Thanks for tuning in to this week’s Tactical Tuesday. On this week’s episode procurement expert Michael Foster of Origis Energy joins us and unpacks the ingredients to the success of his company’s development team and project execution. So listen in to sharpen your skills and get some tangible takeaways for the week ahead.
Today we’ll discuss…
How early to get involved with the development team as a procurement manager
Tools for handling immediate deadlines
Module vendor lead times
The bi-facial manufacturing movement
Competition in the solar modular market and future trends
Recently, there has been a fair amount of movement in solar manufacturing. Ten years ago there were only three or four manufacturers in the solar modular market, all of which were extraordinarily expensive, with long lead times, and frequent shortage issues. Because of this, Chinese manufacturers were able to seize the high demand opportunity and ramp up their manufacturing process, significantly improving the quality of their product.
Since then, Michael has noted a similar pattern with the Chinese battery manufacturers—they’re bringing the quality up, the price down, and producing batteries nearly as good as the A1 solar batteries. But how do we monitor quality control? It’s neither practical, nor financially feasible to walk the factory floor in each facility grinding the details of each product.
What to do? “Start relying on those experts…our integrator partners for quality validation.” Michael encourages. More and more integration companies are cropping up that you can trust with the complexity of solar product quality control. The knowledge base is growing, easing the integration process—what Michael argues is “the linchpin to successful energy storage projects.
To put it simply, if you can’t successfully integrate and meet your demand, you can’t make money. You need to build a team of people you can rely on, people who, as Michael says, “jump out of their seat and are excited.” That’s what makes a good partner. Someone you can rely on to carry out and build upon your procurement strategy. This team, these partnerships will allow you to fully take advantage of the growing competitive market.
Tune in to this week’s episode for even more wisdom and expertise from Michael Foster on procurement today!Resources:
Check out Origis Energy
Connect with Michael on LinkedIn
Join the Tribe? Check out Episode 86, in which I explain how YOU can become an Energy Tribe member and support the growth and stability of SunCast moving forward! www.mysuncast.com/member to join today!
About the Host of SunCast:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, a regular conversation with Solar Industry professionals who are leading in emerging solar markets. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.
Nico is a 10-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala and is considered one of the market's leading experts on solar PV expansion in the region.
Nico can be reached on Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus