THE RENEWABLES ENTREPRENEUR
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The IRA Passed - Now What? Posted on Sep 22, 2022
The RE+ solar and storage cleantech conference happening right now in Anaheim, California is the largest cleantech event ever to occur in United States history. Over 26,000 people are registered for RE+. The conference sessions, meetings and buzz...
Mária Telkes Fellowship now accepting applicants Posted on Jul 19, 2022
Applications are open now for the Mária Telkes Fellowship, a two-year executive leadership program for mid-career cleantech professionals from underrepresented backgrounds. The Mária Telkes Fellowship is hosted by the Cleantech Leaders Roundtable...
Center on Solar Consumer Protection! Posted on May 11, 2022
Solar energy is still new to many households and businesses. Companies must guide customers through the solar sales process and beyond to provide a good solar consumer experience. A company’s success in doing so, not only protects consumers, but a...
How to Start a CleanTech Business Posted on Mar 28, 2022
We created a checklist of tasks and considerations to help people start a solar company or other cleantech business. This checklist should be modified depending on the exact business type and plan, as appropriate. CleanTech Business Start-Up Chec...
Our Net-Zero Future Posted on Mar 17, 2022
A growing number of people are transforming their properties and lifestyles to become net-zero carbon emission with their own solar and storage supplies capable of operating without the utility’s electric grid. The list of reasons why people are g...
Notice: Updated California Solar Consumer Protection Guide Posted on Feb 28, 2022
California solar contractors: A new version of the California Solar Consumer Protection Guide (PDF) is now accessible at www.cpuc.ca.gov/solarguide. Additional language translations will be added in the coming weeks. Solar providers must use the u...
Free Business Speaking Class Posted on Nov 17, 2021
This free online class by Patrick Winston is about how to give a presentation so that a presenter's ideas are accepted and appreciated. The ability to verbally present ideas is critical to business and personal success. It's also a gift to the ...
South Bay contractors can learn to build all-electric in new course Posted on Sep 21, 2021
To meet growing marketplace demand, Sunnyvale-based Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) and the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District Workforce Institute have launched FutureFit Fundamentals, a new online course focused on all-electric bui...
Check out this Course: Renewable Power Finance for Non-Finance Professionals Posted on Sep 16, 2021
Green Power Academy is offering a 3 day course for non-finance industry professionals that our members might benefit from. The course is advertised as providing an understanding of the common elements of a financial model and the key terminology. ...
DOE Announces New $60 Million Investment to Increase Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing Posted on Jul 26, 2021
32 Universities Across 28 States Will Conduct Industrial Assessments to Help Local Manufacturers Reduce Carbon Footprint, Lower Costs, and Train Energy Workforce of Tomorrow WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $...
U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office: American-Made Solar Prize Round 5 is Open Posted on Jul 23, 2021
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) is launching the American-Made Solar Prize Round 5 Software Track, a part of the American-Made Challenges, to accelerate the development, validation, and commercializatio...
U.S. Department of Energy Announces Prize to Accelerate More Equitable Solar Deployment and a New Matchmaking Tool for Clean Tech Innovators Posted on Jun 10, 2021
Tool Connects Makers with Resources to Help Them Address Challenges to Solar Deployment Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $5 million for the American-Made Solar Prize Round 5, a competition designed to accel...
Ongoing Education Opportunity: Overview of California Utility Law Posted on May 19, 2021
For those interested in learning about California utility law, check out the course by Robert Bryson called Overview of California Utility Law that provides an overview of the regulation of public utilities in California. The course covers the de...
Do You Know When You Are Required to Use Translated Legal Documents? Posted on Jan 26, 2021
Available Now on Our Site: Spanish Language Version of the Residential Solar System Installation Agreement for Use in California; More Translated Documents Coming Soon Many states require that translated legal documents are used when selling to co...
Funding Opportunity Announcement: Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2021 Systems Integration and Hardware Incubator Funding Program Posted on Jan 22, 2021
Office: Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office Funding Number: DE-FOA-0002437 Funding Amount: $45 million Description On December 16, 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the Solar Ene...
CSLB Audit Reveals Non-Compliance with Contract Law Posted on Dec 09, 2020
As part of the California Public Utility Commissions consumer protection decisions, the California State License Board ("CSLB") now has the ability to review contracts submitted as part of the interconnection process in IOU territories. In July, ...
