Solar r.e.view Podcast

Solar r.e.view Podcast


Power Forward! E10: NEM no more? How solar pros can use energy storage for financial stability

July 21, 2023

Every few weeks, a member of the BayWa r.e. team sits down with Chris Crowell of Solar Builder in our PowerForward! series partnership. This week, we are getting into the grit of financial stability for solar installers in an ever-changing market.


On this special episode of Power Forward! our VP of Product Strategy, David Dunlap, sits down with Chris Crowell from Solar Building to explain how energy storage sales can create a more financially sustainable business model for solar installers -- regardless of net metering policy. They discuss … 


  • 0:49 – Key updates in energy storage (ESS) product market
  • 1:56 – Is NOT selling ESS risky for solar installers?
  • 3:35 – How California solar installers adjusted to NEM 3.0 with ESS
  • 5:32 – Design tools for NEM 3.0 solar + storage
  • 7:13 – The financial case for selling ESS regardless of state and NEM policy
  • 8:24 – Operational changes I’ll need to make to add ESS business
  • 11:14 – Post-install? Build a service department as an income stream
  • 12:19 – Does ESS brand power help?
  • 13:50 – The change that’s coming for solar businesses