According to an NREL report, about half the cost of a residential solar installation is non-hardware soft costs. Reducing those costs is the mission of Sighten, a software tool set for solar installers.
[Jump to page 2 to watch the live interview.]
Co-Founder and CEO, Conlan O'Leary explains, "To date, most solar companies and financing providers have had to use horizontal software like Microsoft Excel or had to build software of their own. Those approaches were ultimately too unwieldy, inefficient and not scalable."
"As the solar market has become more competitive and profit margins have been squeezed, the industry has recognized that significant efficiency gains are needed. Recent years have seen a growing focus on reducing soft costs, but only marginal progress has been made," he adds.
O'Leary says Sighten is on a mission to reduce the soft costs. The company's software platform provides a "comprehensive solution," he says, to manage the solar project lifecycle from CRM to design, proposals and asset management.
The impact of the software could potentially reduce consumer costs, O'Leary says. "Solar installers and developers now have access to advanced tools across sales and project management that will drive greater sales effectiveness and significant gains in operational efficiency, taking cents per watt out of virtually every step in the solar lifecycle."
He boasts, "Lots of solar software startups have been working on specific nodes in the solar workflow like design, but Sighten is an application that a company could truly run their business on."
O'Leary notes that the software also has finance and accounting modules, enhancing the reporting capabilities for the asset managers and investors. "This is a dramatic improvement for investors who are used to getting monthly Excel reports. In fact, some investors have called our platform a 'Bloomberg Terminal' for the solar asset class," he continues.
"I care deeply about the environment, and I think climate change is the seminal issue of our time, so I have aligned myself with interesting, challenging work and innovative companies that are addressing these issues. I think Sighten is the culmination of that focus. I know that as we’re successful and as our customers are successful, we’re making a big dent in carbon emissions and positively impacting society," O'Leary concludes.
On Thursday, February 4, 2016 at 4:00 Eastern, O'Leary will join me here for a live discussion about the software and the impact it is having on carbon emissions and the residential solar industry. Tune in here then to watch the interview live. Post questions in the comments below or tweet questions before the interview to @devindthorpe.
You can download an audio podcast here or subscribe via iTunes.
More about Sighten:
Twitter: @sighten_io
Sighten has built the most advanced software toolset for solar. Built with care by a team of solar industry veterans, the Sighten platform helps solar companies and investors optimize their businesses, driving growth and efficiency through technology. Customers include leading investors, lenders, financing companies, installers, and originators. For more information, please visit www.sighten.io.
O'Leary's bio:
Conlan O'Leary is CEO and co-founder of Sighten, a leading solar software provider. Prior to Sighten, Conlan helped manage the structuring and pricing desk at Clean Power Finance, a leading residential solar financing platform. He has prior experience in technology and cleantech investment banking as well as environmental commodities trading. He has also helped manage a salmon cannery in Alaska and lived in a Buddhist monastery in Thailand. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
