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A Guide To Start A Solar Panels Business
Right now is a good time to start a business in the solar industry. There are several state and federal programs that are assisting small businesses and start-ups. Today there are many tax incentives to attract businesses in the alternative power industry on a state and federal level. A start-up solar business with a good business plan is attractive to angel investors and venture capitalists as well. Also available are a few renewable energy grants. The grants are hard to come by and are on a first come first serve basis, however they can be obtained. Besides the tax incentives, business investors, and grants that are available, more and more people are going green and turning their homes into a sun soaking energizer.
You will need a good solid plan. You have to decide what kind of services you are going to provide. Are you going to only install solar panels and all the components to get a home solar powered? If that's the case you will need to find out if you need any special licensing or certifications from your state and county. Your state or county may not mandate a license or certificate to install solar systems, however, the local utility company might require it in order to hook up a grid tied system. It's a good idea to get certified regardless, and the internet offers many online training programs. You do not have to be an electrician, you just need some training and guidance to safely and properly install the solar system in order to comply with what the federal government requires in order for the homeowner to receive all the tax incentives.
Are you going to be full service, doing the sales and marketing, the installations and repairs, and building them? If you go full service you may only need a business license because you can contract the installation to the professionals. Professional installers will already have their certificates and licenses in place and all you will need is a business license. Knowing where to obtain your solar panels and other materials from will be the hard part. Because they usually have special money saving prices for installers or businesses, deal directly with the wholesalers or manufacturers if at all possible. This being a new start-up business without an established credit history, you will either have to pay for the supplies up front or find a venture capitolist. These days you can find many wholesalers online that distribute residential and commercial grid systems complete with every component needed to to do an installation in a relatively short amount of time. Make sure that when you are shopping for distributors that you only buy from the ones that have products with a Manufacturer's Certification Statement. This certification is a required document in order for the homeowner to take full advantage of the federal tax credits that are available.
Another option to getting a solar panel business started is franchising. This means a business doesn't have to start from scratch. There are several solar franchises today that can be rendered by a simple search on the internet. They disclose what their requirements are and how much capitol is needed to start up. Some of them have applications right on their website. Look into their business model and research their operations and how they growth manage. The good thing about franchising is you get the opportunity to operate under a popular solar brand name and you get all the support you need for start-up. Also all of the suppliers have already been established. Some franchises will even offer financing. If they don't offer it, a bank is more likely to loan money to a franchise with a proven business model than to a company without an established line of credit.
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