Savvy solar installation companies are using technology to their advantage to nimbly grow their business. An example just sent our way: Momentum Solar, a solar installation company headquartered in Metuchen, N.J., has been able to expand its services nationwide due in part to its adoption of Nearmap’s software, which provides high-resolution aerial imagery to accelerate site assessments.
Nearmap high-resolution PhotoMaps showing Momentum Solar installation in Kearny, NJ – Oct. 2016.
By using Nearmap’s aerial imagery combined with PV design tools, Momentum has seen dramatic decreases in its proposal lead time—from hours to minutes—and has nearly doubled the number of homes it can qualify each week—from 2,000 to between 3,000 and 5,000.
“With Nearmap, all the necessary information is in one easy-to-use program,” said James Kennedy, Momentum’s program manager for sales proposal development. “We can decide if the property is suitable for solar within two to three minutes. The high-resolution imagery displays roof space, shading and any obstructions so we can make accurate, timely assessments. Because we can accurately assess properties pre-sale, we go into the proposal with definite solutions and more confidence. Clients enjoy seeing what the end product will look like through panels virtually placed on Nearmap’s aerial captures. This gives us an edge in our business progression.”
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Nearmap benefits for Momentum Solar
• The accuracy and timeliness of images allow Momentum to have faster and more accurate assessments, allowing time for more successful appointments each day.
• Nearmap’s high-resolution images make solar panel planning easier. Higher resolution images lead to better measurements, allowing Momentum to better plan and visualize where solar panels can be placed on a roof.
• Momentum can create a panel placement proposal in 5-7 minutes, a task that previously took two to three times that long.
• Nearmap’s efficient design makes it easy for Momentum to show its customers exactly what the final results will look like, and quickly make any necessary adjustments.
Nearmap also gives Momentum an advantage in the ability to see images of a property in the past. These images taken at different times of the year allow Momentum to see a property in all seasons. Bare trees pose no problem to solar panels in the winter, but when the trees are in full bloom during spring and summer, they can create enough shade to disqualify a home or severely inhibit a system’s production. Switching between past and present images gives a more complete understanding of a property and allows for proper qualification of a home.
— Solar Builder magazine
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