Learn The Business Ropes
Dont overlook the business side of green consulting. You need a certain amount of business smarts to develop a profitable business model. This includes knowledge of business planning, product or service pricing, and marketing strategies that attract clients. Your goal is to promote and sell your green expertise regarding conservation of natural resources in a cost effective way. For your business to survive, you must find customers that can benefit from your green services and build business relationships that yield enough billable hours to sustain your business.
What Is The Growth Potential For An Energy Consulting Company
You can start small and help small businesses and/or homeowners to save money. You can get LEED certified, which allows you to make recommendations at a major corporate level. Because the need for energy savings is so great, the opportunity to grow in this business is amazing. This type of business has the potential to grow into a nationwide service, employing qualified workers under the banner of your brand name.
The Vault Company ranks the best energy consulting firms, which include McKinsey & Company, The Boston Consulting Group, Inc., Bain & Company, Accenture, and Schlumberger Business Consulting. The top-ten ranked firms in this industry sector have a combined market capitalization in the many billions of dollars.
Skills Needed To Become A Successful Management Consultant
- To be a successful management consultant, you will need to have strong skills in critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving.
- You must have business, accounting, financial planning, and management skills. You will also need to work well with others and have a strong network of contacts.
- A management consultant also needs a lot of analytical skills. This means that they are able to scrutinize data and information and identify patterns. They then need to be able to use this information to come up with solutions or recommendations.
- One of the most important skills that a business consultant needs is communication skills. This is because management consultants work with various teams and must be able to communicate effectively with them.
- You will need to have skills in business, organizational analysis, problem-solving, and leadership.
- To become a Management Consultant, you should first gain experience in a related field. This will give you the skills and knowledge needed to succeed as a Management Consultant.
- After gaining experience, you should seek out training and education programs to help you develop your skills as a business Consultant.
- Finally, it would help if you built a strong network of contacts and professionals in the industry so that you can find opportunities for advancement.
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Getting A Solar Engineering Degree
A bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or electrical engineering is typically required for solar engineering positions. In some areas, more advanced certification could be required. Degrees in industrial engineering, chemical engineering, and computer software engineering may also be helpful.
Many jobs require Professional Engineer or Engineer in Training licensure. Licensure generally requires:
- A degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program
- A passing score on the Fundamentals of Engineering exam
- Relevant work experience, typically at least 4 years
- A passing score on the Professional Engineering exam
College graduates may take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam immediately. Engineers who pass this exam are called engineers in training or engineer interns . After gaining four years of work experience, EITs and EIs can go on to take the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam to qualify for licensure.
Several states require engineers to participate in professional development activities in order to keep their licenses. Most states recognize licensure from other states, as long as that state’s requirements meet or exceed their own licensure requirements.
Because solar engineers must consult with clients, create technical reports, and write emails, they should also have good communication skills.
How Do I Get Started In The Solar Industry
We get requests from plenty of people who want to make the jump into the solar industry, so we figured its about time to address how that may be achieved. In this article, we review steps you need to take if you wish to become a solar salesperson. Understandably, others of you will be interested to learn how you can become a solar installer or perhaps form your own solar contracting business. If thats the case, hang tight, well get to that in a subsequent post.
1. Be informed. Perhaps the most pressing concern of any solar hiring manager is that you, as a prospective sales employee, dont know the ins and outs of solar. Meaning, you dont know what net-metering is, how energy usage relates to system sizing, why shading considerations are so important, what the purpose of an inverter is, or measures installation crews take to prevent roof leakage. From their perspective, they want to spend as little time training new employees as possible, especially if you are unproven and may soon quit.
While solar energy technology is relatively elegant and simple, theres a lot to learn. Even seasoned professionals are learning heaps of new information at conferences, networking sessions, and classes. Once your most simple questions have been addressed, read through blogs and use google as your friend to get answers to the rest of your questions. Better yet, post them as a comment here and well answer them for you.
Find out how much you can save by going solar
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Solar Energy Software Developer
Average salary: $72,976
Software is crucial for the development, maintenance and future of solar energy. Every piece of equipment, every energy installation and every solar project requires the efficacy of software.
Unlike its predecessors, solar energy is reliant on both hardware and software. So, even if youre not someone who is good with their hands and basking in the suns heat, you can still be an important player in the industry with your coding skills.
How And When To Build A Team
This business can start with the efforts of a single person who has the training, certification, and is skilled in conducting energy audits. As the business grows, one can add skilled staff to help more customers. Successful marketing that creates customer demand is the signal to add more staff. Staff pay can be a portion of the revenues earned per job, which guarantees the company will be profitable.
