Thoughts on Solar

Laurel Hamilton - Solar Pro - Solar Hero!

You hear a lot about solar companies with shady business practices, and frankly, it is often enough to make me worry about this industry that I love.  But today we have a feel-good story about folks going the extra mile to make things right - and it stars Laurel Hamilton, recently of Run on Sun, who now works for Elemental Energy in Bend, Oregon.  Here’s the scoop…

Legend Solar is a Utah-based installation company that was operating in three states: Utah, Nevada, and Oregon.  I say it was operating because a recent report in the Salt Lake Tribune highlighted the financial difficulties of the company, and pointed out that dozens of homeowners who had signed contracts with Legend - and in many cases had already paid in full - were being left high and dry as Legend was unable to complete their projects.  Indeed, the Tribune story focuses on Utah homeowners who appear to be without recourse to get their projects completed.  Ouch!

But not so in Oregon.

Spurred on by the Energy Trust of Oregon and the Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association, companies like Elemental Energy have stepped into the breach, working around the clock to meet an April 1 deadline for completion so that the stranded homeowners will qualify for the Oregon State tax credit. 

Frank Andorka, writing at SolarWakeup, picked up the story from Laurel, and is up with his take: Oregon Solar Installers Back Legend’s Customers.  Frank’s bottom line: “When one solar company stumbles, it’s up to the rest of us to make sure it doesn’t take the rest of the industry down with it." 

We agree completely, but that is easier said than done.

Instead, it has taken the dedicated work of true solar pros, like Laurel and her crew from Elemental, to make that difference.  Here’s how Laurel described their efforts:

My company has stepped up to fulfill the orders left in the lurch by the out-of-state solar company that went bankrupt. We are doing this at a loss because we believe in supporting the solar industry in Oregon and in making sure people still get their systems as promised.

My team is working overtime every single day to get these systems in by the deadline to get clients their tax credit. Once they do, they’ll have beautiful solar systems providing their homes with 100% clean renewable energy from the sun for more than 25 years. So we’re exhausted but it’s worth it. This is what working in solar and working for a positive company, doing this for the right reasons, is all about. We don’t want the news to scare people into not trusting solar contractors.

It is people like you, Laurel, that they trust, and they do so because of your professionalism and integrity.

So a big Run on Sun shout out to Laurel, the rest of the folks working beside her at Elemental Energy, and all the other Oregon solar pros who are working together to make it right.  You set a very high bar for the rest of us, and you make us proud to be part of the same industry with you.

As Run on Sun rings in the new year and looks forward to a great 2017, we have some big news of changes taking place on our team. Our Projects Coordinator / Solar Ninja, Laurel, has moved to Oregon to spread the joys of solar power  in her home state. She wanted to share some final thoughts with her Run on Sun solar family…

Just over two years ago I made a flash decision that would change my career trajectory in a bigger way than I ever could have imagined. I came to Los Angeles after earning my Masters in Global Public Health. While I’ve always been passionate about solutions to environment and health, I hadn’t ever thought about working in the solar industry for perhaps obvious reasons (EVERYONE asks me how I started in solar with a public health background). After a few months living in LA without finding health work, I met someone at a green event who worked for a solar company. That encounter got me thinking about the fact that there is so much sun in Los Angeles but the air pollution is literally in your face every day. I realized that PV Solar provides an incredible opportunity to work towards something of real value for people, the environment, and for broader global health reducing the impacts of burning fossil fuels. So I took a chance and after doing a little research into who was working in my nearby vicinity (avoiding commuting in LA was a big priority) and who was doing solar for the right reasons… I contacted Jim Jenal at Run on Sun. I told Jim I was happy to schlep materials around the county, handle paperwork, answer phones, and do whatever it took to get more solar into our community if he would just teach me all about the industry. I didn’t realize quite how far that deal would go. You see, one of Jim’s past lives was as a high school teacher and despite the small size of his company he is considered one of the thought leaders in the solar industry, largely through this blog.

Over the next two years he taught me everything there is to know about running a solar installation company. Its not very often that one is given the opportunity to learn every aspect of an industry with an employer who gives you the confidence and tools you need to grow exponentially in a short period of time. I ate it all up! After a year I was wearing as many hats as one can imagine in a solar installation business… Inside Sales, Lead Developer, Site Assessor, Project Designer, Project Coordinator, Safety and Health Officer, Marketing Manager, Solar Blog Writer, Boom Lift Operator and of course Solar Installer. That’s when I made my own business cards with my new self-proclaimed title - “Solar Ninja". 

Working with Velvet, Ralph, Josh, Robert, and Jim on Run on Sun’s team was more empowering and satisfying than I ever imagined working in a for-profit field could be. I was helping people to reduce their impact on the environment, lower their costs, and show their neighbors that renewable energy is a real solution everyone can be a part of. I learned that, counter to popular belief, a sales person could be honest, forthright, and down to earth. I learned that we could run our business with integrity and give people quality 20+ year products they could trust. I learned that people who want to go solar are some of the coolest people and really makes sales work a joy. And more than anything else, I learned that I wanted to stay in this exciting industry that was growing and improving exponentially before my eyes. 

It was with the support of Jim Jenal and all the know-how he bestowed upon me that I was able to earn my PV Solar Technical Sales Professional certification through NABCEP. And I was offered an exciting position managing a new solar installation branch in Bend, Oregon for a forward-thinking solar company, Elemental Energy. Elemental even has a non-profit arm called Twende, installing off-grid systems in developing countries around the world! So this truly is a dream job combining my Global Health and Solar Ninja skills into one awesome adventure!  

I am sad to be saying goodbye both to the Run on Sun team and all the wonderful clients I worked with over my tenure which we fondly refer to as our Run on Sun family. Though the sun is setting on my time in Southern California, the sun is shining bright (everything is literally whitewashed with snow currently) in Bend! I look forward to hearing how things continue to grow with Run on Sun. If ever you or someone you know finds yourself with property that needs to be solarized in Central Oregon I’d love to hear from you! 

Thank you for reading my humble Thoughts on Solar! Much love and sunshine for all — Laurel