o r l d o n l i n e . c o m

Success in solar shingle products takes roofing know-how and a network of willing installers Reinforcing rooftops from the attic is one way to ensure long-lasting solar installations

34 INVERTERS

Hybrid and battery inverters have different strengths in residential solar + storage systems

37 STORAGE

Installers are using virtual power plants as a selling point for customers in certain utility territories

SPECIAL SECTION: INSTALLATION TIPS

NABCEP trainers offer their latest solar installation tips that may not be found in a product guide in this year’s special section. | PAGE 41

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The 1 P Trac ke r by Sol te c

soltec.com

PAT E N T P E N D I N G

NEWS BRIEFS

SOLAR POLICY SNAPSHOTS A guide to recent legislation and research throughout the country.

A Wisconsin battle over solar + EV chargers could foreshadow a new era of utility efforts to keep control of powering electric vehicles.

Advocates say Virginia’s proposed minimum bill charge could kill community solar

8

Wisconsin legislation would impose restrictions on public solar-powered EV chargers

Richmond, Virginia

Madison, Wisconsin

Solar advocates are asking Virginia regulators to lower the proposed minimum bill price that participants in the state’s new shared solar program would be required to pay for grid maintenance. The solar industry says the $55 minimum bill price would deter many residents from joining the program.

A bill in Wisconsin would require all electricity sold through electric vehicle chargers to use power provided by the local utility, prohibiting businesses from energizing those chargers with on-site solar + storage systems. Renewable advocates submitted testimony opposing this move.

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NEWS BRIEFS

CPUC delays California NEM 3.0 decision

California fast-tracks RPS goals, hits another milestone early

Connecticut launches 9-year energy storage incentive program

Sacramento, California

Sacramento, California

Hartford, Connecticut

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) delayed its decision on net-metering changes to give commissioners more time to consider revisions and analyze the record.

The solar industry is anticipating a decision at the March 17, 2022, CPUC meeting, but the timeline is still unclear.

The CPUC approved new plans to adopt a 35 million metric ton (MMT) 2032 electric sector greenhouse gas planning target, which is less than the previous goal of 46 MMT. New research from the California Energy Commission also found the state surpassed its 2020 RPS goal by 1.5%.

Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority has created a new program offering upfront incentives of around $200/ kWh for customers who install energy storage systems. The program is open to all residential, commercial and industrial utility customers.

Clean energy trade groups ask FERC to reform interconnection process

Minnesota requires solar be included in future Xcel Energy resource plans

Indiana bill allows counties to adopt “solar-ready” siting regulations

Washington, D.C.

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Indianapolis, Indiana

SEIA and two other clean energy associations filed comments with FERC emphasizing the need for near-term interconnection improvements to allow additions of new renewable energy generation. SEIA called interconnection backlogs one of the biggest impediments to decarbonizing the electric grid.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to require utility Xcel Energy to add 2.5 GW of new solar projects by 2030 and include distributed energy sources like solar in the company’s future resource plans. Additionally, no new gas plants were approved in this proceeding.

The Indiana General Assembly has passed SB 411, a bill that would let local communities decide whether to ease utilityscale solar siting regulations. Advocates say the legislation is a compromise that balances reasonable siting standards with local control.

New report outlines best policy practices for siting community solar projects

Solar advocates push for passage of Massachusetts gridplanning bill

NYSERDA seeks federal grant to train displaced fossil fuel workers for clean energy jobs Albany, New York

Washington, D.C.

Boston, Massachusetts

The State of New York is seeking a $25 million federal grant to train residents for new clean energy job opportunities. In the proposal, community colleges would work together to build classes and programs to train 2,000 new workers and reskill 1,500 existing workers.

SEIA has released a new report to help policymakers and developers strategically site community solar projects. The paper emphasizes the importance of designing these projects for maximum ecosystem and agricultural benefits.

Clean energy organizations called on Massachusetts officials to pass a new bill that would require utilities to proactively upgrade the grid and increase customer access to renewable energy. The bill will soon reach the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

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BUSINESS INDUSTRY ADVOCACY GROUPS EXIST TO BOLSTER

SOLAR DEPLOYMENT MEET THE ORGANIZATION BEHIND THE ‘SOLAR JOBS CENSUS’

The

installer’s role in the solar industry is handling the physical construction of solar arrays. Whether that’s on a rooftop, on the ground or any other surface suitable for solar, the installer is responsible for putting that panel in place.

Yet there are certain conditions that must be met for permitting, interconnection and training accreditation before that installer can start construction. The issues surrounding solar construction — details like interconnection and permitting policy, that without preparation can slow deployment within communities unfamiliar with solar — are often addressed by industry advocacy groups.

For everything involving solar that isn’t construction or manufacturing, there are groups like the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) laying the groundwork to create favorable

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conditions for solar construction.

“Our mission is to build the foundation for the rapid adoption of clean energy and efficiency to benefit people, the economy and the planet,” said Larry Sherwood, CEO and president of IREC. “We’re often working on issues behind the scenes that are foundational or critical for the industry to succeed and build actual projects.”

IREC was founded 40 years ago as a membership organization made up of people in state energy offices working in the renewables sector. It eventually became an independent nonprofit organization focused on fact-based initiatives supporting renewable energy deployment in the United States.

Last year, The Solar Foundation, another independent nonprofit organization that was known for publishing the annual “National Solar Jobs Census,” merged with IREC, folding

both groups and their services into one. However, IREC serves renewables markets beyond solar.

“Many of the groups are really siloed in solar or wind or energy efficiency, and IREC really sees the whole picture and how all of these different industries and technologies need to integrate together,” Sherwood said. “I think that is incredibly valuable and critical if we’re really going to reach aggressive clean energy goals.”

That mission has translated into programs like training what IREC refers to as “allied industries,” or the people whose full-time job isn’t solar, but whose work is necessary for completing projects.

People like firefighters, code officials or building managers can be integral to approving, receiving or finalizing solar projects, and IREC has found that preparing them for future solar deployment makes the process simpler when that time comes.

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B I L LY L U D T | A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

Foundational work in solar All The Solar Foundation’s programming and employees were carried over to IREC in the merger. In the solar space alone, IREC is publishing the Solar Jobs Census, running the preparatory program SolSmart, accrediting solar training programs, hosting the Solar Licensing Database, tracking community and school solar projects, assisting development of automated solar permitting program SolarAPP+, facilitating solar projects in Puerto Rico and helping military veterans find solar jobs.

“It’s important to have this entity like IREC and others that are funneling information back and forth and creating bridges between educators, workers and employers, because we know from the 2020 census that just in terms of solar, we need 900,000 more workers by 2035,” said Leslie Graham, director of development at IREC. “There needs to be other groups pushing to reach these climate goals. It can’t be a laissez-faire thing.”

IREC will soon publish the 12th Solar Jobs Census. The annual report is created using voluntary surveys sent to solar industry members. That data is broken down by job types, demographics, wages and regions, and includes details on national installation numbers.

“The Solar Foundation began publishing the report because there was no other independent, authoritative source of information on how many solar workers there are,” said Avery Palmer, communications projects director at IREC. “Over the years, it allows us to show how the solar industry was growing and

changing over time. Back a decade ago, the solar industry was still in a fairly nascent phase, and as it took off, we could see how the job growth expanded the industry.”

The census gives the industry a year-by-year record of solar employment and deployment numbers. In the 2020 report, there was a 6.7% decrease in overall jobs from 2019, but more solar was installed than the previous year.

For legislators, the census is a tool to make a case for more solar-friendly policies that could encourage more job growth. Union data, compensation and employment forecasts are all detailed in the report.

Then, those numbers are shown alongside overall U.S. employment data to show how solar compares to other domestic industries. It also reports on the diversity of the industry and where solar companies can improve to be more equitable.

“We can be stewards of diversity, equity and inclusion, asking big companies and specific markets to focus on those goals and watch them develop,” Graham said.

And it isn’t compiled by IREC alone.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has been a longtime collaborator on the Solar Jobs Census, BW Research administers the survey and, for the first

We can be stewards of diversity, equity and inclusion, asking big companies and specific markets to focus on those goals and watch them develop.

time, the 2021 report will be assisted by the Department of Energy, using data from the department’s “U.S. Energy and Employment Report.”

“I think the Solar Jobs Census would be included as part of our workforce development activities because this report has a variety of information not only about the number of jobs, but about solar workforce needs and how to meet those needs,” Palmer said.

IREC doesn’t administer job training directly for solar installers, and instead accredits training programs.

The organization will connect trainers and solar subject matter experts to build these training programs. IREC has Solar Ready Vets, which places retired military service members in fellowships, apprenticeships and workforce development programs for careers in solar.

Another program carried over from the merger with The Solar Foundation

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is SolSmart, a free program to help cities, counties or regional organizations address inefficiencies in interconnection and solar permitting and inspection.

IREC and the International City/County Management Association partners with organizations familiar with construction permitting, local governments and the solar industry to give technical assistance to reduce barriers to solar energy development.

“The overarching goal of SolSmart is to reduce the soft costs of solar installation because that’s what’s holding people back from installing or expanding solar installations,” Graham said. “If they can reduce permitting time, reduce the overhead, then the costs go down and the projects can go faster.”

Funding the work Nonprofit organizations like IREC operate using a mix of grant funding, donations and corporate sponsorships.

