Seismic changes in the solar and storage industry? Who would have thought that our friends in New Jersey would relate so viscerally? Their recent 4.8 magnitude quake in early April literally extended this metaphor across the country.
Metaphors aside, the solar and storage industry is changing faster now than I have ever seen:
- Electric rates are soaring, along with utility profits
- Solar equipment costs — panels, inverters, batteries — are declining
- UL-3741 standards for rapid shutdown throw a monkey wrench into rooftop safety standards
- Demand for electricity to power our EVs and heat pumps is increasing
- AI is recently on the scene as the newest electricity demand wildcard
- Continued high interest rates are suppressing solar and storage financing
- Utilities have wised-up to rooftop solar and storage threats to their profits
- Hostile utility policies and relatively high interest rates squeeze installer margins, forcing many unprofitable solar companies out of business
- Some companies have cracked the code for long-time success — how do they do it?
For cross country insights into the impact of these changes, our guest on this week’s podcast is Scott Sullivan. I’ve known Scott for over 20 years. Not only is he the best networked person in the industry, but his depth of solar sales and marketing knowledge is a treasure for people trying to figure out what’s next.
Scott and I had so many topics we decided to split the podcast into two episodes. So please listen to Part 1 of this two segment interview with Scott on The Energy Show for his observations and advice for these metaphorical seismic changes in the solar industry.