Menu

Registration Opens for Next Generation of Solar Success!

North America’s largest professional solar training and business development event.


Non-profit solar training partnership offers training and business development venue for solar technologies, installation techniques and tips to increase profitability and win new business.

Registration has begun for the next generation of powerful Solar Success! training, North America’s largest professional solar training and business development event. This year’s updated, expanded training comes with a bonus for the industry’s most experienced contractors, developers and installers – a potent curriculum aligned with NABCEP learning and certification objectives to help optimize their business successes in today’s increasingly-competitive economy.

Presented by the non-profit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) and produced by the global solar energy experts at Conergy, Solar Success! features current product and technical training from some of the industry’s most renowned manufacturers and distributors. It also offers access to leading-edge market research, project financing tips, business development expertise, best practices for sales and marketing success, and insights on rebates, cash grants and installation techniques to help installers of all skill levels grow their solar expertise and galvanize their business success. The event will be held May 17-20, 2010 in Phoenix, at the Arizona Convention Center.

“This is a unique opportunity to glean a goldmine of useful insights from some of the keenest minds in solar energy, while obtaining intelligence on the latest solar technologies, installation innovations and business accelerators this burgeoning industry has to offer,” said Jyl Safier, Marketing Director for the global solar experts at Conergy. Conergy, a Terajoule sponsor of Solar Success!, has partnered with ASES to orchestrate these essential training events since their inception three years ago.

Safier says this year’s newly-designed Pro-Track sessions offer participants either a technical or business focus and are lead by industry experts. They are designed to help experienced installers comfortably transition from large residential projects to commercial solar solutions of up to 1 Megawatt in scale.

“The technical program is designed for experienced solar system designers, project managers, engineers, and experienced field technicians seeking to advance their technical skills. It is particularly suited to those working in grid-tie and battery-based residential markets who intend to enter the small-commercial (10 kW-1 MW) market. This training is also tailored to commercial-only electrical contracting businesses interested in the commercial solar market,” said Safier. “Pro-Track’s business focus offers a thorough overview of the solar market and its financing mechanisms while providing essential information on how to make a compelling financial case for solar that helps create winning residential and commercial project proposals.”

Last year, 100% of those in attendance who completed an exit survey agreed the training was time and money well spent; 94% of the more than 600 in attendance said the event was of “excellent” or “above average” value and quality in comparison to other training events. And 98% agreed Solar Success! training provided valuable information that will help their solar businesses.

Solar Success! is a not-for-profit training event and its cost may be a tax deductible business or training expense. It is co-located with SOLAR 2010, ASES’ annual conference and trade show, now in its 39th year. After training, this facilitates the opportunity for participants to have access to the entire SOLAR 2010 trade show floor to network and take deeper dives into key subject matter with hundreds of industry leaders, including manufacturers, installers, researchers, scientists, engineers, investors, analysts, educators and public officials. For more information on SOLAR 2010 costs and accommodations -- and to register for Solar Success! -- visit www.solar2010.org.

Solar Success! offers a flexible menu of over 30 interactive sessions for entrepreneurs in two, four or six-day tracks. The objective is to provide the precise level of training for solar installers of all experience levels and within a variety of budget parameters. They include:

Solar Success! for Start-ups (May 17-20), for businesses that are new to the industry, seeking to enhance their technical knowledge and develop a winning business strategy. Four full days of Solar Success! Training plus access to the ASES SOLAR 2010 exhibit hall, conference plenary sessions and public events. BONUS: This year’s track includes 1) A complimentary SEI Solar PV Design and Installation Manual and 2) Free access to SEI’s online training course, PV 101 PREP, a 12-hour, self-paced introductory training to provide new industry players with a useful foundation of solar industry basics in preparation for Solar Success! for Start-ups.

NEW! Solar Success! Pro-Track: Advanced Technical Topics (May 17-20), for established professionals who want to fine-tune their knowledge on industry design, permitting and technical innovations. From site evaluation to system design to PV plan sets, permitting, inspection, commissioning and acceptance, with exclusive curricula developed in coordination with training partners SolarPro magazine, NABCEP and a cadre of industry experts, this track provides exclusive technical content for professionals to successfully execute noteworthy projects with confidence;

NEW! Solar Success! Pro-Track: Business (May 17-20), for established professionals who want to elevate their expertise on industry sales, marketing and system finance topics through proprietary applications designed by Solar Success! training partner and industry expert Andy Black of OnGrid Solar. State and federal tax rules, incentives and rebates, creating compelling economic analysis, financial sales strategy, net metering, time of use, system performance factors, production estimates, maximizing solar energy investments, financing tools, leases and power purchase agreements (PPAs) are among the critical topics highlighted. This curriculum is designed to give any solar business a leading edge in assessing, packaging and selling the benefits of large residential and small commercial solar solutions;

Solar Success! Fast Track (May 19-20), for those with limited time or who need to get up to speed with a product refresher in a hurry. Two days of product, sales and marketing workshops plus access to the ASES SOLAR 2010 exhibit hall and public events.

All Access Pass (May 17-22), for access to all ASES SOLAR 2010 general, forum and technical events and admittance to the SOLAR 2010 exhibit hall. Includes four full days of Solar Success! training, either Solar Success! for Start-ups or Solar Success! Pro-Track.

Early bird registration (available through April 1, 2010) can save attendees up to $200. Last year’s event was standing room only. To learn more about Solar Success! costs, speakers and content, please visit www.solar-success.org.

“As the exclusive content we’ve identified for this event demonstrates, Solar Success! is the essential training event for busy professionals who want the most effective, bottom line-oriented training for their money,” Safier noted. Conergy’s teams have successfully built a global renewable energy portfolio exceeding 1.25 Gigawatts in cumulative clean energy capacity, a full Gigawatt of that in solar PV.

Added ASES Executive Director Brad Collins, “The ASES and Conergy partnership has been synergistic from the beginning. When you bring the leading international supplier of renewable energy and a well-established organization dedicated to increasing the use of solar and other renewable energies together to train industry professionals, everybody benefits.”

NABCEP is the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners.

About CONERGY: In North America, Conergy supplies, manufactures, finances, designs and installs quality solar photovoltaic solutions for major commercial sectors, public agencies, businesses and homeowners through two distinct channels. Conergy's Distribution Group serves a national network of installers, developers and dealers in the grid-tied and off-grid residential realm, while also addressing the needs of small commercial markets. Conergy's Projects Group focuses on custom solutions for large-scale, energy-intensive enterprises. With eleven years’ market prowess, Conergy has successfully deployed projects totaling over 1.25 Gigawatts of renewable energy capacity around the world. With operations in 15 countries over 4 continents, Conergy is driving today’s clean energy economy via the customer-focused design, production, installation or financing of close to 1 in 10 of the world’s solar energy systems. Learn more at www.conergy.us.

About ASES: Founded in 1954, the American Solar Energy Society is the nation’s largest and oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the use of solar energy, energy efficiency, and other sustainable technologies. ASES publishes SOLAR TODAY magazine, organizes the National Solar Tour, produces the National Solar Energy Conference, and works to increase the use of renewable energy across the U.S. ASES is based in Boulder, Colo. and has regional and state chapters throughout the country.

SPONSORED ADS