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About the Episode:
In the solar industry, we’re often building the plane as we fly it, as it were.
This is ever-moreso evident in commercial and industrial (C&I) solar, a relatively untapped market with unique challenges. One of the key areas of failure is a lack of funding. And, often, the culprit that leads to failed projects or lack of funding (ie, un-interested buyers) is poor processes.
So how do you teach due diligence and standardize processes when it seems we’ve been making them up as you go for so long??
Despite it still, at times, feeling like the wild west in solar development, there are numerous industry veterans who have vetted and validated hundreds, even thousands of projects and developed simple checklists, toolkits, and data room best practices to help any developer willing to seek professional guidance.
Keith Cronin, Founder & CEO of SunHedge and instructor for HeatSpring, is a pioneer in the U.S. and Pacific Island solar markets. In today's episode, Keith shares his journey from helping shape Hawaii's solar market with Jigar Shah to teaching hundreds of organizations how to fine-tune their own best-practices, financial models and project diligence efforts. Along the way, Keith has helped to build trust in the market and innovative financial models for getting projects across the finish line.
Expect to learn:
Specific strategies for strong financial models and building trust for your solar project.
Tools you can deploy immediately for more accurate assumptions in your models and risk reduction in C&I solar projects, in particular.
Keith’s perspective on how we can bring more people in from other industries like oil and gas, real estate, and tech.
Careful listeners will learn (and see) how to use Keith’s FREE project screening tool, or gain access to his bestselling course, Solar Executive MBA Training, on Heatspring.
Finally, ifyou’re ready to further develop your own thought leadership or share your expertise, check out Solar Academy, a social knowledge platform for the solar energy industry.
Helpful RESOURCES:
Connect with Keith Cronin:
Check out SunHedge:
Resources:
NOTEWORTHY QUOTE:
“All models are wrong, some are just more useful. And what I kind of mean by that, structurally, is that we have these assumptions around production. We have these assumptions around cash flows with production. We have assumptions around operations and maintenance, and equipment failure.”
“I think it’s incredibly invaluable understanding history, reading history, there is so much to be garnered because again, history repeats itself.”
Thanks again to this week's sponsor, helping keep the podcast FREE to you!
Speed up PV installations for lower LCOE with TrinaTracker and improve overall system value with optimized compatibility using Trina Solar’s industry-leading modules and the TrinaPro utility-scale or C&I Solutions. Please visit https://www.mysuncast.com/trina
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 16-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.