It’s no news to anyone in the solar industry that although module costs have plummeted, soft costs for solar  — like permitting, installation, and customer acquisition — have remained high in the U.S. At over 50% of system costs, our soft costs are twice those in Germany.

We know what the issues are. But how do we bring down our soft costs and enable more people to go solar?

This series, based on sessions at Solar Power International 2013, sheds light on how we can reduce time and costs associated with solar permitting, installation, and customer acquisition.

Why customer acquisition costs are an issue

A lot of consumers express interest in solar, but close to 95% of those never follow through. It can cost thousands for a solar company to acquire each customer. That makes customer acquisition the largest portion of balance-of-system soft costs for solar.

via Customer Costs and Solar Installation | The Energy Collective.