Not every program will be supported by a grant, so those other financing methods are necessary to produce reports like the Solar Jobs Census, which is funded through corporate sponsorships.

These advocacy groups don’t exist without support from the industry, and that goes beyond just donating money.

There are opportunities for solar industry members to donate their time, too.

For example, IREC started the National Clean Energy Workforce Alliance in December from a Bank of America Charitable Foundation donation and is seeking people invested in renewable energy to get involved. Or industry members can help by filling out the survey for the 2021 Solar Jobs Census.

As the solar industry continues to expand into new U.S. markets, advocacy groups will be there to help with the growing pains.

“I think that’s the kind of issue that an organization like IREC, that’s working in the public interest, can work on. A private company is going to have to focus their efforts on where the profits make the most sense,” Sherwood said. “But it’s not necessarily private companies that are going to build the foundations in those markets. We want to see solar everywhere — all states, all markets, all places.” SPW

The overarching goal of SolSmart is to reduce the soft costs of solar installation because that’s what’s holding people back from installing or expanding solar installations.

Additional National Advocacy Groups for Solar IREC isn’t the only advocacy group assisting the U.S. solar industry.

Here are a few other organizations supporting domestic solar deployment.

Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) SEIA is a national trade association made of 1,000 member companies that advocates for solar-forward policies at a national level. Since it was founded in 1974, SEIA has played a pivotal role in lobbying for federal policy that brought U.S. solar deployment to where it is today.

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Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) SEPA is a nonprofit organization with the mission of decarbonizing the energy grid by 2050. Updating electrical transmission systems, electrifying transportation and using clean energy sources like solar power are all a part of SEPA’s plan to meet this goal.

American Clean Power Association (ACP) ACP is a member organization with an overall goal of deploying clean energy sources, including solar, energy storage and wind power.

The organization develops relevant resources, advocates for policies and provides necessary services all in the name of advancing clean energy.

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KELSEY MISBRENER | MANAGING EDITOR

California & Florida

solar markets

have similar demands in

different net-metering battles

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a tale as old as grid-tied solar. Utilities see rooftop solar as a threat to their business models, so they spend money and lobbying time convincing legislators to cut net metering.

Solar advocates fight back, and the laws are either halted or passed, to the joy or detriment of the solar industry.

Advocates say net metering is important when solar technology hasn't taken off in an area yet — solar may be expensive, but it's good for the environment and for the grid, so people should be incentivized to invest in it.

As a state's solar market matures, though, net-metering discussions become much more nuanced. Two of the most visible net-metering battles are playing out in states whose solar markets are at different stages of development.

Although the specific solar industry objectives aren't the same in California and Florida, the policy requests are: Make only data-driven net-metering changes, when the

time is right, and ensure those changes encourage growth over time rather than stopping and starting the market.

“The industry is willing to participate in discussions around net-metering reform whenever it's warranted,” said Sean Gallagher, VP of state and regulatory affairs at SEIA. “But what we want to see is reform that is driven by some data, that is gradual so there's not abrupt changes to the system, and that can be easily understood by customers and by companies who have to sell to customers.”

California's NEM 3.0 proceedings California is the No. 1 solar state in the country thanks to its progressive renewables policies, ample sunshine and high electric rates.

Net metering was first established in the Golden State in 1995 with the adoption of Senate Bill 656. The California program's concept, which is also modeled in other states, is to give solar homeowners a oneto-one financial credit for power

generated by their on-site systems that is fed back into the power grid for use by other utility customers.

Some adjustments to net metering were made as participation grew, and the legislature laid out the modern terms of the program in 2013's Assembly Bill 327.

Guided by the bill's language, the first large change to the rule by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) took place in 2016 with "NEM 2.0." This new program added a onetime interconnection fee, nonbypassable charges and, most notably, residential time-of-use (TOU) rates to encourage selfconsumption during peak hours using batteries. The commission planned to review NEM 2.0 in 2019 in case of inevitable changes in the policy environment — for example, the federal investment tax credit being extended and cutting costs further for solar customers.

In 2020, the CPUC started creating a successor program

POLICY

It's

Adobe Stock

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POLICY

to NEM 2.0, with the intent of ensuring compensation both "balances the costs and benefits of the renewable electrical generation facility" and "allows customer-sited renewable generation to grow sustainably among different types of customers and throughout California’s diverse communities."

The solar industry did not think the proposed NEM 3.0 decision submitted at the end of 2021 accomplished those goals. The proposal included a shift to net billing, which is when the rate for the incoming power and the compensation for the exported power are different; grid-use charges that would've been the highest in the country; and a transition credit to try and ease the blow. Analysts at Wood Mackenzie found this proposal would cut California's residential solar market in half by 2024.

After a swift and strong response from solar homeowners, installers and advocates, the commission delayed the decisionmaking process to review the arguments of both the utilities and solar industry, and consider revisions to the decision.

Some in the solar industry celebrated this delay as a win, but the conclusion is still coming eventually.

"We have not won anything here, and I worry that the delay is working against us at this point. The commission is caught in the middle of a tug-of-war and delay doesn't necessarily help,"

said Brad Heavner, policy director for CALSSA. "We want to get this done. We want sensible policy to start getting phased in right away."

The solar industry is confident the commission will come out with a revised proposal, likely during its March 17, 2022, meeting. But what's in it is still a mystery.

"We don't know how far they'll change things, if it's just a little bit or a whole lot. That's the biggest question, because the people that are meeting with them right now are a wide range of stakeholders," Heavner said.

CALSSA is insisting on three main elements to the revision: • • •

Get rid of the solar grid-use fee altogether Lower export compensation rates gradually over time Make no retroactive changes to NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0 customers

The solar organization isn’t saying there needs to be oneto-one net-metering compensation for solar power at this stage of market maturity. California has steep electric rates in general, so residents can save money by going solar faster than they can in states like Ohio with low rates.

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“If rates are right there on the order of 25 or 30¢/kWh in California, you don’t necessarily need full retail net metering at a one-to-one rate in order for the customer to be able to save some money on their utility bill and make a rational, economic decision to go solar," Gallagher said.

The industry is asking that export rates decrease gradually to give the next crucial technology time to scale.

"I think we can live with going to very low export rates, as long as it's transitioned over time, and we have time to ramp up battery manufacturing and installations," Heavner said. "Once batteries are ready to go at full-scale, we'll be able to not export in the middle of the day, which is what the grid wants."

According to a report by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 8% of residential solar installations were paired with batteries in California in 2020. Compare that “attachment rate” with Hawaii, which has the highest storage attachment rate of any state at 80%, due to netmetering reforms that incentivize self-consumption.

CALSSA is estimating it will take California eight years to get to a 90% attachment rate, the percentage the organization says will indicate the net-metering/net-billing program did its job to make the solar + storage market blossom. So solar advocates are asking for an eight-year glide path, slowly lowering export compensation rates and paving the way for solar + storage.

Although battery costs are decreasing, they're still prohibitively high for many consumers, and supply chain issues can make them hard to come by even when people can afford them. Heavner said the CPUC understands battery availability is an issue right now, but it doesn't understand that continuity of the solar market is crucial to sustaining the residential renewables market.

"We're talking about small businesses that need to have continuity to stay in business," he said. "The commission would prefer a dream world where the solar goes away for a little while and it comes back with batteries. That's just not practical."

Bob O’Lary Photography

Florida's premature net-metering debate Although Florida jumped in the national solar rankings to the No. 3 spot in 2021, the bulk of its solar portfolio comes from the utility-scale market. Residential solar makes up just 10.7% of the state’s total 7,765 MW installed, according to Florida Public Service Commission data. Yet, one of the state's investor-owned utilities, Florida Power & Light, lobbied for a bill to eliminate net metering and only credit rooftop solar customers the avoided cost value determined by the utility, which is bound to be far lower than one-to-one net metering.

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CALSSA

The legislation passed both chambers of Florida’s legislature and is now on Gov. Ron DeSantis’s desk. Hundreds of solar advocates, including Sunrun employees, traveled to the state capitol building to protest the legislation in early February, and they’re now asking DeSantis for a veto.

"I think what's most surprising and disturbing, and quite honestly absurd, about the legislation is that FP&L is proposing to eliminate net metering and be able to add fees on customers when

they are not even at 1% net-metering penetration in the state," said Amy Heart, VP of public policy at Sunrun.

Advocates say Florida is one of many states where there's just not enough rooftop solar for utility arguments against net metering to make sense. Those arguments are typically about the "cost-shift" of grid maintenance fees to nonsolar customers. "[In] the great majority of the states, there's just so little rooftop solar that net metering isn't going to cause any trouble for anybody. It's a way to get programs off the ground and to give customers an opportunity to go solar," SEIA's Gallagher said.

Heart said Sunrun and the Florida solar industry are entirely supportive of initiating a study to look at the costs and benefits of solar and solar + storage on the grid, but no such study was done before bringing this new legislation to bear.

"What's frustrating for the industry is that this is an opportunity for the utilities and policy and the solar industry to work together to leverage these benefits of rooftop solar and storage," she said. "Our door is open. We always encourage collaboration to be able to help the utility meet their needs, but also make sure that customers have reliability with solar and batteries."

Sunrun is currently doing just that with another Florida utility, Duke Energy. Sunrun has developed a bring-your-own-device pilot program with Duke to test the benefits of a residential battery-based virtual power plant for Florida's grid.

