By adopting HelioScope solar design and modeling software, REC Solar is accelerating their commercial business. The cloud-based software, developed by Folsom Labs, will help REC Solar standardize the sales and design process for commercial solar customers. As a result, REC Solar can further reduce soft costs and dramatically expedite sales growth, particularly in the overlooked mid-market commercial sector where solar installations range from 100 kW to 500 kW.

HelioScope combines Google Maps-integrated design tools with a sophisticated physics engine to streamline workflow for system engineers. The design-driven approach enables REC Solar to quickly evaluate design alternatives (including tilt, azimuth, and choice of equipment) and find the optimal design of each array, including a full bill-of-materials and energy estimate. The collaborative platform enables REC Solar to move projects and proposals more quickly through the sales process, greatly reducing engineering and design costs that can keep the cost of going solar prohibitively high.

“Reducing soft costs through standardization of design and sales is key to growing the mid-market segment,” said Mark Bettis, VP of Sales and Marketing at REC Solar. “Tools like HelioScope help us reduce these costs by allowing our sales team to generate quality commercial proposals three times faster than before. This is a critical step towards developing a quick and standardized sales process like those that have been so successful in generating explosive growth in the residential solar market.”

“There are tools that are easy to use, and there are tools that provide rigorous performance analysis, but only HelioScope provides both,” said Paul Gibbs, CEO of Folsom Labs. “By allowing both the sales and engineering teams to use the same tools, HelioScope helps REC Solar remove significant bottlenecks, dramatically increasing the scope of work they can take on.”

“Small to medium-sized commercial solar customers have been left behind in the solar surge,” said Troy Ault of Cleantech Group. “Until now, transaction costs around sales, permitting and engineering have outweighed the cost savings benefits of going solar at this ‘in-between’ scale. New technologies which standardize this process can play a key role driving down costs and spurring rapid solar growth in this underserved commercial market.”

Added Bettis, “HelioScope allows us be more responsive to our customers’ needs. Not only are the layouts professional enough to incorporate into our proposals, but when the client or owner requests a change to the plan, we can turn that around in a matter of minutes. HelioScope isn’t just a cost-savings solution, it improves our customer experience.”