When a business, K-12 school, or a manufacturing company decides to go solar, often the next step is to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) based on another school in the same district or another nearby business, or even a public RFP found after a Google search. While this may provide some useful information, commercial solar installations are far from “plug & play.”
Even if the proposed installation is in the same school district or the request is for the same sized system, the truth is every commercial solar PV installation will have different requirements that will significantly affect the design, cost, and ROI of the installation.
For example, an experienced commercial solar installer will need to assess:
The type of installation (rooftop or ground mount)
The available square footage on the roof, plot of land, or parking lot
Trees, HVAC systems, and other obstructions that could shade the installation over the course of the day
Roof slope, if any, structure, condition, and weight limits
Environmental assessment requirements and protections
The seasonal energy usage of the building or complex
Utility rates and demand charges
Local solar permitting standards
Zoning requirements
The utility’s safety and interconnection standards
Road access and easements to ground mount areas
The type of financing (power purchase agreement, lease, loan, municipal bond?)
….and many, many other factors.
To be clear, RFPs can be very useful when written by an experienced solar developer. When that’s not the case, we recommend focusing on finding an experienced commercial solar developer or engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company that offers a customized solar estimate for your project or projects. You’ll still be able to compare the estimates, but they’ll be based on a customized solar evaluation for your project.
With the above in mind, here are several questions to ask when evaluating commercial and industrial solar installers.
Review their past solar projects
Since solar is a growing industry, there are many electrical and general contractors that are just starting to offer solar installation services. To evaluate their experience, ask these questions:
How many commercial solar installations they’ve done. The number of installations will reveal their experience.
What are the system sizes? The range of system sizes will also reveal whether they can handle large projects.
Are they mainly residential installers? Many longtime residential solar contractors will also do commercial installations. If that’s the case, be sure to evaluate the size, complexity, and number of their commercial and industrial installations. If their website seems to have more residential photos than commercial solar photos, that typically reflects their focus and expertise.
Inovateus’ experience is a great benchmark to compare to other commercial solar contractors. Since 2008, we’ve specialized in commercial, industrial, and utility-scale projects, with over 500 MW installed. You can see a variety of examples on our website.
Evaluate the solar design and engineering team
A quality commercial and industrial solar developer should have several experienced solar design engineers on staff. While software is making it easier to design solar installations today, it’s the electrical engineering team that solves the unique challenges that present themselves with every installation.
Ask how many engineers are on staff.
Do they have engineers with a P.E. (professional engineer) license in Indiana or your state?
How many non-residential solar installations have the engineers designed and completed?
How many years have they been designing commercial and industrial solar systems?
Does the company use overseas engineering companies? If they do, they are rarely familiar with the Midwest’s local permitting requirements and may cause costly delays if the plans are rejected.
Once again, you can use Inovateus as a benchmark. Our engineering team has P.E stamping capabilities and over 70 years of combined experience, encompassing over 80 projects and 5 megawatts of solar.
Check references, testimonials, and solar industry reputation
Any experienced commercial solar company will have excellent references and testimonials from past customers.
Call up those companies and interview them about the installation process and any challenges—and to be sure, there are always challenges. As I’ve mentioned, commercial solar projects are not plug & play, but it’s how the engineering and installation team resolve those issues that reflect the quality of the solar company.
Check the solar company’s ties to the community, solar organizations, and local organizations.
Check the installer’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rating. Solar installers can be potentially exposed to a variety of serious hazards, such as arc flashes, electric shock, falls, and burns. Each company has an OSHA safety rating that ranges from 0 to 4, with the lowest rating being best.
Inovateus is a proud Board Member of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), as well as state solar advocacy groups Indiana Distributed Generation and Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council. These groups expand access and affordability to solar energy.
In terms of our OSHA rating, as of this writing, our score is 0.87, demonstrating our commitment to providing a safe environment for workers and our sub-contractors.
Compare their unique offerings
Once you’ve found an experienced commercial solar EPC, you can further evaluate their financial stability, unique services, and best practices.
Do they provide financing?
Can they provide operations and maintenance (O&M) services?
Are they committed to sustainable solar development?
Are they financially sound?
As another benchmark, Inovateus recently launched our sister financing company, Brilliant Capital, providing an All-in-One solution for financing, designing, and installing solar in Indiana and throughout the Midwest. Having easy access to solar financing streamlines solar development, ultimately reducing project costs and delays.
Another Inovateus differentiating factor is our commitment to sustainable solar development. If your business or school district is choosing to go solar to not only reduce energy costs, but also demonstrate a commitment to sustainability, then selecting a sustainable solar company may be an important hallmark for your community or shareholders.
To RFP or Not to RFP, That is the Question
At Inovateus, we are happy to respond to an RFP, but we’re also happy to evaluate properties and give business owners a customized and detailed quote. Commercial solar installations should last 25 years or longer when properly installed, but it takes time to find the best commercial solar installers in Indiana or anywhere. We hope the tips above will help narrow your search.