"There are going to be future weather-related outages in Florida — full stop. So how can we work together to make sure we're offering the best solution?" Heart said. "That's where our focus at Sunrun is. Unfortunately, we have to be distracted by these old, tired debates instead of thinking forward to the future of how we can work together." SPW

B I L LY L U D T | A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

EFS Energy Photos courtesy

Solar-powered barn

from the 1800s

runs Midwest family farm 20

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www.solarpowerworldonline.com

Carrie Magill always knew she wanted to power her home with solar. She and her family reside on a 40-acre plot in Millstadt, Illinois, deep in Midwest farm country, where they take a hobbyist approach to agriculture by raising small livestock, keeping honeybees and tending an orchard and garden.

They call their home Magill Farms and have a barn to boot — one that was manufactured in 1878, shortly after the American Civil War. But that building wasn’t originally built on their plot of land in Illinois. The barn was disassembled and shipped piece by piece from southern Michigan and rebuilt on the Magill family’s property, with the siding refurbished, the roof replaced with standing seam metal and the rooftop purposely facing northsouth.

The next step in the barn’s journey included solar PV. Modernizing a historic relic St. Louis, Missouri-based installer EFS Energy is familiar with building solar systems on farmland. The commercial/ residential contractor has installed ground-mounted arrays and many systems atop barns or farm buildings with typical, modern roof orientations.

However, being from the 19th Century, Magill’s barn had a much different pitch. The gambrel-style roof has four sections, with a more traditional pitch at the top that leads to nearly vertical slopes on either side.

“I grew up with a huge barn in southern Illinois. I loved that barn as a kid, and due to some unforeseen accident, it burnt down when I was in college,” Magill said. “So, when we moved out to the farm, I wanted a big barn, however nobody builds big barns like that anymore. They only build metal sheds because metal sheds are more practical.”

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INSTALLATION

Homeowner

Practicality wasn’t a concern for this solar installation.

“We take on unique projects like this one,” said Paul McKnight, CEO and founder of EFS Energy. “We like to take on new engineering challenges with different projects that we do.”

EFS installed a 25.5-kW array along the two south-facing roof segments on that more-than-century-old barn. The system design was finalized prior to a site visit using 3D modeling, maximizing the number of modules on those roof sections on the barn.

“I will say that we didn’t have a full picture on what that barn looked like when we sold,” said Eric Kocher, director of business development at EFS. “That was a little bit of going out there and doing the site survey and getting the details on it.”

What Kocher and the installation crew found when they stepped inside the barn were wooden lattices in the ceiling that they hadn’t seen in the pole barns and metal sheds they were used to working on, as well as nearly vertical lower roof sections on the outside.

Initially, the crew thought they’d have to rappel down the side of the barn to install those vertical modules. They instead took the safer and more modern approach, using a 65-ft scissor lift to haul components to the roof and a 60-ft boom to hold installers. The scissor lift hoisted equipment over the back of the barn and met the installers at the front.

“The challenge was it was super windy,” said Jay Gifford, project manager at EFS Energy.

“If you’ve ever stood on a standing seam metal surface with a huge kite in your hand,

MARCH 2022

SOLAR POWER WORLD

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INSTALLATION

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it’s hard to really balance yourself out.

We had all the basic stuff that any roofing company, solar company, anybody working on a roof would have, which is standard tote boards on both sides and all that good safety equipment.

Everybody was harnessed up, but the big lifesaver was that 65-ft boom.”

EFS used solar equipment they were very comfortable with, which Gifford said was necessary because of the barn’s challenging architecture. The modules are attached to IronRidge racking and mounted to the standing seam roof with S-5! SolarFoot pedestals. The array is made of 425-W Q CELLS modules and three SMA Sunny Boy inverters.

The modules were installed in landscape orientation, with three rows of 12 on the top section and two rows on the bottom. EFS’s estimate that the array would account for 105% of Magill’s energy use was proven by the fact that she hasn’t received an electric bill since the array came online in June 2021.

The array is outperforming original estimates, McKnight said, with greater generation in November and December than anticipated, thanks to the vertical modules capturing more sunlight in lower southern skies during the colder months.

This solar project at Magill Farms was an overall unique experience for EFS Energy, from design to installation, and it was the oldest structure the company has ever installed on.

“I’d say there’s nothing else that even comes close,” McKnight said. SPW

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SOLAR SHINGLE RACE

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www.solarpowerworldonline.com

shingles, solar tiles, solar roofs — whatever you call them — are trending once again with the announcement of a “nailable” product from GAF Energy.

These products in the buildingapplied or building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) category of the market take solar cells and condense them into smaller panel sizes that attach to a residential roof on a lower-profile than traditional rackmounted solar systems.

The idea for solar-integrated roofing products has been around since the beginning of solar generation itself, but the more

successful attempts have been made in the last decade. Promising lines of solar shingles (like Dow’s Powerhouse) have largely failed due to their lack of an installation network willing to get on the roof with the solar product.

Tesla has been learning this the hard way with its whole-roof attempt at solar shingles. Solar installers aren’t always familiar with roofing needs, and traditional roofers aren’t versed in connecting glass tiles for electricity generation. This has required Tesla to learn on the fly, being responsible for managing every project instead of subbing out.

“The solar shingle is something everyone’s interested in, but what Tesla is doing is very complicated,” said Oliver Koehler, CEO of solar

TECHNOLOGY

SOLAR

shingle company SunTegra. “If you imagine replacing the whole roof, not just the solar area — it gets quite complex. It’s not something your average solar integrator even wants to be part of.”

That’s why the more successful companies like SunTegra, which makes solar shingles that are installed in conjunction with traditional asphalt shingles or concrete tiles, have made their solar roofing products in sizes more familiar to roofers and solar installers alike, and reached out to those communities for installation expertise.

SunTegra has been making 110-W solar shingles and 70-W solar tiles since 2014 and relies on a small group of authorized dealers to complete around 50 solar roof installs each year, mostly in the Northeast for upper-middle-class homeowners.

SunTegra

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PANEL TECHNOLOGY

CertainTeed

“We have lots of leads doing literally nothing [other] than just having our website out there. A lot of homeowners love solar but don’t necessarily love solar panels. The issue for us is how do you satisfy that demand?” Koehler said.

“Solar shingles and tiles are still a niche, but it can become a bigger part of the market. The costs have to come down and how it integrates with the standard solar installer has to become streamlined from both a sales and product perspective.”

SunTegra may be succeeding with its modest installation record, but the real secret to growing the solar roof market is getting solar shingles on more middle-class homes through existing roofing installation channels. The two frontrunners in this race are roofing giants GAF and CertainTeed, although they’re banking on very different products.

Focusing on roofs rather than solar The solar shingle with the most real-world experience is the Apollo II product from CertainTeed. On the market since 2013, Apollo can be installed on both asphalt shingle and concrete tile roofs (and slate and cedar-shake roofs). Mark Stevens, CertainTeed’s solar product manager, said the industry can expect a next-generation design within the next year, but right now 26

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the Apollo II solar shingle tops out at 77 W, using two seven-cell rows.

Rather than covering an entire roof with solar tiles, CertainTeed keeps its solar shingle to 46- by 14-in. and allows traditionally sized CertainTeed-branded asphalt shingles to be used around the perimeter of the Apollo array. And although CertainTeed doesn’t make concrete tiles, the Apollo system can still be used on that specialty roof without custom tiles.

“We’re a vetted solar shingle. We’ve been around almost 10 years. We know what our product is and how it performs,” Stevens said. “But right now, solar roofing is only 2% of the market.”

That is why CertainTeed offers fullsized solar panels in addition to its solar shingle. Both products are assembled through an OEM in San Jose, California.

“It’s important for us to have [traditional solar panels and solar

shingles] to have a good presence in the industry. It gives us a good option and a better option,” Stevens said. “Apollo gets people interested because it’s lowprofile [and] aesthetically pleasing. Then they see the price is slightly more.” But CertainTeed installers can offer traditional rack-and-solar-panel systems as a cheaper alternative.

The key to CertainTeed’s success is working through its existing network of dealers. Customers may reach out for a bare reroof and then open to the idea of solar after talking to one of the thousands of certified CertainTeed roofers across the country.

“Solar shingles have been out for a while. But having a company like GAF and CertainTeed bring that information to roofers is a big deal,” Stevens said. “It’s a struggle for those Dows and SunTegras to have those connections. They’re approaching roofers, but it’s a challenge GAF Energy

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PANEL TECHNOLOGY

because they’re not already associated on the asphalt shingle side.”

Like CertainTeed, GAF and its solar division, GAF Energy, are turning to the company’s existing network of asphalt shingle roofing installers to generate buzz around GAF’s solar roofing product. Also already involved with full-sized module installations through its DecoTech offering, GAF Energy is now shifting focus to its new nailable solar shingle: Timberline Solar Energy Shingle.

“Our thesis from a design and development perspective was, ‘Let’s make a roof that can generate electricity vs. trying to take a solar form factor and squeeze that down to fit on a roof,’” said Reynolds Holmes, Our thesis from GAF Energy’s VP of services a design and and product management.

“GAF Energy is partnered with development a company that has almost perspective was, 10,000 certified contractors who ‘Let’s make a roof are installing asphalt shingles. If you could take that base of an that can generate asphalt shingle, design a way to electricity vs. make [solar] installable just like trying to take a an asphalt shingle, not change the labor force, not change the solar form factor tool set but be able to provide and squeeze that electricity and energy through down to fit on that product — I think we could knock it out of the park.” a roof.’