California Contractors State License Board Reminds Licensees about the Importance of Following Home Improvement Contract Requirements for Solar Jobs Posted on Nov 18, 2020
SACRAMENTO – The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) is reminding licensed contractors that it is critically important to follow California law when it comes to contract requirements for solar projects. The installation of a residential solar s...
Biden’s Clean Energy Plan for Economic Recovery and Job Growth Will Make History Posted on Nov 10, 2020
By Linda F. Hersey The amount of funding about to be injected into the cleantech industry in what President-elect Biden calls the “Clean Energy Revolution” is unprecedented. A historic investment in energy and climate research and innovation, as w...
CA: Updated Solar Consumer Protection Guide incorporates new rules on e-signatures Posted on Sep 10, 2020
On Friday, the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) released the 2nd version of their Solar Consumer Protection Guide. Key requirements around electronic signatures are now incorporated in the guide. All California residential contracts si...
California Energy Commission (CEC) Guidance on COVID-19 and Cleantech Industry Posted on Apr 28, 2020
The California Energy Commission (CEC) today clarified that statewide orders in response to COVID-19 identifying essential electricity industry workers includes solar photovoltaic and energy storage installers. The ongoing health ...
Federal Guidance on Essential Services Identifies Renewable Energy Workers as Essential, And They Are Posted on Mar 30, 2020
Over the weekend, the federal Cypersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued an updated “Coronavirus Guidance for America” memo to further clarify essential critical infrastructure workers during COVID-19. The guidance specifically ident...
COVID-19 Essential Services Memo Posted on Mar 22, 2020
Some helpful guidance from the California Solar & Storage Association on COVID-19's impact on cleantech industry services: COVID-19 Essential Services Memo March 21, 2020 at 1:00pm Based on the published guidance available as of the date a...
New UL Listing Standard Solves Storage Problem Posted on Oct 29, 2019
An exciting new UL Listing standard solves the problem of long queues to get new meters for storage devices. Many utilities require storage devices have a new meter installed to ensure that solar plus storage customers are not falsely exporting po...
New California Consumer Protection Rules Posted on Jul 16, 2019
Today, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued its California Solar Consumer Protection Guide – a must read for anyone considering installing solar. On August 30, 2019, the guide will also be available in Chinese, Korean, Spanish,...
What Legal Considerations Should Contractors Keep In Mind When Selling Solar Plus Storage Systems? Posted on Apr 23, 2019
The emerging solar plus storage market is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade. Last year, California’s most active state solar trade association changed its name from the California Solar Energy Industry Association to the Californ...
Do Developers Need Contractor Licenses to Develop Renewable Energy Projects? Posted on Apr 10, 2019
Each state has a different set of laws governing the licensing of contractors. Developers must navigate these laws to avoid liability under state law. For instance, in California, only licensed contractors can enter into contracts involving const...
How Can Companies Grow Sales by Hiring Commission Only Sales Employees? Posted on Feb 22, 2019
Many companies find it to be advantageous to pay outside sales employees purely on commission. In order to ensure outside sales employees are financially stable, companies often use a recoverable draw against commission system. Outside sales emp...
New California Requirement for Residential Solar System Contracts Posted on Jan 24, 2019
If you are a contractor installing solar for homeowners in California, don’t forget the new disclosure form that you must present to your customers. Beginning January 1, 2019, solar energy companies must provide a disclosure document substantiall...
How Will PG&E’s Bankruptcy Impact the CleanTech Industry? Posted on Jan 22, 2019
On January 14, 2019, California’s largest utility, PG&E, filed a bankruptcy notice stating that it plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy by the month end on January 29th. Given its business situation, PG&E must proceed with the bankrupt...
New Contracting Laws Start January 1, 2019 for CleanTech Contractors in California Posted on Dec 28, 2018
A variety of new construction related laws in California go into effect in 2019. The new laws which may affect contractors working on cleantech projects in California are summarized below. Senate Bill (SB) 721: This new law establishes requirem...
Are Referral Fees Legal? Posted on Jun 12, 2018
This guest blog by Angela Lipanovich, President of Estriatus Law, PC, is also posted on Estriatus Law’s Legal Review. Absent bribery, fraud or a statutory prohibition, the payment of referral fees is not illegal. In California, the relevant law ...
Letters of Intent (LOI) for Power Purchase Agreements Posted on Apr 05, 2018
A power purchase agreement ("PPA") is a financial agreement where a developer arranges for the design, permitting, financing and installation of a renewable energy system on a customer’s property at little to no cost. PPAs are excellent tools for...
