The HelioScope Edge: Davis Hill Development's Route to 30% Yearly Growth and Accelerated Solar Design
Operational Efficiency & Growth
The company forecasts 30% growth in total projects
A designer can design and model a C&I solar project in 20 minutes, vs. 2-4 hours requiring an engineering team
"HelioScope has our operational landscape. Its rapid and precise solar generation estimates have sharpened our competitive edge, allowing us to design and propose a greater number of projects efficiently. This tool is central to our strategy, significantly boosting both our project success rate and our credibility in the clean energy market."
Micah Brill, Head of Development and Asset Management, Davis Hill Development
About
Skyview, via its solar development company Davis Hill Development (DHD), has been a trailblazer in the renewable energy sector since its inception in December 2008. As a cleantech private equity firm with a focus on environmental commodities, solar project finance, electric vehicle infrastructure, and early-stage startups, Skyview Ventures relies on innovation and technology to stay ahead of the competition.
As Head of Development and Asset Management for DHD, Micah Brill is at the forefront of integrated commercial and industrial (C&I) solar initiatives. His critical role encompasses structuring deals, satisfying stakeholders, supervising construction projects, and fulfilling contractual obligations, shaping the innovative landscape of DHD’s operations.
Challenges:
Challenges abound in the dynamic landscape of the clean energy sector, and the C&I segment is no exception. One of the foremost challenges is harmonizing solar generation potential with economic feasibility, a delicate balancing act necessary for delivering substantial savings to property owners and ensuring profitability.
The clean energy space is fraught with uncertainty — especially when committing to long-term agreements of 20 or 25 years — making precise generation potential estimates paramount. Amidst the competitive pressures of the market, the need for realistic production estimates becomes critical. Existing solutions often fall short, lacking the customization and efficiency required to navigate these challenges effectively. To put the main challenges into perspective:
- Accelerating sales throughput while maintaining design and production accuracy
- Bidding competitively while ensuring profitability
- Scaling quickly to grow the sales pipeline
Innovative Solutions
To address these challenges and forge their path forward, DHD harnessed the power of HelioScope’s state-of-the-art PV system simulation software. The features that were especially important to DHD included:
- Speed and ease of use: HelioScope is the fastest, easiest-to-use C&I solar design tool. But it’s not just fast, it’s also accurate. Its accuracy is comparable to other tools that require engineering skills — and anywhere from 2 to 10 times the amount of time. APIs, native integrations, and compatibility with other tools further streamline and optimize design workflows.
- Comprehensive use cases: HelioScope can design a range of solar systems, from rooftops to carports to multi-megawatt ground mount systems with trackers.
- Accuracy: LIDAR-assisted shading analysis, a 50,000 component library, global weather files, condition set customization, and a powerful production model (within 1% of PVsyst accuracy) deliver accurate designs and production estimates that help customers bid confidently and underwrite financing.
- Scalability: HelioScope's onboarding processes are designed for efficiency, enabling team members to swiftly become proficient solar specialists — fostering a collaborative and knowledgeable workforce. Speed, ease of use, APIs, and integrations can help customers scale without growing teams and adding processes and tools.
These transformative features have helped DHD to navigate the challenges of the clean energy sector. In partnership with HelioScope, they have streamlined their project development, boosted their credibility, and accelerated top-of-funnel performance, all while building lasting trust with stakeholders. HelioScope has played a pivotal role in DHD’s journey toward clean energy tech success, positioning them as pioneers in the field.
The implementation of HelioScope has brought about a profound transformation for DHD.
The Results:
- One presales design tool: DHD can design its entire ~200 project pipeline in HelioScope, from 50 kW rooftop systems to 50 MW ground mount systems with single axis trackers.
- Accelerated sales process: A DHD designer can design and model a C&I solar project in 20 minutes, vs. 2-4 hours requiring an engineering team. Compatibility with CAD helps to streamline the transition from sales to final design.
- Sell and close more deals: With additional time and resources freed up by HelioScope, DHD can deliver at least 20 more proposals every year, resulting in additional sales, each worth tens of thousands of dollars. HelioScope’s accuracy, customer-friendly reports/imagery, and ability to modify designs in real-time with the customer help DHD to bid confidently, delight customers, and close more deals.
- Scale the business: With training support and ease of use, DHD can onboard a new designer within 10 designs or 1-2 months. In addition, DHD forecasts 20% growth in total projects in the year ahead.
HelioScope's impact goes far beyond mere efficiency gains, streamlining project development and management. It has helped DHD accelerate business growth, propelling the organization to new heights of competitiveness in the dynamic clean energy sector. Moreover, HelioScope has enabled DHD to deliver high-quality customer service and played a pivotal role in forging stronger relationships with valued customers, partners, and stakeholders.
DHD can deliver 20+ more proposals per year, resulting in additional sales, each worth tens of thousands of dollars
A DHD designer can design and model a C&I solar project in 20 minutes, vs. 2-4 hours requiring an engineering team
Why HelioScope?
In the pursuit of clean energy excellence, DHD made a strategic choice to partner with HelioScope, and the reasons behind this decision are crystal clear.
HelioScope's user-friendly interface has simplified the complex world of solar energy, making it accessible and easy for their team members to grasp. The unparalleled accuracy of production estimates provided by HelioScope has become the cornerstone of data-driven decision-making, allowing DHD to operate with unwavering confidence.
In conclusion, HelioScope has transcended being a mere tool, becoming a trusted ally and a linchpin in DHD’s clean energy journey. By equipping them with efficiency, credibility, and competitive advantage, HelioScope ensures that Skyview Ventures remains at the forefront of the clean energy revolution, ready to embrace the challenges of tomorrow with confidence and innovation.