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PANEL TECHNOLOGY

The Timberline Solar shingle is approximately 64- by 17-in., while the solar portion (one row of 16 half-cut cells that generates 45 W) measures 60- by 7.5-in. That extra non-solar portion is actually TPO roofing material and is nailed to a roof.

“We designed it to be handled by one person with a nail gun. We reached that max length of anything longer than 60 in. of rigidity became unmanageable for a single installer,” Holmes said.

Timberline Solar is installed alongside Timberline Solar HD shingles, which are specialty sized (40-in.) asphalt shingles for the solar roof. By having both products divisible by 10, the staggered pattern of shingles made by roofers can still easily be laid down.

The whole Timberline Solar system (which is assembled in the 50-MW GAF Energy manufacturing facility in San Jose, California) was designed for ease of installation — the connectors are on top of the solar shingle and covered with a protective shield after the roof is fully installed.

Texas roofing company Roof Fix is one of those 10,000 GAF dealers that will install the Timberline Solar product as it rolls out across the country. Shaunak Patel, home advisor at Roof Fix, said the company also previously installed the DecoTech product and was often fielding questions about other solar shingle companies, especially Tesla. Patel liked to reiterate that it’s more advantageous to work with a roofing company rather than a technology developer.

“Tesla is effectively a rack-mount system. You have a ton of penetrations in your roof. You have all these potential failure points, especially from a company that doesn’t do roofing,” he said. “We’re a roofing company.

We’re not a solar company that’s trying to do roofing.”

While GAF Energy’s and CertainTeed’s solar roof products aren’t as visually cohesive as what Tesla is attempting, Holmes said realistic demands on aesthetics are not what’s impeding growth of the BIPV market — scale is.

“You have to design and develop a great product that has an accessible price point, but you also have to build the infrastructure to scale this product,” he said.

“The thing we’ve leaned heavily on and made design decisions maybe against being the highest power is making sure it’s installable by this 10,000-strong network.

At the end of the day, if you have a great product that meets all needs but there’s no one who can install it, you might as well not have a great product.” SPW

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MOUNTING TECHNOLOGY

BILLY LUDT • ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Reinforcing rooftops makes some residential solar projects possible

Granite State Solar

Solar projects are commonly considered retrofit when it comes to residential installs. States like California are just starting to require certain solar capacities on new construction, but homes aren’t always built with solar projects in mind.

If a rooftop can’t handle the weight or penetrations from a solar system, it doesn’t necessarily mean the project must be canceled. Using wood blocks, residential rooftops can be reinforced from inside the attic and mounting points can be made between rafters.

Creating new attachment points with wood Installing wood planks between roof rafters, also known as “wood blocking,” isn’t as common a practice as it used to be in solar installation. The need for wood blocking has been minimized by new solar mounting technology that can attach to roof decking in the space between rafters.

“We haven’t heard of a lot of installers blocking lately, but of course, there are situations where you have 30

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to block, so it’s a good thing to know, especially for new installers that get in the field that run into situations where they have to block and they don’t have good resources,” said Carlos Maldonado, training and technical support at mounting and racking manufacturer IronRidge.

Wood blocking may be necessary on houses with structural damage to the rafters, extra-long spans between rafters, rafter planks that aren’t thick enough for mounting lag bolts, roofs built with metal trusses or planned attachment points that don’t land on rafters.

Blocking is an approachable solution to creating new attachment points for solar mounts. Installers just need nails or wood screws, a circular saw and wood, preferably a 4x4 board. Maldonado recommends the 4x4 boards to give installers a larger surface area to attach to than the 1.5-in. space a typical 2x4 plank offers.

“It’s a standard 4x4, it doesn’t have to be special,” he said. “Most of them are pressure-treated, some aren’t, but

that doesn’t really matter because it’s going to be in the attic so it’s not going to be exposed to the elements.”

After measuring the space between the rafters, installers cut the plank to that length and slide it between the rafters, securing it on both ends with screws or nails. That’s it — that’s wood blocking.

It’s necessary to have attic access to determine if wood blocking is necessary and to assess the condition of the rafters and support materials.

“The main thing is finding out exactly what’s below the structure and if the system’s able to handle the support,” Maldonado said.

Certain truss manufacturers will void warranties on penetrations to the supports. Standard rafters run northsouth on a roof, and they’re supported by additional planks that run diagonal from the attic floor to the base of the rafter on truss-builds.

Metal roof supports can be C-shaped and have different embedment requirements than wooden rafters. They require specific metal fasteners, so it www.solarpowerworldonline.com

MOUNTING TECHNOLOGY

might be simpler to attach wood blocks between them for attachment points.

It is possible to install a rooftop solar array using only deck-mounted attachments, but Maldonado said the mounting spans will be reduced dramatically. Going that route also raises questions about the thickness and pullout values of the roofing material itself; not to mention the need for additional holes compared to single-attachment rafter mounts that go into decking.

“So, it’s going to come down to adding more mounts to accommodate not going into the structure,” he said.

Wood blocking can simplify a build thanks to fewer rafter attachment points.

Helping a roof hold more weight Homes aren’t always built with the expectation that something will be

installed on top of the roof. They’re built with specific engineering requirements for supporting the weight of the roof material and, in colder climates, snow loads.

If a home can’t handle the additional weight of a solar array, there are methods of supporting the structure from the inside using wood boards.

“It’s a relatively inexpensive solution to allow homeowners to go forward with their solar projects,” said Zach Olster, director of operations at Granite State Solar. “A company like us, based out of New Hampshire, we’re going to structure up a lot more roofs than a company out in California would.”

Granite State is a solar installation company that has offered roof restructuring from the start. The company consults an engineer before every installation.

With data provided by its solar

advisors, they create a roof report that details pertinent information like measurements of maximum unsupported lengths between rafters, the size of the wood planks used as supports, whether the home has horizontal support beams (collar ties) and the pitch of the roof.

The engineer calculates whether the roof needs restructured based on International Building Code standards and annual ground snow loads in the state.

“It’s not required, but we do it just to alleviate ourselves of the liability,” Olster said.

Roof restructuring isn’t that common, with about 15% of Granite State installs requiring it. But like wood blocking, it’s an accessible solution to a problem that installers might encounter.

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There are two common methods for roof restructuring. The first is sistering, which is when matching wood planks are secured parallel to the original rafter — for example, 2x6 rafters would be sistered with 2x6 support boards. This addresses issues like cracked or rotted rafters or roof sag.

The amount of sistering required depends on the extent of rafter damage.

If there is significant roof sag, then longer pieces of wood will be needed. Olster recommends first determining what planks the roof support was built with, typically 2x4s, 2x6s, 2x8s or 2x10s, and cutting those to length. If there is visible damage like a crack or rot, then the installer would cut the board so it extends beyond the affected area on both sides.

A sagging roof can be propped up using

wood as well by wedging the board between the rafter and the support running along the attic floor.

To attach the sister plank, Olster places it parallel to the affected rafter, drills pilot holes and drives in lag bolts. Additional embedment can be provided by nails.

The second method for roof restructuring is building a knee wall in the attic, which is a permanent support secured somewhat perpendicular to the ceiling.

Again, using matching wood, an installer will secure a base plate to the attic floor — or floor supports — that runs the length of the roof. A matching bevel plate is installed above the base plate, matching the pitch of the ceiling, running perpendicular across

the rafters. Then, studs cut at the top to match the angle of the bevel plate are placed and attached at both the base and bevel plates, also attaching to the rafter through the bevel.

Attics will likely have varying measurements from floor to ceiling at each rafter point, especially in older homes, so everything, particularly the studs, should be measured piece by piece to accommodate and properly support the structure.

“We don’t want to be responsible for a roof caving in and, essentially, if $1,000 is what’s between moving forward with your project or not, but it’s going to give you the peace of mind that your roof’s not going to cave in, I’d say it’s worth it,” Olster said. SPW

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INVERTER TECHNOLOGY

KELSEY MISBRENER • MANAGING EDITOR

Hybrid, battery and PV inverters — what are their roles?

A look at the different inverters involved in residential solar + storage systems.

When installers plan a residential solar project that may be paired with batteries now or in the future, they must choose the right power electronics to make moving that energy around as affordable and efficient as possible. Inverter manufacturers offer plentiful options, each with their own pros and cons.

Here are the different types of inverters involved in residential solar + storage systems.

AC-coupled inverters A range of AC-coupled inverters can be paired with more equipment to build a solar + storage system. Standard PV inverters include one input for solar

panels, then feed that power to the home's electric panel.

Battery inverters are required to add batteries to solar power systems already equipped with standard PV inverters.

These devices have an input specifically for batteries. They take that AC power generated by the PV from the home’s electric panel and convert it back to DC power to be stored in the battery, then back to AC when it's time to use the stored energy in the home. Battery inverters are used in retrofit scenarios when a homeowner wants to add storage later.

SMA makes the Sunny Boy Storage battery inverter to integrate batteries into PV projects.

"Any existing PV system that's seven or eight years old can add our [Sunny Boy

Storage] system and not have to remove what's existing," said Rob Lamendola, product manager of home solutions at SMA America.

