Another bad solarex story [RE-wrenches]

[Jim Hartley]

John Blittersdorf, Cent. VT Solar & Wind wrote:
> Jim,
>    I am a newcomer to the field and in a little over a year and a half I 
>    have 
> sold about 100 PV's ( 60 to 120 watt panels).  I'm sure some of you guys 
> have 
> sold thousands or tens of thousands.  Am I right or is this wishful 
> thinking?

John,

I don't know about the tens of thousands part, especially for sales at 
the dealer level.  Certain dealers who have been around for a good 
number of years could be in the lower thousands somewhere, though.  
Distributors certainly have pushed modules through the doors by the 
thousands over some years.  That's what I was involved with for about 
twelve years or so but even I don't have an idea what that volume 
amounted to anymore.  I would think that number is certainly in the 
thousands somewhere.  Manufacturers, of course, will do their own direct 
selling to end users on occasion particularly on big government projects 
and other high profile undertakings.  Manufacturers will also consume 
their own product in house in various ways as well.  Nonetheless, when 
you take all dealers and/or system integrators as a group worldwide you 
probably have easily at least a thousand dedicated practitioners of 
varying consequence.  Assuming each one buys a hundred modules per year 
on average that alone amounts to at least 100,000 modules.  Odds are the 
number is higher even.  The important thing to remember, however, is 
that it is the dealer/installer guy who is most proficient at - and most 
critical to - mainstreaming the product into the general marketplace and 
assuring that it all works reliably.  Manufacturers can't do that and 
distributors can't do much better generally.  Solar modules just by 
themselves are kind of worthless unless utilized somehow.  They are mere 
commodities.  Some marketers can profit from the commodity trade in 
modules but the end user still needs expertise and that doesn't come in 
a brown box. What is that expertise really worth in the overall scheme 
of things?  It's worth a lot to those who buy stuff from you and to 
those who sell you that stuff.  Both would have you do as much as you 
can without having to pay for your real worth to them, but don't let 
that get out of hand.  That's how promising businesses get into trouble. 
 Solar people, from my experience, are typically idealists and many 
times undertake efforts which go beyond the call of reasonable duty.  I 
speak from historical personal experience here. :-}   But there comes a 
point when enough is enough.  In business you have to survive first.  
Failing that, it all becomes moot.  Then it becomes just an expensive 
hobby and a line item on your resume.  So, in short, it may not be how 
many modules you sell or how many systems you put in but how well you do 
all that and at what kind of profit.  That is where the higher powers 
that be need to interface with you better for the general good of 
everybody involved in the loop.  I rest my case.  I wish you all well.  
And me too.



Jim Hartley
http://www.homestead-specialties.com
Business Email: JamesHartley at homestead-specialties.com
Direct Email: grail at inil.com

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