Interested in getting into the solar business but don’t know where to start? Solar industry insider and public speaker Liz Merry answers questions and addresses topics including how to find a job, understanding the solar industry, networking and how to do business in solar.
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Ask Ms. Liz - Solar Today
Top Ten California Solar Installers
- Tuesday, 08 March 2011 18:45
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 08 March 2011 18:53
How to Break Into the Solar Industry
How to Break Into the Solar Industry
Published on May 10th, 2010 by Chuck Colgan, CA Center for Sustainable Energy
The belief that jobs in the solar industry are limited to working on the roof or chasing after sales leads is not really accurate today as other opportunities are available and increasing, according to solar career expert Liz Merry.
Merry, owner of Verve Solar Consulting in Davis, Calif., has been sharing insights and advice about the solar industry since 2001 through numerous courses, articles and blogs. Promising no hype and no panaceas, she offered solid advice for career seekers in the solar photovoltaics (PV) industry at a recent workshop at the California Center for Sustainable Energy in San Diego, Calif.
Merry outlined four major steps every solar job seeker should follow to understand where he or she may fit into the industry: cont’d.
Solar installers seek financing for system ownership
Solar installers seek financing for system ownership 
February 18, 2011
By Liz Merry
SOLAR TODAY “Small Solar Biz” Columnist
If you run a solar installation company today you face a number of challenges. You have to install energy systems, connect to the grid and ensure the work lasts 30 years. And you may have to be a banker as well.
One of the main drivers behind the growth in the residential solar market is third-party financing. Through a power purchase agreement (PPA) or a lease of the photovoltaic (PV) equipment, the host customer buys just the solar power and not the system itself. Third-party financing relieves the customer of a sizeable upfront payment, as well as shifting the full financial benefits of solar to the system owners.