Unlicensed Solar Energy Providers Find Hope In Recent California Case Posted on Feb 26, 2018
This guest blog by Angela Lipanovich, President of Estriatus Law, PC, is also posted on Estriatus Law’s Legal Review (February 26, 2018). On February 1, 2018, a cautionary positive tale for unlicensed solar developers and Power Purchase Agreement...
Subcontractor Agreements Posted on Jan 30, 2018
In transactions for the installation of renewable energy projects, “subcontracting” refers to a process whereby the contractor selling the project does not perform all of the work it agreed to perform. Rather, once the project starts, the contrac...
Are Contractors Required To Make Sure Other Contractors On Their Projects Are Properly Licensed? Posted on Nov 29, 2017
In California, every contractor is required to make sure that any contractor they enter into a contract with has an active, viable contractor's license. Licensed contractors can come under investigation if they work with unlicensed contractors. Al...
Protecting Your Customer Lists and Trade Secrets: Confidentiality & Non-Compete Agreements Posted on Sep 29, 2017
From installation companies to manufacturing and distribution companies, every business in the cleantech and renewable energy industry is dependent on cutting edge, proprietary know-how and highly valuable customer lists. As compared to other indu...
How Do You Protect Solar Systems From Financial Loss Due to Shading From New Developments or Trees and Shrubs on Adjacent Properties? Posted on Jun 20, 2017
This guest blog by Angela Lipanovich, President of Estriatus Law, PC, is also posted on Estriatus Law’s Legal Review (June 20, 2017). Access to sunlight is often called the most difficult legal issue connected with solar energy use. The ancient ...
Are You Properly Paying Your Workers? Posted on May 19, 2017
Being prepared for a wage and hour lawsuit against your company is the best example of the adage "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." All companies should perform routine wage and hour audits to determined if their internal controls ...
Solar O&M: Where's The Dough? Posted on Apr 07, 2017
Solar operations and maintenance (O&M) provides the preventative and correctional technical activities that allow solar systems to perform at their best. As a result of the solar industry’s strong growth curve, O&M is a rapidly growing bu...
Do You Require Your Employees To Sign Arbitration Policies? Posted on Mar 06, 2017
Over the last 15 years, the cleantech industry has grown at a record pace creating a volatility in the industry. The solar industry’s ups and downs are famous, and this “solar-coaster ride” has some important implications. Cleantech companies expe...
Legal Update: Code Clarifications to Help California Solar Installers Posted on Feb 01, 2017
A well known fact in the California solar industry is that streamlining and simplifying permitting for solar installations is a top priority. The amount of paperwork and effort required by solar installers in California to complete the permitting ...
The Likelihood Of Tax Reform in 2017 Puts Pressure On Clean Energy Posted on Jan 31, 2017
The GOP and White House are both promising tax reform soon. The reforms expected are cuts in corporate taxes and rules preventing companies from recovering costs from imported goods and services. Both of these reforms could have major impacts on r...
Featured Weekly Document: Dealer Agreements Posted on Jan 28, 2017
Many companies in the cleantech industry have created products that they want another company to sell for them. In order to set up this relationship, it is advisable to have a Dealer Agreement that defines obligations, expectations, risk and liabi...
New Warranty Requirements In CA Under NEM 2.0 Posted on Dec 28, 2016
All California solar contractors with customers in PG&E territory now must submit interconnection applications under NEM-2 because PG&E has met its cap for offering NEM-1. The key changes in the NEM-2 program include a requirement that a ...
Cost Of Solar At An All-Time Low As Soft Costs Decline Amid Escalating Competition Posted on Dec 12, 2016
The cost of solar is at an all-time low, driven primarily by a decline in “soft costs” over the last four years. According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s recent study summarized in “Tracking the Sun IX”, while solar energy system ...
Three Agreements For Hiring Sales and Lead Generators Posted on Oct 28, 2016
Many successful business owners have learned to focus on sales as their number one priority. When setting up relationships with sales consultants and lead generators, careful attention should be paid to both incentivize sales efforts and protect t...
Why Installation Contracts Can Create Sales Tax Liability Posted on Oct 04, 2016
In California, all contractors face the possibility of a sales tax audit by the Board of Equalization (“BOE”). If a contractor is audited by the BOE, the main documents the BOE will use to determine if unpaid sales or use tax occurred are the con...- Page 1 of 2
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