Soligent and SunWize, two recognized leaders in providing equipment and services to solar dealers and installers across the country, announced they are combining their solar distribution operations.
The combined company, which will be called Soligent Distribution, will be the largest solar equipment distributor in the Americas, serving more than 4,000 solar installers, energy efficiency firms, electrical contractors and roofing companies.
The combined company will have estimated annual revenue in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Soligent Distribution will be able to provide its customers with a broader array of product offerings as well as a growing portfolio of advanced services like project financing, materials management, permitting, project installation and cloud-based applications to help independent solar dealers and installers drive out soft costs and enhance their competitiveness.
The solar industry is at a historical inflection point. Approximately 6 GW of residential, commercial and utility-scale solar capacity are expected to be added in 2014, a 26% increase over the record established in 2013, according to GTM Research. Meanwhile, the costs of solar systems have dropped by approximately 50% since 2010.
As a result, the channels for bringing solar technology to market will experience a rapid evolution. Thousands of contractors, electricians and other experts in new and existing markets will add solar as a core part of their business, while established solar installers and developers will optimize their internal operations and business plans to more effectively leverage their skills.
Streamlined methods for buying, shipping and installing equipment will be required, along with cloud-based systems for managing systems over their lifetime. New financial and ownership models are being developed to serve an increasingly diverse base of end-users.
Soligent is at the forefront of developing services and technologies for making solar dealers more competitive. Earlier this year, Soligent introduced Solar Engine, an integrated set of services, as a first step in addressing these needs. Solar Engine allows independent solar installers, energy efficiency firms, electrical contractors and roofing companies to leverage Soligent’s in-house expertise, technology and extensive network of financial partners and solar professionals to prepare permits and bids, execute projects, obtain financing, manage materials and eliminate other “soft” costs.
By adopting Solar Engine, customers can increase their profitability by an estimated 10% on average while substantially reducing the time-to-completion for residential and commercial solar projects.
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