Distributive Solar Hopes to Lead Acceleration of Solar Energy Industry

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Social entrepreneur Erik Melang is excited about opportunities in renewable energy and his attitude is not dampened by the election of a President who has not been friendly to the environment. Erik is the founder of Distributive Solar and is partnering with Solar Site Design to accelerate growth in the renewable energy industry.

Erik is excited to share “the phenomenal opportunity to participate in the new energy economy.” He says, “This transition [to renewable energy] is providing a ground floor opportunity to participate in one of the fastest growing sectors on the globe.”

He shares some numbers to make his point: “In fact solar, wind and [energy efficiency] has provided 1 out of 30 [new] jobs in the US since 2009. Solar alone has provided 1 of 80 jobs.”

The transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy will also bring another big shift to distributed power, he says. “We are and will continue to witness the disruptive effects of transitioning from a fossil fuel driven economy to a renewable energy driven economy. This transition will be distributive, where energy will be produced where it is utilized.”

“We will see an end to the monopoly where utilities control the production and distribution of energy,” he continues. “This transition is underway and we are seeing parabolic growth in energy efficiency, wind and solar across the globe. However we are still in the early stages of this transition and this is where the opportunity lies.”

Most business leaders simply don’t know how well solar can work for them, he says. “The overwhelming majority of commercial enterprises in the US have not been shown how to participate in this opportunity. They have yet to realize that the price of solar has dropped some 70% since 2012 making it viable for their business. We are seeing commercial payback periods on solar installations between three to seven years across the country, return of investments exceeding 15 percent over 25 years with the potential for free electricity for decades.”

Erik points out that making business more energy savvy isn’t all about the environment. “This is about economics (reducing operating expenses), remaining competitive and smart business decisions. It is also about being a leader in the community and positioning your brand as a firm who takes sustainability seriously and doing your part in reducing your carbon footprint.”

Erik Melang, courtesy of Distributive Solar

He explains how he sees his role in this opportunity, saying, “All of this to say that Solar Site Design (SSD) and Distributive Solar (SD) are aiming to provide an opportunity for renewable energy advocates and business professionals to enter the solar industry and participate in this transition. SSD has built a platform akin to UBER and Airbnb that brings supply and demand together onto a collaborative platform that drives down the cost of solar and a tool to streamline the entire solar installation value chain.”

“DS is focused on growing the supply of viable solar projects by recruiting, training and supporting motivated individuals to help grow this supply of projects,” he continues. “These solar consultants need not be experts, but merely understand the economics of solar as a smart business decision for building owners. Solar prices have plummeted offering business a chance to lower operating cost by utilizing their rooftops for energy production.”

“The outcome of this will be the realization of the new energy economy that is distributive not only in energy production but in economics. We the people will be the owners of our energy production and realize the benefits. This will provide opportunities for all, not just the few as we’ve seen over the past 2 centuries.”

“The other outcome will be a livable planet. A global transition to Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency is the only path for climate change mitigation. We believe that action on climate change and economic growth go hand in hand. We have to begin now. We need you and others to join us and change the world. Contact DS and/or SSD to join this revolution by becoming a solar Consultant.”

He highlights that he is looking for people who want to participate in the renewable energy boom. “We are recruiting individuals everyday to join us. It is only the beginning. Look around in your community. Notice that there are very few business enterprises with rooftop solar. This is changing and will continue to change very fast.”

Erik concludes philosophically, “Regardless of who is in the White House, Statehouse or in control of our utilities, solar is past the point of no return. Solar will flourish and be a part of communities because it is the lowest cost alternative. Evidence is mounting and we are seeing peak energy demand in a lot of the developing world, partly because of slower economic growth, but also through energy efficiency and growing RE capacity. This is soon to be followed by energy storage. This all fosters the hope that together we can make a difference and make our mark on the world.”

On Thursday, November 17, 2016 at 2:00 Eastern, Erik and his colleague at Solar Site Design, Jason Loyet, will join me here for a live discussion about about the rapidly growing renewable power industry and the opportunities there. Tune in here then to watch the interview live. Post questions in the comments below or tweet questions before the interview to @devindthorpe.

More about Distributive Solar:

Twitter: @distrsolar

Commercial Solar Origination. Recruiting, training and supporting commercial solar consultants to present the economic, branding and environmental benefits of going solar to commercial business owners.

More about Solar Site Design:

Twitter: @solarsitedesign

Since winning the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Catalyst Award in 2015, Solar Site Design has focused on solving the next chapter of driving down customer acquisition costs for Commercial and Industrial solar energy projects. After a year of software development, we are proud to announce the newest enhancement to our platform: Solar Site Design Commercial Marketplace.

For three years, Solar Site Design has become a leading recruiter and trainer of Nationwide Commercial Originators. Our Originators have deep relationships in their local market and are able to open doors wide open on highly qualified C&I projects. In addition, our Originators are trained on collecting extensive data at the site through our innovative platform available on Android and IOS.

SSD aggregates the project data entered by service professionals (referral agent), connects the projects to networks of contracted fulfillment partners, thereby reducing customer acquisition costs by up to 50%.

Erik’s bio:

Twitter: @espmel

Erik Melang is a Co-Founder of Distributive Solar and oversees the firms Recruiting, training and support of Independent Sales Representatives. Erik previously served as Managing Director of Impact Partners, where he led impact strategies initiatives and renewable energy private equity investments. It is in this role that Erik was drawn to the amazing business opportunity around Commercial Solar Origination. The industry is in the early stages of mass adoption and Commercial Business Owners are realizing the tremendous economic benefits of deploying solar panels on their rooftops. Erik is an Appalachian State MBA with strong desire to learn and teach and is an avid follower of everything solar and all things “Impact.” Erik’s interest include Clean Energy, Fishing, Snow Skiing, Travel , Guitar Pickin’ and is a child adoption advocate.

Jason Loyet, courtesy of Solar Site Design

Jason’s bio:

Twitter: @jasonloyet

Jason Loyet is an accomplished solar industry entrepreneur, having founded and built three solar companies since 2005. His first company solved bottlenecks in importing solar equipment and streamlined mainline distribution to solar installers. In 2009, he founded and built a $3 million company that provided wholesale solar supply, sales and marketing services to electrical and roofing contractors throughout the United States. In 2013, Mr. Loyet leveraged the powerful capabilities of mobile phones to build an easy way for traditional contractors to add a revenue source to their bottom line by playing an active role in the solar industry. Hence, Solar Site Design was born. Solar Site Design is a collaborative, cloud-based platform that connects highly-qualified solar project referrals to leading solar companies to drive down customer acquisition costs. Our proprietary business process is designed to reduce the solar industry’s customer acquisition costs by up to 50%. Solar Site Design was chosen as a winner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Catalyst Program in May of 2015. Prior to entering the solar industry, Mr. Loyet founded, developed and sold two software companies; a video-streaming service and a photo-sharing platform.

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Devin is a journalist, author and corporate social responsibility speaker who calls himself a champion of social good. With a goal to help solve some of the world’s biggest problems by 2045, he focuses on telling the stories of those who are leading the way! Learn more at DevinThorpe.com!

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