Battery inverters like SMA's have multiple battery inputs to expand the system size over time as needed. They're also brand-agnostic, so any compatible batteries can be mixed and matched in the system.

"It's flexible for the installer to provide a homeowner with a small system if they want a small backup system, or a fairly large battery backup system," Lamendola said. SMA’s compatible small battery size is 16 kWh, while the large option is 96 kWh. However, SMA is not compatible with smaller battery sizes like those offered by LG and Tesla.

A rendering showing the IQ8 microinverters built into Enphase’s AC-coupled IQ battery.

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INVERTER TECHNOLOGY

inverters are connected to a battery, said Todd Karin, technical head of power electronics at PVEL. "I've been in this industry since 2006, and solar has been a grid-tied solution.

The grid is the boss and we are just current source into the grid and we rely entirely on the grid to operate," Belur said. "I think the IQ8 really fundamentally breaks that down and says, 'OK, I will convert all the available irradiance into power.'"

SMA's battery inverter Sunny Boy Storage is also grid-forming when paired with a battery and the company’s Automatic Backup Unit.

An AC-coupled installation using both an SMA PV inverter and battery inverter.

Enphase's IQ8 microinverters also allow for AC-coupled storage systems, but they’re unique in that they can act as both PV inverters and battery inverters due to their bidirectional capability — they can move power both ways, from DC to AC and vice-versa. Because of this ability, they perform different functions across a solar + storage system.

At the panel level, the IQ8 converts DC solar power to AC power, then feeds it into the home's electric panel to be used. The separate Enphase IQ Battery houses IQ8 microinverters inside that handle the power in an opposite direction, taking generated AC power and converting it to DC power stored by the batteries. When it comes time to discharge the batteries, those built-in microinverters will convert the power back to AC to run the home.

Enphase IQ8 systems allow for an even smaller option of battery building blocks, starting at 3.3 kWh. "It really dramatically lowers the barrier to entry to enter into storage," said Raghu Belur, co-founder and

www.solarpowerworldonline.com

chief products officer at Enphase. "In Enphase's case, because I have [an] ACcoupled [system], I can start small and I can come back and add more and more storage and match it to whatever size I want."

IQ8 microinverters are also gridforming inverters. Even without a battery, this microinverter can isolate from the grid and instruct the other components to follow its lead, continuing to power the home while the sun is shining. Enphase calls this function Sunlight Backup, which requires additional components like load controllers to isolate from the grid and continue producing power.

"Most inverters or microinverters, they have to be attached to the grid, and the grid tells it what voltage and frequency to go to and the inverter follows it," said Jenya Meydbray, CEO of PV Evolution Labs (PVEL). "In the case of a grid-forming inverter, it doesn't need the grid to tell it what to do."

The Sunlight Backup capability of the IQ8 is unique — typically, grid-forming

DC-coupled inverters Hybrid inverters are always DC-coupled devices that perform the functions of both a PV inverter and battery inverter, all in one unit. These inverters have multiple inputs, both for PV and for batteries. They’re typically chosen when a homeowner is installing storage at the same time as PV. "I think the general industry trend is shifting and moving toward the hybrid approach, and that's really indicative of the maturity of the industry and the economics of battery costs coming down and more homeowners considering adding batteries at the time of adding PV," Lamendola said.

Most inverters or microinverters, they have to be attached to the grid...In the case of a grid-forming inverter, it doesn't need the grid to tell it what to do.

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INVERTER TECHNOLOGY

Hybrids offer a number of advantages. They reduce efficiency losses, since the energy is only being converted at one point. They have the grid-forming capability to run the system using stored energy when the grid goes down. They also minimize the amount of equipment needed for a system, as well as the potential for compatibility issues when using different inverters to piece together an AC-coupled system.

"The system control is easier and works better, you have a cheaper overall system because you only have one inverter for both PV and battery, and you have this DC-coupling so you have fewer conversion steps, so it should be more efficient as well," Meydbray said.

There are some downsides to hybrid inverters. Customers would have to

commit to including storage in their installation right away for a hybrid inverter to make sense, since hybrids can’t be added to a system with an existing ACcoupled PV inverter. And packing more functions into one small box comes with inherent performance concerns.

"We've seen a lot of issues in the field with arcing and things like that, where the inverter should have caught it and it doesn't. Part of that is just cramming more technology in the field that changes the signals," Meydbray said. "Hybrid inverters are a much newer technology, so I think there will be even more R&D happening in the space."

Whether a customer is ready for storage on Day 1 or wants to add it on a few years later, inverters help get the job done. SPW

The system control is easier and works better, you have a cheaper overall system because you only have one inverter for both PV and battery, and you have this DC-coupling so you have fewer conversion steps.

Installers connect a MidNite Solar hybrid inverter to a battery stack at the 2022 Solar Games.

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STORAGE TECHNOLOGY

KELLY PICKEREL • EDITOR IN CHIEF

SunPower

How solar installers can capitalize on the VPP gold rush Virtual power plants are all the rage right now on both U.S. coasts. A utility will group together a bunch of residential batteries, call on that stored energy when the grid needs it most and compensate storage customers for that access. But is the VPP something solar and storage installers can sell to customers?

Yes — if installers are involved with the right battery brands in the right utility territories.

While VPPs in the Northeast have been established for a few years, many programs in the West are just entering pilot phases. Because of their experience, Northeast VPPs have transitioned from one-battery-brand programs to bringyour-own-device (BYOD) setups. Some of the more recent VPPs in California only work with specific battery brands but may soon switch to the BYOD model after more data is gathered.

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For example, a VPP pilot program through Southern California Edison (SCE) now only works with Generac PWRcell batteries, while the ConnectedSolutions VPP working with three utilities in the Northeast accepts seven inverter brands and their associated batteries: Enphase, Generac, Outback/sonnen, Sol-Ark, SolarEdge (including LG batteries), SunPower and Tesla.

For Tesla Powerwall dealers in SCE territory, there are not currently any VPP enrollment opportunities. But for New York Powerwall dealers in National Grid territory, it may be beneficial to loop VPP compensation into initial sales conversations.

RevoluSun is doing just that with its solar + storage customers in Hawaii.

Hawaiian Electric has contracted aggregator Swell Energy to establish a 100-MWh VPP across the islands of

Oahu, Maui and Hawaii using only Tesla Powerwalls. Luckily, RevoluSun is a huge Tesla dealer across the state — installing upwards of 1,000 solar systems each year that are paired with Powerwalls.

Depending on VPP usage, customers are credited on their utility bills, something RevoluSun pitches during initial sales conversations.

“From a sales point of view, we factor in this new potential income,” said Josh Powell, RevoluSun CEO. “People are paying $500 each month for electricity [in Hawaii], and they can save half of that tomorrow if they go solar with batteries.

You throw a VPP on top of it, and you maybe just took another $50 or $100 out of the equation. It’s a really powerful incentive in that sense.”

Battery suppliers involved in VPPs are also encouraging their installers to use VPP enrollment as a sales tactic. Generac

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has alerted its dealers about the SCE VPP and set up a website for easy customer enrollment, said Bud Vos, president of Generac Grid Services.

“The VPP concept and the ability to create [additional compensation] from a utility is going to improve the ROI for the customer,” he said. “You have a customer putting thousands of dollars’ worth of stuff on their house. If we can improve that ROI pretty dramatically, in some cases by almost 50% depending on the region of the country, that’s very compelling.”

The first step to using VPPs as a sales advantage is to understand the chain of command, from customers on up to

The VPP concept and the ability to create [additional compensation] from a utility is going to improve the ROI for the customer. the utility. First there is the residential customer using a specific battery behind the meter. The storage system interacts with a software platform used by an aggregator to join multiple batteries into a VPP. That VPP is presented to the utility.

The installation company lies somewhere in the middle and doesn’t have to do anything except suggest customers sign up to participate in the virtual power plant through the battery company, aggregator or utility.

SunPower’s SunVault energy storage system was a late addition to the approved battery roster in the ConnectedSolutions program. Nate Coleman, chief products officer at SunPower, said the company had to ensure its software controls platform could interface with the utility’s

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management platform, something that will have to be verified for each VPP. SunPower first set its sights on the ConnectedSolutions program in the Northeast because of its major geographic reach and established administration, but the company is already exploring more areas of the country for VPP enrollment.

“We’ve seen that California, Hawaii and the Northeast are the leading regions for these types of programs; however, there are high-quality programs across the United States, and new VPP programs are continuing to emerge as utilities recognize the benefits,” Coleman said.

While many in the VPP game are excited about potential growth areas, the pool of functioning VPPs is small in 2022. If the stars align for installation companies, the potential compensation for participating in a VPP could push

solar and storage customers over the finish line. Companies like SunPower are encouraging their dealers to use these new incentives to get more customers to go solar + storage.

“With nearly half of homeowners having experienced an outage in the last year, solar providers and utilities need greater collaboration to create grid resiliency,” Coleman said. “Even though utilities are early in their adoption of VPPs, it is an effective way to take the stress off of our aging energy infrastructure while putting more money into customers’ pockets.”

With more customers choosing to install batteries with their solar systems — 6% of solar systems installed in 2020 were paired with batteries, while SEIA predicts that number to rise to 25% by 2025 — utilities can take advantage of the growing abundance of stored energy.

“This is unequivocally the future of consumer energy,” said Powell of RevoluSun about virtual power plants.

