Solar Site Survey Mistakes That Cause Design Errors and Delays
A roof that measures 14 feet on paper and 12 in real life can sink a solar design. So can a main panel photographed from across the garage, or a vent stack nobody wrote down. A poor solar site survey doesn’t look like a problem on day one. It looks like a finished drawing. The […]
Solar Design Automation: Finish Installer Projects Faster
What is solar design automation? Solar design automation is the use of software rules and templates to generate the layout, electrical calculations and drawings of a PV system from site data, instead of drawing and checking each one by hand. A designer still makes the decisions. The software does the repetitive work: placing modules, sizing […]
Solar Panel Structural Review: A Complete Guide to Safe & Code-Compliant Solar Installations
A solar panel structural review answers one question before the first bracket goes on a roof: can this structure carry the array, and keep carrying it for the life of the system? In the UK, that check isn’t a courtesy. MCS requires a roof check on every pitched-roof installation, and Building Regulations expect the building […]
Solar Permit Services: Get AHJ-Compliant Plans Approved Faster
A solar permit rarely gets rejected for something dramatic. It gets rejected because the single-line diagram says 40 A and the equipment sheet says 50 A, or because the roof plan ignores a fire setback. Good solar permit services catch those problems before the plan set reaches the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). This guide covers […]
Top Solar Installer Challenges in the U.S. and How to Solve Them
The Solar Installer Challenges facing U.S. contractors in late 2026 look nothing like the ones from two years ago. The residential tax credit is gone. Module pricing is about to shift again. And the utility still hasn’t approved the interconnection application you filed in June. This guide covers six problems squeezing margins right now, with […]
Solar Permit Design USA: How to Get Solar Projects Approved
If your permit package keeps bouncing back from the AHJ, the problem usually isn’t your installation crew. It’s the plan set. Good solar permit design is what separates a project that clears review in days from one that sits in a queue for six weeks collecting redline comments. Quick Answer The rest of this guide […]
Solar Battery Storage Canada: 2026 Comparison Guide
How to Develop a Solar Farm in Canada: A Complete 2026 Guide
Quick Answer 1. Secure site control and confirm the parcel has usable grid capacity nearby — do this before anything else. 2. Apply for interconnection through your province’s utility or system operator (AESO in Alberta, IESO in Ontario, or a direct negotiation with Hydro-Québec or BC Hydro). 3. Clear provincial and municipal permitting, and confirm […]
Ultimate EV Charging Station Design Guide for Solar Installers
QUICK ANSWER EV charging station design for a solar installer means sizing the panel and PV system together, not as two separate add-ons. You calculate the EVSE load under NEC Article 625, apply the 125% continuous-duty factor, confirm the service and main panel have room (or plan a load management device instead of a costly […]
Best Solar PV Permit Drawing Software for Canada (2026 Guide)
Quick Answer The software Canadian solar teams use most for permit drawings are AutoCAD (often with the PVcase plugin) for custom or commercial layouts, Aurora Solar for combined residential design/proposal/permit workflows, PVsyst or PV*SOL for the performance data behind commercial interconnection applications, and SketchUp for quick elevation visuals. None of them are built around CSA […]