Thoughts on Solar

At Run on Sun we work hard to build trust with our potential clients, and to maintain that trust with those who choose to go forward with us.  Recently, our distribution partner, BayWa, r.e. asked Run on Sun Founder and CEO, Jim Jenal, to join a podcast discussing that very issue.  Jim shared the mic with Tom Miller, Creative Director at BayWa, and Pam Cargill, Principal at Chaolysti Interactive, a consulting firm focused on improving the solar industry.

Although Jim was a bit embarrassed by the title - “In Jim We Trust” is a bit much - he stands by the thoughts expressed!  Check it out:

We would love to hear from both clients and other installers alike - how important is it to build trust?  What do you do to achieve that end?  And what happens when that trust is damaged, how do you make things right?

Just in time for the start of the holiday shopping season, we are pleased to be offering Founder & CEO, Jim Jenal’s hit solar sensation, Commercial Solar: Step-by-Step at fantastic savings.  What could be a better gift for the solar fans on your shopping list?

“I thought it would be dry like a textbook, but it reads like a novel!” Laurel Hamilton

Starting at 8:00 a.m. on Friday through Midnight on Monday night, you can purchase the Kindle e-book for just 99¢ - that’s 80% off the regular price!  Still like your books in paper?  No worries, we’ve got you covered there, too!  The paperback edition is available for sale from our Run on Sun online store for just $5.95 - 40% off the list price!

“Jim Jenal’s guide to commercial solar is a thorough, quick, and easy read. The text is manage-ably dense with information, but chatty and easy to understand. Jim knows what he’s talking about, which is nice for those of us who do not. The process is laid out in step-by-step instructions with examples to illustrate all parts. Thanks, Jim, for making commercial solar seem attainable.” Evyn Larson

Run on Sun Founder and CEO, Jim Jenal was a recent guest on the Energy Show, hosted by Barry Cinnamon and available over at Renewable Energy World.  Barry is the former head of Westinghouse Solar and now runs Cinnamon Solar up in Silicon Valley.  His Energy Show airs on both radio station KLIV and as part of Barry’s regular column, Listen Up, over at REWorld.

In the interview (listen to it here), Jim talks about a variety of subjects of concern to the solar industry—here’s how Barry described it:

The solar industry is growing fast, just like many other cost effective, transformational industries. And like many other industries, we have our share of great players, as well as some not-so-great. Jim isn’t afraid to “out” some of the entities that, for lack of a better term, aren’t doing the solar industry any good. That’s why his blog is such a great read.

We talked about some of these challenges, the bad as well as the good. Like LADWPs incompetence in delaying customer interconnections for months on end (compare that to PG&E’s recent eight day turnaround, including snail mail, on customer interconnections). Or the way some companies sell solar to customers (often retired) at two or three times the market rate (would you buy a rooftop system for $10+/Watt?). 

There are lots of good stories, too — like the improved reliability of rooftop systems, hiring patterns of veterans in the solar industry, and new hardware that is both less expensive and safer. So please tune into this week’s Energy Show on Renewable Energy World for some candid anecdotes about the solar industry, courtesy of Jim Jenal.

So head on over to Barry’s post and give a listen to his cool interview with our boss, Jim Jenal.

We have been teasing out bits and pieces of our new book, Commercial Solar: Step-by-Step, all summer as we neared the end of the publication process.  Well today we can formally announce that it is available both at the Run on Sun Publishing eStore (where we get a better royalty - hint, hint!) and on Amazon.com!

Commercial Solar is intended for two primary audiences: Owners & operators of commercial buildings, and Solar contractors who are looking for a meaningful “leave behind” item to give to their potential commercial clients.

As the title suggests, the book provides an overview of the process by which an interested party - say, a facilities manager - can go from knowing next to nothing about commercial solar to identifying appropriate contractors to provide bids, analyzing those bids to make meaningful comparisons, determining financing options that are appropriate and even overseeing the actual installation process.

The book features a Foreword written by Boaz Soifer, VP of Sales at Focused Energy:

The material could be dry (much of the reading on this subject is), but is instead casual but precise, clearly laid out, and made accessible through handy use of a narrative in which the Facilities Manager of a fictional company undertakes a commercial solar project himself…

In his typical style—approachable, honest, quirky, and occasionally scathing—Jim has thoughtfully flattened out the com­plex world of commercial solar PV into an under­standable roadmap that anyone can follow to project success.

Interested? You can download a two-chapter excerpt of the book for free, here.  Better yet, you can purchase the book today from either our eStore or Amazon for just $9.95.  If you are interested in bulk sales (i.e., ten or more copies), discounts are available.  Please contact us at Bulk Sales for more information.

And of course, we welcome your comments either here on the blog or at Amazon.  Thanks for your support.

Run on Sun Founder & CEO, Jim Jenal, was quoted at length in Solar Power World’s headline article, How to Make Sure Your Business Survives the Solar Frontier.  The piece by Kathleen Zipp notes that “Thousands of service providers are ready to duel for their place in the industry, making it a bit like the Wild West,” so they tapped several industry experts, including Jenal, for advice on how to make it in a competitive landscape.

From the article:

Jim Jenal, founder of Run on Sun in Pasadena, Calif., says it’s also important to reach out to customers through education. “Utilities have guaranteed customers and a guaranteed return,” he says. “We have neither. Attracting customers requires a strategy to reach out to your audience.”

Run On Sun has chosen to do this through a blog, which has proven to be a priceless asset.

“Our blog is our biggest tool,” Jenal says. “Pretty much all of our commercial clients have come to us at least in part because of the blog. It’s greatly expanded our presence and given us visibility.” Jenal says his company is also about to publish a book to educate potential clients.

Also, blogging has proven to be an effective way to educate the public. “The industry as a whole continues to face a public that is often skeptical of what we offer,” Jenal says.

To overcome that, Jenal says his company puts out honest, straight-forward information about going solar. His team also spends time talking to people on the phone or in-person to answer their questions.

“We do so even when they do not represent a potential sale for us,” Jenal says. “We believe that ultimately the entire industry benefits from a better educated public.”

Some advice can help installers across all market segments grow, particularly certification, quality and choosing the right partners.

-Certification Gives You Credibility. Certify your skills so potential clients can be assured of them, rather than just taking your word for it. Jenal says he believed Run On Sun’s skills set it apart from other players. “But to give that claim greater credibility, we sought and achieved North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) certification for all three of our owners,” he says.

It has been a busy PR year for Jim who has also been quoted at length in the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian and numerous industry publications with Solar Power World being the latest.

Fortunately, you don’t have to just read about it, you can put Jim’s expertise to work for you on your solar project.  Give us a call or click on this link today and speak to the source!