Solar Power World

Long Island, New York is a peninsula stretching for many miles into the Atlantic Ocean. The narrow landmass doesn't have much space for solar on the ground, however, solar installer SUNation Solar Systems managed to build a 1.78-MW array atop a manufacturing facility in the region. In the fifth episode of The Case for Solar, associate editor Billy Ludt narrates his case study written for the January 2021 issue of Solar Power World. Read the case study here: solarpowerworldonline.com MUSIC "Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download

Happy New Year! We're starting 2022 with a new Contractor's Corner host — editor Kelsey Misbrener is in the interview seat in this new chapter. In her first Contractor’s Corner interview, she talks to Southern California commercial subcontractor Sean Bright, president of New Era Electric. Bright took a big risk to start New Era Electric in 2020 amidst a constrained labor market, but found his niche in the small C&I market. Thank you to this month’s sponsors, Scanifly and CompanyCam. With CompanyCam, every photo and video your workers take at a job is automatically organized by location and instantly synced from the field to wherever you are. Learn more at companycam.com. And Scanifly is the only drone-based solar software focused on automating the survey and design stages of your solar project's life. Learn more at scanifly.com. www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2022/01/contractors-corner-new-era-electric

It’s the end of an era. After more than 75 interviews over six years, Solar Power World editor-in-chief Kelly Pickerel is passing the Contractor’s Corner podcast torch to managing editor Kelsey Misbrener. And since there is a wide collection of episodes to reflect on, Pickerel has pulled together some of her favorite interviews during her tenure as podcast host. While some themes weave throughout — permitting woes are still annoying — it’s nice to remember the hot-button issues of yesteryear and realize just how far the solar industry has come. Interview clips included in today's episode: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2019/06/contractors-corner-peak-view-solar/ https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2018/10/contractors-corner-sun-light-and-power/ https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2020/03/contractors-corner-paradise-energy-solutions/ https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2017/01/contractors-corner-proving-solar-viable-even-darkest-alaskan-communities/ https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2020/08/

In this special edition of Contractors Corner, solar mounting and balance of system products manufacturer, Gibraltar, talks about the benefits of working with the newly consolidated company through the entire lifecycle of a solar project.

If you've driven through the American Rust Belt, you've likely seen abandoned steel mills. They're a common sight — some might say a sore one — and often remain untouched and undeveloped once shuttered. However, Scalo Solar Solutions helped reinvigorate a long-abandoned steel mill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that's shedding new light on the redevelopment potential of these sites. In the fourth episode of The Case for Solar, associate editor Billy Ludt narrates his case study written for the November 2021 issue of Solar Power World. Read the case study here: solarpowerworldonline.com MUSIC "Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download

Heyo! We have our first repeat interview within KP's Contractor's Corner run. We hope you enjoy today's interview with George Hershman, president of SOLV Energy, the new name of Swinerton Renewable Energy. Today we talk about the industry's top solar installation company and its new name, and so much more, including the recklessness right now around suggested tariffs, what's needed to boost domestic manufacturing and how the big guys are dealing with supply chain disruptions. Check out project photos here: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/11/contractors-corner-solv-energy/ Interested in the OG 2016 interview? Check it out: https://soundcloud.com/solarpowerworld/contractors-corner-swinerton-renewable-energy

Aurora Energy has established a name for itself in the Washington, D.C., area as a risk-taking, ahead-of-the-curve solar installer. The company has evolved over the last three decades and sees its specialty in commercial projects that may need a little custom engineering. In this episode of the Contractor's Corner podcast Aurora talks about the company's desire to take care of its customers seeking all the financial and environmental benefits that come with installing solar. This has led Aurora Energy to branch out into community solar and take on more unique projects like green roofs. We also talk tariffs and price increases happening right now. Find the story: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/09/contractors-corner-aurora-energy/

Fulfilling development tasks, arranging an interconnection agreement and designing and then building a solar array is no simple task. But Oakland, California-based solar developer Adapture Renewables did it 10 times over when it acquired a portfolio of projects planned for Western Oregon. In the third episode of The Case for Solar, associate editor Billy Ludt narrates his case study written for the September 2021 issue of Solar Power World. Read the case study here: solarpowerworldonline.com MUSIC "Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download

In this special edition of Contractors Corner, solar tracker and racking manufacturer OMCO Solar discusses the company’s latest innovations in bifacial trackers. Sponsored by OMCO Solar.

In this special edition of Contractor’s Corner, solar installation business management platform BluBanyan and bank-to-bank payment software firm Paystand talk about how financing technology can help boost solar company margins and ROI. Sponsored by Paystand.