Next Steps
Check out our How to Start a Business page.
Sign up at the Business Center to access useful tools for your business.
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Course : Solar Photovoltaic
Online On-Demand:Course Programme
This accredited course equips participants with the latest knowledge on how to install, maintain and repair a wide range of solar photovoltaic equipment & understand the theory behind solar power. The course enables participants to work successfully in the renewables and solar energy industry, both locally and internationally and is suitable for those with both a basic and advanced understanding of the sector.
- Composition of the light
- Planning and designing a photovoltaic installation
- The electric load
- Costs and evaluation of the economical solutions
- Maintenance and reliability
- Typologies and modality of installation
- Integration of the photovoltaic modules in the building structure
- Payback time
Step : Obtain Necessary Permits And Licenses
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
State & Local Business Licensing Requirements
Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate an energy consultant business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBAs reference to state licenses and permits.
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.
In addition, certain local licensing or regulatory requirements may apply. For more information about local licenses and permits:
- Check with your town, city or county clerks office
- Get assistance from one of the local associations listed in US Small Business Associations directory of local business resources.
Energy Auditing Licensing
Certain states require certification for energy auditors. The Building Performance Institute is the largest organization responsible for these certifications.
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How To Become An Industry Expert In Renewable Energy
Expert Learning Pathways help participants become experts in their chosen energy field. Energy Expert Certificates were created to help the growth of the renewable energy sector in the UK, Europe and worldwide.
The courses that make up the Expert Certificates are taught by respected university professors and renowned lecturers with years of practical and theoretical expertise.
Successful participants of the Pathways gain the internationally recognised Galileo Master Certificate and the Expert Certificate for the chosen Pathway, from the Renewable Energy Institute.
On successful completion of their 3 courses, participants are awarded the Expert Certificates for their chosen Pathway.
How Much Money Does A 1 Mw Solar Farm Make
Here is some information on how much land area would be required to generate one megawatt of electricity so that you can estimate your land area.
So lets get ready and move on
As the solar industry continues to grow rapidly in the current era, so does the demand for land for large solar arrays.
According to the Solar Review, four hours a day or so when the sun is at its peak, based on the national average, we know that if the average solar is 1 MW, it generates 1460 MW of electricity every year.
This means that you can expect a solar farm that generates an average of 1 MW to give you an annual income of approximately 40,000.
Given above is of course an average figure that varies from day to day based on your factors for solar energy production in your area and solar generation in the wholesale market.
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Proximity To A Transmission Line Distribution Line Or Substation
The further away your land is from the grid, the higher the cost of interconnection for the developer. If your property is adjacent to a transmission line, distribution line, or substation, the developer can save interconnection costs and pass those costs onto you in the form of a higher lease rate per acre. That solar farm income will go up even more if the voltage of the line or substation is in the range required by the developer for the desired project capacity. Solar developers will also take the injection capacity into consideration. The presence of a road doesnt mean that the road can handle big city rush hour traffic. What if that road is a one-lane highway? Similarly, just because there is infrastructure in place near your land, doesnt mean it can handle any size solar project.
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Course : Electrics For Renewables
Online On-Demand:Course Programme
This accredited course equips participants with the latest knowledge on how to install electric renewables equipment, understand grid-connected and off-grid electrical connections and adhere to current safety regulations. The course enables participants to work successfully in the renewables industry, both locally and internationally and is suitable for those with both a basic and advanced understanding of the sector.
- Voltage, current and how they are measured, AC and DC, resistance
- Inductance and capacitance in AC and DC circuits
- Impact and calculation of voltage drops
- Use of multi-meters, current clamps and shunts including practical exercise
- Systems architecture and batteries
- Calculation of cable size and measurement of voltage drop
- Over current protection and over voltage protection
- Safe operation and installation
- Practical session measurement of PV performance
- Earthing and over current protection
- Different types of generators inverters
- Safety considerations
- The impact of power factor
- PV installation guidelines and installation standards
- Connection and wiring standards
- Earthing arrangements and their implications
- Safe operation and installation
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Management Consultant Job Description
A business management consultant is a professional who helps organizations achieve their objectives by providing advice and guidance on various issues.
- They typically work with businesses in several industries, including manufacturing, service, and technology.
- The job of a business consultant is complex and varied.
- The management consultant typically works with a single organization for an extended period. This gives the consultant a deep understanding of the companys culture and how best to help it achieve its goals.
