Origination 101 covers the work of finding and securing the opportunities that become projects — qualifying prospects, structuring a commercial offer, and getting a deal to the point where development can take it over.
What you will learn
- How regulated and deregulated markets differ, and why it changes the deal.
- What makes a good prospect, and how opportunities are qualified and scored.
- How to read a commercial electric bill and understand a customer’s energy usage.
- Power Purchase Agreement essentials from the originator’s side.
- How offtaker creditworthiness is assessed.
- The differences between utility, community and behind-the-meter projects, and between roof, ground mount and carport.
- Site control essentials and what to look for on a site visit.
- How to build a client proposal and identify red flags early.
- What a clean handoff to development requires.
Course outline — 32 lessons
- What is Solar Origination?
- Role of an Originator
- Key Stakeholders
- Utility vs Community vs Behind the Meter
- How Projects Generate Revenue
- Geographic and Market Selection
- Regulated vs Deregulated Markets
- Power Markets and Utility Tariffs
- Breaking Down a Typical Electric Bill
- Understanding Customer Energy Usage
- Lead Generation Strategies
- What Makes a Good Prospect
- Customer Discovery & Proposal Strategy
- Client Proposal Tips
- Qualifying Opportunities
- Creditworthiness and Offtaker Strength
- Client Scorecard
- Identifying Red Flags Early
- Roof vs Ground Mount vs Carport
- Site Visit Checklist
- Site Control Essentials
- Ownership Structure Overview
- Preliminary Project Economics
- Commercial Structuring
- PPA Essentials
- Understanding the Sales Cycle
- Contract Fundamentals
- Project Handoff to Development
- Opportunity Milestones
- Originator Skillsets
- Origination Career Paths
- Origination 101: Put the Workflow Together
Who this course is for
Salespeople moving into solar from other industries. Developers who need to understand where their pipeline comes from. Anyone building a commercial solar pipeline from scratch.
What you need to know first
None. Commercial sales experience helps but no solar background is assumed.
What comes next
Solar and Commercial Real Estate covers the property side. Solar Development 101 picks up where origination hands off.
The course is free. Create an account to start.