“If you’re not installing batteries, you need to figure it out.”

The work that RevoluSun has already put in for the last five years to ramp up battery installs has set up easier sells with virtual power plants.

“We feel like we’re able to follow through on promises we’ve been making to customers: Your energy asset is worth investing in, and you’re going to be able to get more out of it later.

We’ve talked about things like that with a little asterisk, hopeful that this was where the market is going,” Powell said. “My recommendation is: Get on the bus. It’s moving quicker than you think.” SPW

RevoluSun

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Powering the clean energy transition Powering the clean energy transition SEPTEMBER 19-22, 2022 ANAHEIM, CA

SEPTEMBER 19-22, 2022 ANAHEIM, CA

POWERED BY

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REPlusSPW.indd 1

3/7/2022 10:51:59 AM

Installation Tips << S-5!

2022 Installation Tips Residential solar advice from NABCEP trainers The 11th NABCEP Continuing Education Conference is continuing handson training sessions for U.S. solar installers this March in Phoenix, Arizona.

Unlike manufacturer-centered trade events, NABCEP CE is focused on technical training and keeping industry members certified and up-todate on best practices for installation, new construction codes and the latest technologies.

“People come to get some really good education, and this is where they find it. They’re networking, speaking with their peers, and learning off of each other,” said Sue McKeen, business manager at NABCEP. “You can’t get that at another conference.”

Attending NABCEP CE is a way for industry members to become certified or recertified in a few days by an accredited organization that has vetted renewable energy professionals for 20 years now.

In case you were unable to attend the conference, we gathered installation advice from trainers for you to check out on the next few pages. See what products they expect to soon hit project sites and pointers you won’t find in product guides. We can’t give you NABCEP credits for reading, but you’ll be glad you did.

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Installation Tips <<

What emerging trend or new product type should installers be ready to learn for the residential market?

Integrated systems are a major emerging trend. Solar + storage systems are being installed for a wide array of uses, from residential backup and utility bill savings to resilient buildings and microgrids.

However, these systems are growing more complex as customers now have access to a greater mix of cost-effective distributed resources that need to interact and augment each other. Solar, wind, generators, batteries, vehicle-to-home (V2H) chargers and more are becoming part of energy systems at homes and businesses, and the need to integrate and manage a mix of assets is becoming commonplace. Energy storage systems that are able to adapt to all these different loads and energy sources will become more prevalent in ensuring optimal performance and system longevity as customer needs continue to evolve.

With higher-capacity PV modules come even more powerful MLPE devices, but newly introduced microinverters are taking away a lot of the guesswork. Plug-and-play devices handling 60and 72-cell PV modules, 120- and 144-half-cut-cell modules in a staggering array of outputs — today’s microinverters are more foolproof and offer installers more simplicity and convenience. Also, leading-edge microinverters are eliminating slow data communication issues as well as blockage from the arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) requirement of NEC 210.12 by going completely wireless with the inverter communication to the gateway.

Wes Kennedy

Jason Higginson

SYSTEMS ENGINEERING SPECIALIST | BLUE PLANET ENERGY

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING | APSYSTEMS

Installers should be aware of and ready to understand new code requirements for products in the residential space. With the widespread adoption of UL 9540 and UL 9540A by AHJs, the NEC and other authoritative bodies, only certain product offerings that have gone through testing and validation to these standards will be available and approved for installation. Adoption of these ever-evolving standards is in part what is driving the trend of all-in-one energy storage systems emerging in the market. These products are becoming more popular with installers as they streamline the installation process, create vertical integration and interoperability of equipment under a single manufacturer and simplify the certification requirements.

Troy Daniels TECHNICAL SERVICE MANAGER | SIMPLIPHI POWER

Active monitoring and maintenance is becoming more popular. People want their solar arrays monitored and maintained for them and they are willing to pay for it.

They enjoy knowing that it's working correctly and future service calls are covered.

Joey Dorwart Crane

Smart electrical panels for home energy management are valuable add-ons to every residential battery system to meet the varying and increasing energy needs of a homeowner. With a smart electrical panel, homeowners can become more energy-efficient by having access to monitor and control individual appliances to optimize their stored solar energy in the battery during an outage or during peak utility pricing.

Vikki M . Kumar SYSTEMS ENGINEER FOR SOLAR & ENERGY STORAGE | PANASONIC

FOUNDER | SUN-O-VISION

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New integrated software and design tools for end-to-end system design, bill of materials (BOM) creation and permitting such as OpenSolar allow anyone to create a free, detailed customer proposal and have it seamlessly connected to the IronRidge Design Assistant and virtual service providers like GreenLancer.

Sue Stark SENIOR MANAGER OF TRAINING | IRONRIDGE

There’s a gold mine of solar installs out there waiting to be rushed for stone-coated steel and stamped steel roofing. Installers should prepare to do more installs on those types of roofs by learning how to work with the roofing material and where to find the perfect mounting solutions. That’s where we come in.

Mike Wiener MARKETING MANAGER | QUICKBOLT

What’s trending is the recognition of the return on investment a metal roof provides when mounting solar to it and viewing the metal roof/solar system combination as a single asset. With lower upfront costs and significantly less lifetime costs than other solar + alternative roof types, mounting solar to metal makes better financial sense. This is driving roof selection to metal standing seam in many cases.

Mark Gies

Energy storage systems are the way of the future. As lithium-based batteries progress in performance and decrease in cost, our inverters are doing the same. We remain battery-agnostic, but on top of that, we are seeing more and more battery companies partner with us to make integrated units. This means you can order one single product that shows up at your door, install it even quicker than our normal systems and you’ll have batteries and our inverters powering your whole home.

Zach Reagan MARKETING MANAGER | SOL-ARK

As residential storage popularity continues to slam the market, smart electric panels emerge as one of the best tools to manage customer expectations and energy consumption. Although these smart panels add extra cost, they can reduce future truck rolls and customer frustration. Nobody wants to spend thousands of dollars on an energy storage system and then spend part of a power outage in the dark because the battery bank did not last. These panels can be programmed to turn off large loads during a power outage and cascade load shedding based on consumption and available renewable energy.

Greg Smith TECHNICAL TRAINING DIRECTOR | TIGO ENERGY

DIRECTOR OF SOLAR BUSINESS | S-5!

Many of the new lithium battery solutions available for residential use offer advantages over traditional lead-acid batteries such as lighter weight, built-in battery monitoring systems and fast charge and discharge capabilities. However, lithium cells do pose a fire risk not found with traditional deep cycle models that must be addressed with proper installation and containment.

Steve Higgins TECHNICAL SERVICES MANAGER | ROLLS BATTERY ENGINEERING

APsystems

No-roof-hole solar and systems that require less repair are trending. While SolarPod has been perfecting this model for some time now, we anticipate more and more customers clamoring to protect the integrity of their roof as they consider solar energy. A common stumbling block to going solar is adding an additional bigticket item with home improvement headaches to their property.

Mouli Vaidyanathan FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT | SOLARPOD

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Patent Pending

BAILEY INTRODUCES SOLAR TRAX 824

First to market solar panel installation robot. This is not a concept or a research project.

This is an actual working robot in the field today!

The Solar Trax 824 will lift panels 8’ high and traverse 24’ to handle most Solar Field designs.

The base machine is track driven, providing the highest degree of traction and terrainability.

Designed for rough terrains and increased slopes, the upper assembly will automatically level itself for increased stability and ease of panel placement.

All hydraulic functions include Programmed Motion which combines multiple steps, such as “Raise-Left,” which raises the panels from the center position, trolleys sideways to the support frame and lowers it in place. Similar functions include “Home,” which returns the tray to the center position for reload and “Drive-Increment,” which drives the machine forward the exact distance for installation of the next 4 panels.

Incorporating Vision systems from the autonomous vehicle industry allows for precisely locating the solar panels onto the mounting structure.

The Pallet Management Vehicle (PMV) is used to bridge from current technology with 30 panel pallets located every 50’ to a delivery vehicle that retrieves the panels autonomously. Therefore, it can be used seamlessly with the current worker-based installations to reduce worker fatigue and increase throughput. The PMV is tethered to the base machine. It lifts and tilts a pallet up to 3000 lbs. and is self-propelled. The top of the PMV is a landing support for the tray where panels are easily loaded.

BAILEY BaileyCranes.com | 262-710-4028

>> Installation Tips

S-5!

How has the solar installer’s tool kit changed over the years?

As monitoring systems are becoming more advanced and common across solar + storage systems, installers are now able to leverage system data to identify any problems and ensure proper performance of their installations remotely — increasing customer satisfaction as well as reducing time and labor if any problems arise.

There’s no replacing a great go-to hand tool, but today’s digital tools are becoming just as indispensable. From apps to configure and commission systems to online diagnostic tools that can tell you what may be going on (or going wrong) at a site, these digital tools are now a very important part of the solar installer’s arsenal.

Wes Kennedy

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING | APSYSTEMS

Jason Higginson

SYSTEMS ENGINEERING SPECIALIST | BLUE PLANET ENERGY

Fewer, smaller components and one socket size for hardware help to reduce the number of tools required.

Phone apps with MLPE map scanners, levels, angle finders and solar paths are handy.

Sue Stark SENIOR MANAGER OF TRAINING, IRONRIDGE

The availability of new tools like FLIR infrared and thermal imaging cameras now allow installers to inspect system components quickly and efficiently for heating or connection issues. As these become more affordable, including models that attach to mobile devices, an installer can easily identify the cause of failure, such as battery cell failure, shorted connections or hotspots on solar panels.