- The consultant also understands the technical aspects of the organizations operations, which makes him very valuable in helping change or improve them.
- To be successful as a business consultant, they must be able to think outside the box and provide solutions unique to their clients needs.
- There are many management consultants, including operational consultants, process consultants, business strategy consultants, and technology consultants. Each consultant has a specialty area that they can offer their clients.
- The job of a management consultant is highly specialized and requires a great deal of knowledge and experience.
- To be successful in this career, you need to have excellent problem-solving skills and a deep understanding of business processes.
- You must also work well under pressure and stay calm under challenging circumstances.
Step : Open A Business Bank Account & Credit Card
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.
Additionally, learning how to build business credit can help you get and other financing in your business’s name , better interest rates, higher lines of credit, and more.
Open a business bank account
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
- Makes accounting and tax filing easier.
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Open net 30 accounts
Net 30 accounts are used to establish and build business credit as well as increase business cash flow. With a net 30 account, businesses buy goods and repay the full balance within a 30-day term.
NetMany net 30 credit vendors report to the major business credit bureaus . This is how businesses build business credit so they can qualify for credit cards and other lines of credit.
Recommended: Read our best net 30 vendors, guide and start building business credit.
Get a business credit card
Getting a business credit card helps you:
- Build your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from Divvy and build your business credit quickly.
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How To Become A Solar Sales Consultant
Educational requirements vary, depending on the type of product sold. If the products are not scientific or technical, a high school diploma is generally enough for entry into the occupation. If the products are scientific or technical, sales representatives typically need at least a bachelor’s degree.
Education
A high school diploma is sufficient for many positions, primarily for selling nontechnical or scientific products. However, those selling scientific and technical products typically must have a bachelor’s degree. Scientific and technical products include pharmaceuticals, medical instruments, and industrial equipment. A degree in a field related to the product sold, such as chemistry, biology, or engineering, is often required.
Many sales representatives attend seminars in sales techniques or take courses in marketing, economics, communication, or even a foreign language to improve their ability to make sales.
Training
Many companies have formal training programs for beginning wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives that last up to 1 year. In some programs, trainees rotate among jobs in plants and offices to learn all phases of producing, installing, and distributing the product. In others, trainees receive formal technical instruction at the plant, followed by on-the-job training under the supervision of a field sales manager.
Licenses, Certifications, and RegistrationsOther ExperienceAdvancementImportant Qualities
What Is A Commercial Solar Sales Consultant
A commercial solar sales consultant generates leads and closes deals for a company to install solar electric energy systems for commercial and industrial properties. As a commercial solar sales consultant, your responsibilities involve communicating with each customer to schedule product installation and coordinating services with project managers. A typical day may include contacting potential buyers, offering in-person consultations to determine client needs , inspecting properties, and assessing project suitability, including determining the amount of sun an area receives. Many jobs also require you to attend team meetings and hand out marketing information. Some lead generation may be expected, such as cold calling, networking, and attending community events. Other duties include staying updated on market trends, new technology, and system designs, as well as solar power tax incentives and financing options, such as TRITEC Americas for the commercial and industrial solar markets. You may also follow up with customers after installation to ensure they understand how to use the new systems.
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Solar Consultant Salary & Outlook
Solar consultant salaries vary depending on their level of education, years of experience, and the type of company they work for. They may also earn additional income through commissions or bonuses.
- Median Annual Salary: $92,500
- Top 10% Annual Salary: $191,000
The employment of solar consultants is expected to grow at an average rate over the next decade.
The continued growth in the use of solar energy is expected to lead to increased demand for these workers. As more households and businesses install solar panels, demand for consultants will increase.
Energy Consultant College Education Recommendations
Many universities offer science and environment-related programs, but few offer the exact degrees youll need to succeed as an energy consultant. Consider a degree from Unity College and one of the programs below for the skills and qualifications needed to pursue an energy specialization.
Undergraduate
For your undergraduate studies, focus on earning a Bachelor of Science . Specialty programs like those at Unity College can give you a head start in your pursuit of a successful career as a green energy consultant.
Postgraduate
Regardless of your undergraduate degree, a number of postgraduate programs give you the tools to join the energy field and reach your full potential. Consider a program that provides additional value, like a Sustainable MBA from Unity College, where you will earn an MBA and focus specifically on sustainability.
Or set yourself apart from others in the field with a Masters in Environmental Studies and Sustainability. These degree programs can help you advance as a renewable energy consultant, or move into the field from another.
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