Our 10th annual Solar Installer Conference took place January 25-29, 2021. In past years, this has been an in-person event, but this year’s conference was held in a 100% virtual format. Many of the webinar sessions were recorded and are now available below. Note that any mention of earning NABCEP credits in the webinar session recordings below only applied to the people who attended these sessions live – no NABCEP credit can be earned from watching the recordings here.
Note: This conference was geared toward solar industry professionals and tech-savvy homeowners; no introductory material is covered in the recordings below.
First up is the conference kickoff and welcome address by altE CEO Sascha Deri, including the history of the altE Solar Installer Conference, what makes this year’s conference different, and what to expect from the virtual conference format.
Sol-Ark: More Power with Less Cost
January 25, 2021 – Presentation by Tom Brennan of Sol-Ark
Sol-Ark’s session covers updates to the features of their outdoor 12K inverter, software improvements, and their new website ESS system design tool.
OutBack Power: SytemEdge UL 9540 Energy Storage Systems
January 26, 2021 – Presentation by Mark Mays and Bill Dougherty of OutBack Power
OutBack’s session covers the new UL 9540 code, OutBack’s new online System Edge Sizing Tool (including PV string sizing), and a technical overview of OutBack’s inverters and current battery offerings.
Morningstar: Off-Grid System Performance Data
January 27, 2021 – Presentation by Brad Berwald, Kyle Willsey, Mark Cerasuolo, and Michael Sherman of Morningstar Corp
Morningstar Corp’s session covers the powerful data features of their product line. Morningstar demonstrates the information available and how to use it to improve site performance and simplify troubleshooting. An overview of the various software protocols and hardware requirements (including SNMP and Modbus) is presented, as well as the growing array of Internet-based tools available to manage your deployments.
This session also demonstrates the latest updates to Morningstar’s string sizing tool, which allows you to use their up-to-date PV module database to perfectly tune your array to your controller while accounting for temperature, voltage, and sizing needs.
KiloVault: Best Practices for Design, Installation, and Operation of the KiloVault HAB 7.5 kW
January 27, 2021 – Presentation by Nate Dooley, Jay Galasso, and Marlin May of KiloVault
KiloVault’s session their HAB Lithium Energy Storage System in detail – including design, installation, and operation. Design considerations for single- and multi-HAB system configurations are explained, as is integration with charge controllers and inverters from leading solar manufacturers. KiloVault also explains the HAB iT cloud service that ensures your customer’s software is always up to date.
Schneider Electric: Designing & Commissioning the XW Pro
January 27, 2021 – Presentation by Eric Bentsen and Tristan Kreager of Schneider Electric
Schneider’s session covers how the XW Pro inverter/charger excels where cutting-edge features and robust backup performance are required. It also covers assessing the loads, determining amount of storage, AC/DC coupling, SOC control, Zero Sell functionality, and system startup.
MT Solar: Best Practices for Designing Pole Mounts
January 28, 2021 – Presentation by Travis Jordan and Janelle Ramaker of MT Solar
In MT Solar’s session, company founder founder Travis Jordan goes over best practices for solar pole mounting design, with a focus on how to use MT Solar’s online calculators.
S-5! Rail-less Solar on Metal Roofs
January 28, 2021 – Presentation by Mark Gies of S-5!
S-5! covers their system of rail-less solar on metal roofs in this session. Combining photovoltaic arrays with a standing seam metal roof is growing in popularity, and for good reasons. Learn about wire management and best practices for installation.
Tamarack Solar: Designing Roof and Ground Mount Systems
January 28, 2021 – Presentation by David Katz and Greg McPheeters of Tamarack Solar, and Jeff Spies of Planet Plan Sets
Tamarack Solar’s session focuses on their simple, strong, smart, and innovative new solar panel racking system. Roof mount, ground mount, or pole mount, Tamarack has a solution for every mounting configuration.
