This is Episode 4 of 5 in our Community Solar Series
Learn more here.
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“...through technology, we can track movers, we can move with them much more easily. And so we’ve opened up a whole new class of customers, with no FICO score[requirement], renters I mean, and then we can move with them. ”
Customers are the heartbeat of Community Solar, and they’re acquired more like Internet or Telecom customers than traditional solar or energy companies are accustomed to.
➡️ The key to Community Solar growth is in understanding the customer acquisition model and making it EASY for more customers to say “YES”.
How are Community Solar subscribers:
☀️Found?
☀️Enrolled?
☀️& Serviced?
How does customer acquisition for Community Solar actually work?
In Episode 4 of this series, we’ll hear from Kate Henningsen, Co-founder and COO at Arcadia Power. Prior to joining Arcadia Power as its sixth employee, Kate spent several years as a litigator at an international law firm, providing counsel to businesses on a wide variety of high-stakes issues. She has helped grow Arcadia to perhaps the most well-known among a category of service providers known as “aggregators” in Community Solar. We often hear community solar buyers referred to as subscribers.
But, who actually finds, enrolls and services these subscribers? How does customer acquisition for community solar actually work? And how do you get beyond the general notion that it is just Too Good to be True? To answer these questions and more, I reached out to Kate Henningsen. Kate and the Arcadia team have onboarded more than 200K solar customers, and have eliminated the need for a FICO score as a pre-requisite for subscription. Aggregators serve a critical function in the marketplace to lower customer acquisition costs & address the scalability of the sector.
The more you learn about Community Solar, the more you realize that it’s not too good to be true. It’s an incredibly powerful, growing vertical in the Solar sector.
Kate and the Arcadia team have on-boarded more than 200k solar customers while eliminating the need for a FICO score.
How? Tune-in today to learn & then head of to Linkedin and contribute your thoughts!
You can learn more about today’s guest and our expert lineup along with what else is to come in the series at www.mysuncast.com/communitysolar
In this 5-part series, we answer:
How does Community Solar work, and what are the Policy frameworks that support it’s expansion?
Is the development of Community Solar that much different from other solar verticals (C&I, Utility)?
How does this segment of the industry enable a more just & equitable solar offering?
Who are the customers and how are they acquired for Community Solar as compared with other verticals?
And, How does the money flow into, through and out of these projects for the various stakeholders?
The Community Solar series presented in partnership with EDP Renewables N. America, Distributed Generation.
You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make SunCast free for you, here: www.mysuncast.com/sponsors
And you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links, and more than 485 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.
You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.
Here’s a peak at the Community Solar Series:
Episode 1: The Role of Policy in Community Solar with Jeff Cramer, CCSA & David Sandbank, NYSERDA
Episode 2: The Project Developer Perspective: Is it really that different?
Episode 3: Federal support for equitable access to solar
Episode 4: Customer acquisition for Community Solar
Episode 5: Understanding the “Value Stack” for Community Solar
TIMESTAMPS:
(04:13) How community solar impacts customer acquisition
(05:18) Kate's pre energy background
(09:06) Early weaknesses in product delivery
(11:31) Why aggregators exist in community solar
(14:09) Kate's thoughts on customer acquisition without FICO check
(16:02) How Kate gets underwriters comfortable with no FICO score
(17:45) How Kate uses diversity channel to precede the market
(19:55) How community solar creates opportunity for other people
(20:59) How regulators see community solar products
(24:52) States with market traction
(26:17) Obstacles that stand in the way of community solar being pervasive
(28:54) Kate's thoughts on incentivizing community solar
(31:10) At what stage is community solar at now
(33:00) Wrap up
ABOUT KATE HENNINGSEN:
Kate Henningsen is Co-Founder & COO at Arcadia. Prior to joining Arcadia Power as its sixth employee, Kate spent several years as a litigator at an international law firm, providing counsel to businesses on a wide variety of high-stakes issues. She is an honors graduate of Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center, and holds a Master’s degree from Oxford University. A sixth-generation Wisconsinite, she lives on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. with her husband and two daughters.
CHECK OUT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY SOLAR SERIES:
ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. 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 an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.
You can connect with Nico Johnson on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.
If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.