Beyond O&M: The Future of Solar

A mini-series in collaboration with Omnidian

SunCast Media has partnered with Omnidian to produce a special 6-part series to help evolve the narrative around the expectations we have to set as an industry if we’re to evolve into a stable & prosperous infrastructure sector that delights customers & crosses the technology chasm to achieve mass-market adoption.

If you’re a participant in the solar industry, or even if you’re considering where & how to make the plunge into solar, then you’ll benefit from this honest and insightful look at what happens once the installation crews have all gone home and this “no moving parts, never breaks down” sustainability solution is left to do its work on the roof.

Host Nico Johnson sits with 8 industry veterans to better understand their views on how solar companies will need to evolve to meet the growing challenges of reaching the next 30% of the market we hope will adopt solar in the coming 5 years.

With the help of these industry experts, we unpack the best practices, post-sales infrastructure needs, operational criterion and cultural identity that we believe have proven successful in the leading companies that are crossing the chasm to the next phase of this industry’s growth. Solar companies offer the promise of equitable and inclusive renewable energy access to a much broader population, but only if we embrace the truth that “what we’ve done to get us here won’t get us there.”

In this series, you’ll hear from market participants who provide specific insights, examples and tactics that will immediately help you in your solar company’s growth plan. That’s performance, guaranteed.

Can the solar industry evolve to meet the mass market?

 

Here’s a sneak-peek at what we will cover:

  • Ep 1: This is the way to scale customer experience

  • Ep 2: How to build end-to-end asset management

  • Ep 3: Creating a remarkable customer experience

  • Ep 4: A culture of service

  • Ep 5: The future service model

  • Ep 6: Crossing the chasm

Episode 1: This is the way to scale customer experience

Episode 2: DSD Makes Lower Energy Costs Accessible To C&I Customers

Episode 3: Creating Remarkable Customer Experience in the Solar Industry, with Kevin Schulte of Greenspark

Episode 4: Want to Grow Your Solar Business? Offer Excellent Post-Installation Services. (Beyond O&M Series, 4 of 6) with Trevor Sumner, Sun Badger

Episode 5: How the Right Service Partner Supercharges Solar Business Growth (Beyond O&M Series, 5 of 6)

Episode 6: Trust Is the Foundation of Great Experiences, with Mark Liffmann & Brad Davis of Omnidian (Beyond O&M Series, 6 of 6)

Thanks to Omnidian for sponsoring the Beyond O&M Series!

 
 
 

Meet The Experts

 

Dave Kenny - Omnidian, CTO & Co-Founder

A Stanford University alumni with a MS & BS in Mechanical Engineering, David has a deep background in solar operations, including building and running the nation’s second largest residential fleet. Before co-founding Omnidian, Dave was Senior Director at SunRun, managing and leading the second largest leased residential fleet in the world —including field operations, quality assurance, systems performance and field service network. He has over 12 years of solar and clean tech experience at Sunrun, Metrus Energy and MMA Renewable Ventures.

 

Chris Larkin - DSD, Asset Management Director

In his role as the Director of Asset Management at Distributed Solar Development, Chris manages all fleet operations initiatives on the Solar team. This includes day to day operations and support of our Solar fleet (>150MW), strategic management of O&M resources, supplier management, parts planning, sales support, contract compliance, asset management, performance metrics, and customer/supplier facing contract support. He is an experienced operation professional who is customer focused with expertise in quality assurance, planning, procurement, and project management.

 

Kevin Schulte - CEO, GreenSpark Energy

Kevin Schulte founded GreenSpark with his best friends in 2002 and was named CEO in 2008. By 2015 he had led the company to 11th fastest growing business in Rochester and reached the top spot on the Rochester Chamber of Commerce’s Fastest Growing Companies in 2017. He provides the leadership, vision and passion that drives the growth and success for the company. Kevin serves on the boards of the Amicus Solar Cooperative and New York’s Alliance for Clean Energy (ACENY). Kevin has been recognized locally, statewide and nationally for his contributions to the growth of the distributed wind industry, including being named the inaugural recipient of the Community Wind Innovator Award in 2011.

 

Trevor Sumner - President, Sun Badger Solar

Trevor Sumner, founder and President of Sun Badger Solar. Began his solar career as a solar sales rep prior to starting Sun Badger with his brother-in law. He enjoys leveraging technology and new relationships to grow a business quickly and efficiently. Hobbies include biking, fishing and spending time outdoors with his family.

 

Julie King - CEO, Harmon Electric, Inc.

Having mom and dad owning the company while she grew up gave Julie a job as a teenager and the opportunity to decide she would never work in construction again. Or so she thought. While Julie has many accomplishments under her belt as a person and as owner of the company; the most admirable is how she managed to make us a Certified Woman Owned Business. This is not easy! When Julie isn't in the office running the business; she is still running the business... but she is also a proud mom and grandma who loves to spend time with her family and friends. She teaches fitness classes and loves to work out. Time with her husband, Dan, is best spent finding unique wineries and microbreweries or cooking.

 

Angela Burke - Director, O & M, Pivot Energy

Angela (Angie) Burke has spent about 8 years in the solar industry. Most of her experience is on the technical & design side of solar, supporting residential/commercial design teams and an O&M team. She thrives when building teams & processes from scratch, and is thankful to be doing that now at Pivot Energy for O&M, with Omnidian as a key partner.

 

Mark Liffmann - Co-Founder & CEO, Omnidian

Mark Liffmann is co-founder and CEO of Omnidian — the nation’s first performance assurance provider for residential and commercial solar systems. We believe capital investments in solar energy need protection and we founded Omnidian to provide lifetime performance assurance to homeowners, business owners and portfolio-scale residential and commercial system owners. A fifteen-year veteran of the solar industry, he co-founded the residential and light commercial business at SunPower and developed a $500 million global enterprise. He previously held executive leadership positions at Clean Power Research, enerG2 and Solar Depot (Soligent). He holds degrees in Physics and Public Policy from Stanford, and Economics and Law from Harvard University.

 

Brad Davis - Chief Marketing Officer, Omnidian

With a doctorate in law and 25-years’ experience building high-growth brands and award-winning communication strategies, Brad brings national and international executive-level experience in traditional retail, financial services and renewable energy. He was appointed Chairman of the Board of the Retail Advertising & Marketing Association, inducted into the Retail Marketing Hall of Fame, named the nation’s #1 CMO by U.S. Banker and featured on the cover of Brandweek magazine for his leadership in repositioning the billion-dollar retail banking ad sector. In 2016, he was invited to keynote the World Retail Congress in Dubai to speak about creating genuine value for customers.