Steve Higgins TECHNICAL SERVICES MANAGER | ROLLS BATTERY ENGINEERING

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Installation Tips <<

With the emergence of battery storage in residential solar installations, the installer’s tool kit has been adapting over time to meet different and emerging product needs in the field. While a number of tools remain the same, often installers might find new requirements like extra Cat 5 cables (for communications) or even a specific torque wrench for the battery terminals within their kit.

Troy Daniels TECHNICAL SERVICE MANAGER | SIMPLIPHI POWER

It seems as though installs just keep getting easier, so their tool kit doesn't need to be as large these days. We see excellent trends in the solar array design software arena, so the installer tool kits have powerful site analysis and array design tools. Here at Sol-Ark, we've also added sizing tools for both the array side and for battery sizing as we try and help make sizing energy storage systems easier for all.

Drones have also helped drive solar forward as the technology adds value to several aspects of solar including site analysis, system sizing and various marketing functions as well.

Zach Reagan MARKETING MANAGER | SOL-ARK

A voltmeter, PV connector tool and hygrometer have been the solar + storage go-to tools for decades. Unlike vehicles, purchasing specialized tools for PV and battery installation is rarely required. However, savvy installers have added specialized tools to help them in the troubleshooting process as technology continues to improve and innovate.

PV insulation testers and megohmmeters are an important part of PV inverter arc fault, ground fault and isolation resistance troubleshooting. Exotic tools like drones with FLIR-mounted cameras or portable digital oscilloscopes are also in demand for larger PV arrays or energy storage systems.

App-based tools are the norm for site commissioning and computer software tools are now a must for most presale and post-sale projects.

Software establishes a baseline of system performance using powerful estimation algorithms and monitoring platforms like our own Energy Intelligence (EI) software show trends in performance, aging or problem areas.

Blue Planet Energy

Greg Smith TECHNICAL TRAINING DIRECTOR | TIGO ENERGY

As technology becomes more advanced, inverter accessibility via networks will become more and more prevalent, whether for remote monitoring, remote access or to receive market pricing information (for batteries) in order to respond to the market for the optimal financial benefit. Understanding the basics of different types of Modbus communications and networking will become invaluable.

Gwendoly Espe APPLICATIONS ENGINEER | YASKAWA SOLECTRIA SOLAR

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Installation Tips <<

What’s a helpful tip installers won’t find in a product guide?

A hardline Ethernet cable for backhaul from the gateway to the homeowner’s router is the most reliable and hassle-free connection.

Are you the IT person? No! Avoid rolling a truck because the homeowner changed their Wi-Fi password. Also, be sure to set the module order correctly in the online array map so if you need to troubleshoot in the future, you know exactly where to look when you get to the site. It’s no fun pulling a PV module off only to discover it’s the wrong one. Last, but certainly not least, don’t pull cables taut, but leave a bit of slack for weather changes. Cold temperatures will contract roof cables; if there’s no slack, it could cause a disconnection.

An often-overlooked resource is technical engineering support from equipment manufacturers. Tap into engineers from the product company for their help with system design and planning. Reach out with questions and connect with their support team, as most companies are happy to provide additional guidance to ensure your project is successful.

Jason Higginson

Ensure you are up-to-date on your local and national code requirements to help circumvent any delays related to project approvals.

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING | APSYSTEMS

The most helpful tip we can give is to utilize our customer support and engineering team. The manual does a great job of covering most of the points you need to know about our systems and their installs, but everyone’s project is always different, and so are their expectations and preferences. We have a very qualified and knowledgeable team onsite and ready to help with any questions that installers may have, and they’re just a call or email away.

Zach Reagan MARKETING MANAGER | SOL-ARK

Wes Kennedy SYSTEMS ENGINEERING SPECIALIST | BLUE PLANET ENERGY

Jason Hannah FIELD SALES ENGINEER | IMO AUTOMATION

A good site survey is a preemptive process that ensures system longevity and safety. It should include basics like equipment placement, AC and DC runs and array placement. Communication equipment and cable run placement, as well as the customer’s router location, are often overlooked and cause unnecessary time on site after the physical install has been completed.

A helpful tip when it comes to battery installations is to have product-specific, high-level knowledge of the battery’s state of charge (SoC) as it relates to voltage readings and setpoints. The correlation between these two values, while sometimes stated in a product specification or installation guide, can vary from a controlled environment to an installation in the field in which factors like extreme temperatures can skew the correlation. Knowing what specific SoC values are for specific batteries and how the SoC correlates to voltage readings can help an installer when programming advanced functions in an energy storage installation, such as generator charging triggers or sell features on inverters.

Greg Smith

Troy Daniels

MARKETING MANAGER | QUICKBOLT

TECHNICAL TRAINING DIRECTOR, TIGO ENERGY

How to walk on stone-coated-steel/stamped-steel roofing.

Installers are missing out by avoiding these types of roofs.

Most manufacturers suggest contractors walk on the horizontal overlap where the roof panel is strongest and least likely to crimple, whether the roof is installed over battens or not.

Mike Wiener

TECHNICAL SERVICE MANAGER | SIMPLIPHI POWER

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Blue Planet Energy

Load up canvas bags with tools, supplies and components needed for a specific portion of the installation, and hoist it up to the roof with a rope.

This allows you to keep three points of contact on the ladder per OSHA regulations. Once the task is done, swap the bags for the next one in the procedure. This eliminates tripping hazards and rope snags.

Size the PV system based on the size of the battery system to be installed. The maximum amount of PV input that can be connected to a battery system can be limited based on the battery’s charging capacity. If the PV system is undersized, the batteries will not charge fast enough. If the PV system is oversized, it will be disconnected to protect the batteries from overcharging.

Sue Stark

Vikki M . Kumar

SENIOR MANAGER OF TRAINING | IRONRIDGE

SYSTEMS ENGINEER FOR SOLAR & ENERGY STORAGE | PANASONIC

Whether you are stringing modules, optimizers or microinverters, time and money can be saved by designing the string-end locations as close as possible to array perimeters, homeruns or other convenient locations for ease of connecting and routing jumpers.

This is especially true when installing rail-less solar; rails can sometimes be an easy crutch to attach jumpers with little thought given to minimizing overall costs by going rail-less.

Many installers are eager to complete an install and move on to the next. However, taking the time to read through product manuals, becoming familiar with the manufacturerspecific instructions and product specifications and walking the customer through the various settings and maintenance requirements will reduce system issues in the long run. Take the time to set expectations and explain the responsibilities of system ownership with your customers.

Mark Gies

TECHNICAL SERVICES MANAGER | ROLLS BATTERY ENGINEERING

Steve Higgins

DIRECTOR OF SOLAR BUSINESS | S-5!

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ADVERTORIAL

SOLAR SPOTLIGHT

Demystifying the solar sales process IN THIS SPECIAL EDITION OF CONTRACTOR’S CORNER, solar sales and design software provider Aurora Solar talks about the rights, the wrongs and the needed transparency in solar sales. Based in San Francisco, Aurora Solar provides solar design and sales software meant to make those processes simpler and faster for installers.

Aateeb Khan, product manager at Aurora, touches on the company’s Sales Mode platform, streamlining the solar sales process and overall customer experience.

Below is a portion of the company’s Solar Spotlight podcast with Solar Power World, but be sure to listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast app.

What have you seen top solar companies doing to stand out from their competitors when it comes to sales?

First, transparency. The top solar companies are always transparent about their prices. The customer or the homeowner is always clear on what they’re paying for and to that extent the components that they’re buying. Whether it’s the inverters or the modules, we work with a lot of companies that sell premium modules, but also sell budget options, so being very clear about what the components are, the glass on the roof, etc. And then, I think, also savings — given that solar is a complex product, savings are not super clear. Why am I getting paid in year one for the ITC instead of year zero?

So along every step of the way, the top solar companies are really focused on transparency, and we see that really helps them in terms of top-line sales.

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What are the biggest mistakes you think solar companies make when it comes to solar sales?

So everything we said they can do right certainly applies. More transparency, more delivering and installing on time. But I think the one place where there’s probably still some room for growth is demystifying solar. There’s so many competing narratives out there. Some people choose solar for independence from the grid, some do it because of the savings, some do it because of the environment. But every one of those comes with a whole swath of questions. Anecdotally speaking, I’ve heard a lot of issues recently where homeowners are having difficulty understanding how to resell their home with solar or what solar does for home their resale value.

I think it’s not so much a mistake as I think of room for growth. Particularly, as the industry grows, understanding all of the different objections and having the assets to really speak to those questions. Whether it’s home resale value, whether it’s how exactly does a solar + storage system work, how do I maintain the system? Making sure that you’re really demystifying solar is going to be the next big growth area for companies as they mature.

What is Sales Mode and how is it different from other solar proposal software?

Sales Mode is the newest product coming out of Aurora Solar. And to start I want to share a little history of where Aurora was and how we got to today. Traditionally speaking, Aurora has always been the tool of choice for solar designers, in particular for residential solar

designers, in our industry. It’s because we have the best 3D modeling software in addition to our proprietary simulation engine. Which, time and time again, whether it’s validated been NREL or by the various rebate authorities or financiers, it’s been considered the industry standard on solar design.

