A Few Extra Hands

Working with a distributor puts more people in your corner, helping you produce the best solar project possible.

The solar industry is extremely competitive with hundreds of companies promising their mounting system or inverter is the best on the market. Residential and commercial installers may find the tasks of choosing the right components for their projects and getting everything to the jobsites a lot easier when partnering with a distributor.

The right solar distributor can be a key partner in success and provide risk protection, buying power and market guidance. Not only are distributors official dealers of the best-of-the-best solar components, they also provide much-needed support to installers.

Centrosolar America is a hybrid distribution company, manufacturing modules as well as partnering with mounting, inverter and other BOS companies to provide full systems to customers. The company specializes in residential and commercial rooftop installations. Ram Akella, managing director, says the value-added services that Centrosolar provides to installers include:

High levels of logistics — Centrosolar can get products to a project site to the installer’s specification, within a window as tight as three hours.

“[Being] a one-stop shop enables the installer to focus on business development and installation,” Akella says. “By partnering with us, we become a fulfillment house and an extension to their in-house procurement. You give us the line drawing, [and] we’ll get the product where you want it. We’ll send it to you on the day you need it. Everything is waiting for them except their tools and themselves.”

High-quality products at lower prices — By buying products in bulk, Centrosolar and other distributors benefit from an economy of scale, securing a vast amount of product for the lowest possible cost. These price savings are passed on to the customer.

Centrosolar has long-standing relationships with many different component companies, including SMA America, Unirac, Fronius and Enphase. Akella says Centrosolar will make recommendations to installers on what solar products are most ideal for a project and work within budgetary or design limits.

“We’re here to give people what they need. It’s a consultative process,” he says. “If an installer is adamant about a specific brand of product, it’s not for us to say yes or no, but we’d like to understand their business and project so we can help them better. If we believe there is no specific reason to go with one inverter versus the other, we will give them pros and cons of their choices and let them decide. One thing we don’t do is sell on the basis of price.”

Fully-integrated systems — Customized to an installer’s project based on line drawings, Centrosolar can put together an entire bill of material, from modules, mounting and inverters all the way down to grounding wires. The CentroPack includes Centrosolar modules, a choice of an SMA or Fronius inverter, a Unirac mounting system and various other components (wiring, grounding, disconnect, labels, installation manuals, etc.). This packaged deal comes with one all-encompassing warranty from Centrosolar.

Most good distributors also offer training programs. Centrosolar’s CentroSchool provides technical training, PV system design and sales and marketing tips.

Financing — By partnering with a number of banks and residential leasing companies, Centrosolar makes financing a project easy. CentroFinance is a financing advisory team with established relationships in the business to organize leases and power purchase agreements. Installers are given a step-by-step process for funding projects. Many distributors have similar programs that help residential installers offer homeowners financing for no money down and low monthly payments.

Training programs — At CentroSchool, Centrosolar and its partner companies teach the basics of PV system design, offer technical training and provide marketing tips. “We’ve seen an improvement in PV system design and best practice knowledge in the installer network we work with,” Akella says.

Above all, Akella says the best distributors are trustworthy business partners, responsive and timely, have a stable supply of products, have the ability to create customized business solutions and have a consultative approach to increase efficiencies and help businesses grow. Good distributors should do more than ship quality products on time; they must be a true partner in your success. Regardless of which company you choose, allowing a distributor to take on risk, cost and logistical burden often contributes significantly to your bottom line.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: http://www.solarbuildermag.com/featured/solar-distributors-centrosolar/]