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How Solar Surveyors Can Become Designers (3 Steps)
Being a Surveyor is a great way to break into the solar industry because you learn all the technical elements of the project. However, it
April 20, 2023
How Solar Surveyors Can Become Designers (3 Steps)
Being a Surveyor is a great way to break into the solar industry because you learn all the technical elements of the project. However, it
How To Get High-Quality Outsourced Solar Designs
Outsourcing is a new growth lever in solar. In 2023, over two-thirds (67.1%) of Designers report outsourcing at least ten percent of project volume, and 13.4% report they always outsource something. This is a complete flip from just two years ago—in 2021, the majority of solar contractors (63.3%) did not outsource any tasks. What’s driving the change?
How to Manage the Complexity of Old Electrical During Solar Surveys
For new surveyors who aren’t used to assessing electrical panels, looking at old electrics can be an unsafe and uncomfortable experience. But it doesn’t have to be. Your job as a Solar Surveyor is not to become an electrical expert; it’s to collect the right data so Designers can do their job. In order to do that, you need some background context and must know how to keep yourself safe.
6 Reasons Why Solar Contractors Can’t Eliminate Site Visits
Over half of Designers say that incorrect structural, electric, or equipment data is the leading cause of project delays or problems. Further, 81% of Surveyors believe that on-site data is better than remote data for shading analysis. Here are some key reasons why you can’t eliminate pre-install day site visits entirely.
3 Reasons You Need Remote + On-Site Data For Install Planning
Sales proposals almost always leverage satellite or remote imagery, but there’s a problem. Solar surveyors and designers overwhelmingly report satellite imagery is not fully accurate and needs to be verified onsite. Find out three distinct reasons that impact not just the ability to complete the project, but also profit margins.
How To Pick Trees That Won’t Shade Your Solar Panel Array
Planting new trees on any property is a great way to beautify. But it can also be a huge hassle for solar arrays. Picking trees does not need to be complicated though. Here’s a simple framework you can follow (with resources to find the right tree species for you).
Combine Satellite With Drone-Based Imagery For Perfect PV Installs (Here are 4 Reasons Why)
While satellite imagery is great for preliminary designs—particularly for a quick-turnaround sales conversation—it has four distinct problems that make it dangerous to use as the sole resource for array design.
How To Remove Trees in Property Designs Using Drones and Scanifly
In the past, scoping for tree removal has typically meant looking with remote imagery or hand measurements—but trees and overall site context are not easily assessed or reliably captured with these methods. If you conduct on-site surveys with a drone, on the other hand, you’ll easily capture all this important info in a single visit every time.
The Best Ways to Pass the Time Driving Between Survey Sites
A lot of solar surveyors’ day is spent on the road. To get a better idea of how surveyors can pass the time between drive sites, Scanifly spoke to Devin Clark at Digital Mapping Consultants and Josh Abrams at Titan Solar Power. Here’s what they said were their go-to ways to pass the time.
Scanifly’s Top Articles from 2022
In 2022, Scanifly shared articles covering everything from survey tips and design best practices, to interviews with some of the nation’s leading solar contractors, to
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