So, what that’s meant for customers is we can really reduce on when we’re talking about what’s installed. We can really reduce change orders or cancellations because you have a really high sense of fidelity that if you design this in Aurora, it’s what will ultimately get installed.

What are the biggest benefits that sales reps will gain when they use sales mode?

I think two things come to mind. The first is that the sales rep when they’re in the home or on the Zoom call with that homeowner, that they’ll have every single tool at their disposal to do two things. One: To make sure they can configure the deal exactly to the customer’s needs. They’ll have that accurate 3D model, they’ll be able to toggle panels on and off, see performance and savings updates in real-time, configure pricing correctly and make sure you find the right financing options.

The second thing is that confidence for the sales for what they’re selling will and can be installed. We know at the end of the day that sales reps get paid their commissions based on when the solar gets installed, when the glass actually hits the roof. SPW

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Sol-Ark

How can solar installers ensure the longevity of an array?

When it comes to batteries, chemistry is critical to longevity and safety. Lithium ferro phosphate (LFP) is a robust and proven battery chemistry with exceptional cycle life, typically more than double regular lithium-ion batteries, and is fundamentally safer for home installations. When designing for the long-term, and especially when pairing with a solar array that is slated to last 20+ years, installers want to avoid the need for a customer to replace their batteries multiple times over the life of their system.

Wes Kennedy SYSTEMS ENGINEERING SPECIALIST | BLUE PLANET ENERGY

For the best performance, routinely inspect fasteners and wiring and keep the solar array clean and clear of debris. Be sure not to walk on or put heavy weight on the panels as this can cause micro-cracks.

They may not be visible but, over time, they will often lead to performance issues.

Steve Higgins

SOLAR POWER WORLD

Jason Hannah FIELD SALES ENGINEER | IMO AUTOMATION

It is important to ensure there’s sufficient clearance beneath the panels to ensure air flow and minimize overheating of solar panels. Increasing panel temperature can cause a drop in the energy production based on the temperature coefficient of the panel. Panasonic solar panels have a temperature coefficient of -0.26 %/°C, which allows them to produce more energy over the lifetime of the array compared to those with a higher temperature coefficient.

Vikki M . Kumar SYSTEMS ENGINEER FOR SOLAR & ENERGY STORAGE

TECHNICAL SERVICES MANAGER | ROLLS BATTERY ENGINEERING

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Use quality components backed by reputable manufacturers. Price does not always mean value for the long-term.

MARCH 2022

PANASONIC

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Installation Tips <<

Train up! Online training opportunities allow both new and seasoned installers to learn how to correctly install and commission PV systems, which will ensure a long service life. The IronRidge Installer Certification Program is free and open to everyone. Installers that have completed the training will better understand the roofing system they are integrating into and will be better prepared to install a code-compliant and resilient PV system.

Installers can ensure the longevity of an array by mounting it to a metal roof. Metal roofing has a service life in the range of 50 to 70 years. It is also the most sustainable roofing type and is conducive to lower solar installation costs. Most alternative roofing types will expire long before the life of the PV system, leading to costly disassembly of the PV array, re-roofing and reassembly. That scenario destroys the financial pro forma of solar but is often overlooked.

Sue Stark SENIOR MANAGER OF TRAINING | IRONRIDGE

Mark Gies DIRECTOR OF SOLAR BUSINESS | S-5!

Don’t cut corners, install equipment properly and, when in doubt, read the manual. There are also third-party solutions in the event of equipment failure. These companies offer solar warranties that cover costs not typically covered by manufacturers or installers. That’s a growing sector of the industry that will greatly benefit installers and homeowners.

PV connector intermateability continues to be a problem in the industry and is the leading cause of PV-related fires.

Not all connectors can be used with MC4 or Amphenol devices like Tigo optimizers or microinverters. Although “MC4 Compatible” connectors are commercially available, there are many imposters that have not gone through the required UL testing. A click doesn’t mean the connectors are compatible.

Mike Wiener MARKETING MANAGER | QUICKBOLT

As an installer, certain parameters can be used to ensure a battery has the longest lifespan possible, improving the overall value over time, or the LCOE. This can include techniques such as using 80% depth of discharge, sizing the battery system to maximize its performance based on ratios between loads and charging, and even being conscious of product location and temperature exposure at the installation site.

Greg Smith TECHNICAL TRAINING DIRECTOR | TIGO ENERGY

Troy Daniels TECHNICAL SERVICE MANAGER | SIMPLIPHI POWER

By using more readily available components that are easy to find in home improvement retailers, not solar-specific retailers, installers can protect their customers from being at the mercy of a specific vendor’s materials or components.

S-5!

Mouli Vaidyanathan FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT | SOLARPOD

I'd say a good rule is always the old saying of "measure twice, cut once.” Proper planning, consideration of all of the variables at play and making sure you aren't skipping steps during install can go a long way toward an array's lifespan.

Zach Reagan MARKETING MANAGER | SOL-ARK

www.solarpowerworldonline.com

MARCH 2022

SOLAR POWER WORLD

53

CONTRACTOR'S CORNER

KELSEY MISBRENER • MANAGING EDITOR

CONTRACTOR’S CORNER:

SunLight Solar Orlando contractor hits stride while navigating supply chain, interconnection roadblocks

SunLight Solar started in 2003 as a residential installer, but has now expanded to also serve commercial clients from its headquarters in Orlando, Florida. Although the company is growing and now installing solar from the Florida Panhandle to Key West, supply chain constraints and interconnection headaches are holding up faster progress.

In this episode of the Contractor’s Corner podcast, SunLight’s project manager Nick Geth tells SPW how the company is navigating Florida’s solar-resistant utilities, as well as what new products might help his team sell more systems.

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An edited portion of the interview is below, but be sure to listen to the full podcast for more insight about meeting consumer demand in a time of supply chain disruptions.

Find the Contractor’s Corner podcast on your favorite podcast app.

SPW: Tell me about your role at SunLight Solar.

Nick Geth: We’ve grown over the last couple years, doing essentially a baseline of around 200 projects from beginning to close and now we’re well above the 700-mark. I’m doing quite a bit of commercial too.

Right now, I am doing a lot of the interconnection side, making sure that things are progressing from the contract, essentially past the design

MARCH 2022

point, from the processors that work in the building [department], and making sure that things are good to go.

There’s been a lot in the news lately of these interconnection queues being so backed up.

I’ve actually spoken with one of the supervisors of the interconnection process for FP&L. They essentially only had three specialists throughout the entire state of Florida, and they have just retired one of them, so you have two people running everything from mid-Florida all the way down to South Miami. It’s too much.

When I spoke to her on the phone, she got to the point where she just wanted to cry. That’s where she was at. She was just demoralized with the whole thing.

She essentially said, “Please don’t call me anymore if you can avoid it. Just send me an email and we will try to help as best we can.”

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CONTRACTOR'S CORNER

My GM was in pure panic. We have things that we have to process and get moving and you have these customers that want to make sure things are getting filled, which doesn’t always happen.

That seems like an area that really needs to be looked at from like a policy standpoint — they need more money to help everyone else.

And they have it. They definitely have the money to do it, it’s just not everyone wants to do it.

What else is preventing you from installing more projects?

The biggest thing that we have right now is the supplying issue. I’m constantly on the phone with one of the CED [Greentech] account managers [and] Soligent, talking to all these different reps trying to get an understanding of what’s in supply and what’s not. It’s having a consumer that’s actually coming in and says, “Hey, I want this, I’d like to move forward,” and then you give a call and try to get [certain products], and it’s just unavailable. It holds things up, it doesn’t stop [the project], but it puts a barrier in between finalizing something that should have been done.

And then obviously the interconnection issues you talked about before probably don’t help.

Yeah, they don’t help. I don’t want to beat utility companies up, but a lot of these companies out there…they’re at this point where they’ll do anything to hold up a project. That just lines the road with all sorts of difficulties trying to make the consumer happy, and they’re not only a client of ours, but they’re also a client of the utility company themselves. And [utilities] don’t see it that way, so it’s tough.

I don’t want to beat utility companies up, but a lot of these companies out there…they’re at this point where they’ll do anything to hold up a project.

What are some future product trends you’re looking forward to?

For us, it’s the [Enphase] IQ8s that are going to be coming out pretty soon for the microinverters. I like them, because we do deal with batteries, but at the same time, it not only makes the panel wattage allowed to be more accessible, but it also makes it to where we have this efficiency of being able to power the home during daylight hours, essentially without a battery. SPW

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Podcast Alert!

Listen to this and other Contractor’s Corner episodes on your favorite podcast app.

MARCH 2022

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AD INDEX

LEADERSHIP TEAM VP of Sales Mike Emich 508.446.1823 memich@wtwhmedia.com Managing Director Scott McCafferty 310.279.3844 smccafferty@wtwhmedia.com EVP Marshall Matheson 805.895.3609 mmatheson@wtwhmedia.com Associate Publisher Courtney Nagle cseel@wtwhmedia.com 440.523.1685

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Quest Renewables ....................................................................................................23 Quickbolt ................................................................................................................. 19 Rooftech ...................................................................................................................22 Snake Tray ................................................................................................................31 Solar Power International ..........................................................................................40 SolarPod ................................................................................................................... 16 Soltec .......................................................................................................................07 Voltage, LLC .............................................................................................................27

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