In addition to installing solar equipment, solar contractors also install a variety of electrical equipment: wiring, junction boxes, conduit, circuit breakers, etc. Since many of these electrical items are not carried at your local “big box” hardware store, experienced solar contractors source them from electrical distributors.

Since solar is one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S., some of the more farsighted electrical distributors have started to supply a limited amount of solar equipment. And some are distributing solar and storage equipment enabling them to become a “one stop shop” for everything needed on a typical residential or commercial rooftop system.

Having a single source distributing solar and storage equipment significantly reduces the supply chain costs for a typical solar contractor. Instead of ordering from several different manufacturers and have the materials trickle in over a few weeks or months, a contractor can back up his or her truck to a single distributor the morning of a project and load up everything that is needed. For larger projects, distributors can deliver directly to a job site. Voila: no extra warehousing costs, simplified purchasing and payment, and easy access to extra parts or supplies that may be needed during the course of an installation.

CED Greentech is one of the first electrical distributors in the San Francisco Bay Area that provides these specialty solar items, in addition to a complete range of electrical equipment. My guest on this week’s show is Paras Shah, Profit Center Manager at CED Greentech in San Jose. Please tune in to this week’s Energy Show as Paras shares his insight into the ways that local solar/electrical distributor can significantly reduce costs for all sizes and types of solar installations distributing solar and storage equipment.