Big-name, multi-site contracts can increase a solar installer's standing in the industry, but for SolareAmerica, a partnership with the Wawa convenience store chain only built on the 12-year-old company's legacy. In this episode of the Contractor's Corner podcast, John Scorsone, president of SolareAmerica, talks about the gas-pump solar canopies and ground-mounts involved in the Wawa project portfolio, and how it has provided the company with a front-seat to the emerging EV charging market as well. https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/07/contractors-corner-solareamerica/

In this special edition of Contractors Corner, solar mounting manufacturer Preformed Line Products (PLP) talks about the advantages of using uniform, building-block-style solar carport designs on all projects. Sponsored by PLP.

Veregy is a newish energy services company (ESCO) with a much longer history. The company started in 2019 after six regional ESCOs merged to offer energy optimization and performance contracting to commercial clients nationwide. One of those companies was a commercial solar installer out of Arizona, and the new Veregy now focuses on a holistic energy package for customers — with energy efficiency, solar, smart building integration, maintenance services and more. In this episode of the Contractor's Corner podcast, John Mitman, VP of distributed energy resources for Veregy, describes the joining of knowledge and expertise as a way to better execute on customer goals. Now when K-12 school districts and healthcare institutions want to save money on their utility bills, the Veregy team can create a long-term strategy with multiple phases of energy conservation measures that may include solar arrays. Read the story: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/06/contractors-corner-veregy/

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Top Solar Contractors list this year, Solar Power World was joined by representatives at McCarthy Building Companies, Inovateus Solar, RPCS and Renu Robotics to discuss the utility-scale market. The utility-scale solar market may seem like an assembly line of tried-and-true installation methods, but most of the industry’s technology advances first arrive on our largest projects. Large-format and bifacial solar modules are tested on new trackers and hooked up to more powerful inverters every day. Utility-scale contractors talk about how they keep abreast on the latest technology designs while building successful projects with a shrinking ITC. Watch the roundtable: https://youtu.be/9ijpFP2GejY

In this special edition of Contractor’s Corner, solar structure manufacturer and installer M Bar C talks about how the company has adapted to new construction markets and solar technologies over the years. Sponsored by M Bar C.

In this special edition of Contractor’s Corner, solar mounting and racking manufacturer SnapNrack talks about its new, Miami-Dade-approved mounting solution that does away with cumbersome metal flashing. Sponsored by SnapNrack.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Top Solar Contractors list this year, Solar Power World was joined by representatives at Standard Solar, Nexamp and Pivot Energy to discuss the community solar market. One of the fastest growing solar segments involves the community solar model. Instead of one end-user, many customers are involved with the unique solar projects on landfills, townhomes and community fields. C&I contractors involved with community solar will discuss the design, installation and post-project considerations necessary for this quickly emerging market in the United States. Register for future roundtables: www.solarpowerworldonline.com/tsc-roundtables/ Watch the roundtable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp49LQZG_9s

It's no secret that utilities are having a difficult time in California right now. With wildfires increasing in intensity each year, more utilities are having to shut down power to save their grids. It's pushing even more people to consider solar and storage to create their own microgrids to keep emergency services online. So it's not especially surprising that the state's investor-owned utilities have cried that age-old claim that solar customers are not paying enough for grid upkeep. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is now considering a monthly charge for solar customers, and solar advocates have joined against this attempt by the utilities to "undermine consumer choice." It leaves installers like Cosmic Solar in a precarious position. In this episode of the Contractor's Corner podcast, Solar Power World editor-in-chief Kelly Pickerel talks with Cosmic co-owners Bahram and Judith Shadzi about how they are supporting the "Save California Solar" campaign while also diversifying into roofing

The term "off-grid" is often associated with small energy projects located off the beaten path, and while Derrick Zearley's home is remote, it's no small project. He teamed up with South Carolina contractor Firefly Solar to take his new home construction project off the grid with solar + storage technologies after utilities left the site without power. In the second episode of The Case for Solar, associate editor Billy Ludt narrates his case study written for the May 2021 issue of Solar Power World. Read the case study here: solarpowerworldonline.com MUSIC "Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download

What started as being a nice neighbor to a regenerative farm has turned into a whole new way of building and maintaining solar projects for Silicon Ranch. With close to 1 GW of installed projects, the utility-scale solar developer and owner was seeing the real impact of using herbicides and pesticides to manage vegetation growth. After siting a new project next to one of the larger regenerative ranchers in the Southeast, Silicon Ranch (whose mission is to be a supportive community member) wanted to ensure it wasn't applying chemicals or contributing to soil erosion that may affect the rancher's mission. With some tips from the rancher, Silicon Ranch dove into regenerative land management practices that could improve the land at each of its solar sites. In this episode of the Contractor's Corner podcast, Solar Power World editor-in-chief Kelly Pickerel talks with Silicon Ranch CEO Reagan Farr about the company's regenerative energy process, and how bringing more native plants and grazing livestock to solar s