Independent Solar: The Industry’s Unicorn – Revolutionizing Solar with Integrity and Innovation – Defying Industry Norms

Fossil fuels might be the dominant source of global energy production, but they’re not the most popular. That title goes to solar energy — according to a 2023 Glocalities global survey, more than two-thirds of respondents said it’s their favorite energy source, even though its share in global energy production is only 2%. Fossil fuels account for 77% of energy production and are the preferred energy source among just 14% of the worldwide population. 

People love solar for many good reasons. It’s a renewable energy source with a relatively low environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions. It’s also very localized, allowing consumers to take control of their energy production and reduce their utility bills. So, it isn’t surprising that the demand for it is growing — the Solar Energy Industry Association, SEIA, reported a 35% year-on-year increase in solar capacity installation for Q3 2023, making it the record Q3 in the industry. 

As the head of Independent Solar, a prominent company in the field, Randy French would say that it’s a great wave to ride — if it’s possible to catch it. “We’ve been in our current business model for eight years now, and the first four were dogfights,” he says. “I think we did seven projects in our first year, and we do seven projects in two days now. We did a hundred and thirty-two projects this month alone.” 

Independent Solar emerged from Havasu Solar, one of the oldest and most respected solar installation companies in Western Arizona. From day one, its goal was to expand regionally and nationally. While the company did the former by expanding in Nevada and is doing the latter with the announced expansion into Texas and Florida, the way Independent Solar did it is much more interesting. 

It’s no secret that the solar industry has its problems. A cursory online search would uncover copious customer complaints and investigations and call for better regulatory oversight. While some of these complaints will mention downright fraudulent behavior, French points out that the industry’s problems start with its structure. 

“The industry consists of installers who have licenses. Some states require an actual solar license, but they must be an electrician at least, and that’s a wonderful trade,” he explains. “But most of those guys, if you ask them to sell some solar, they would be dead in the water. So, what those guys do is hire third-party sales teams that aren’t even a part of their company. And these aren’t technicians. They’re sales guys and want to sell solar.” 

Equipped with only rudimentary knowledge of solar, at best, salespeople who work in solar can’t walk the prospective buyers through the process so that they understand what they need, what they can get, and how much they will pay for it. So, even if there’s no intention to defraud, the industry structure makes it too easy to make promises that are very hard to keep. 

Buyers might have unrealistic expectations for unscrupulous salespeople to prey upon. Many still hope to zero out their utility bill by selling excess power generated through their solar panels back to the utility company. While it was a much more common occurrence back when solar energy was new and incentivized heavily, today, it’s not something people can realistically hope for. But it is a buzzword people recognize and a buzzword a sales team might use. 

“They get people in the wrong size system, mainly out of ignorance but sometimes out of dishonesty. That seller now gives the deal to the installer,” French explains. “The installer has to install it. He’s just doing what was on the paper. The homeowner doesn’t know what’s wrong for two or three months. And suddenly, you’ve got a system in your home that doesn’t do what you were told it would do.” 

Such a process results in a high industry-wide cancellation rate, many complaints and calls for consumer protection, and even some official investigations by district attorneys. For Independent Solar, however, it’s only made it easier for the company to stand out by focusing on integrity, compliance, and innovating procedures so that the client is better informed, better served, and eventually better off having worked with them instead of the competition. 

The way Independent Solar approaches canvassing is a great example. It’s a traditional method of reaching new customers, and in the solar industry, it often includes what’s called a one-call close, a speeding up of the sales process by taking some steps from it. In solar, that step is design approval — a part of the sales process where a qualified person, not the sales representative, would look at a proposed solar installation and sign off on it. 

“Our guys do a preliminary design. We have a whole team of people in-house who look at the guy’s proposal and design and ensure everything’s okay. Then we give them design approval,” French explains. “So, when our rep leaves that home, the homeowner knows they’re left with an email they can open and look at the design. They know what the solar is going to look like. They know how many panels. It has what they used in the past, their projected usage, and how much they’re paying for it.” 

And it doesn’t end there. Independent Solar will also get the lender to make a welcome call to onboard the customer, again assuring that everything is done above board and legitimately and take them through the financing process. Through their parent company, Positive Synergy’s Aftercare app, Independent Solar can offer additional support and transparency. With a setup that pits the installer against the salesperson and leaves the customer with the bill, the industry needs every unicorn like Independent Solar it can get.