Ever heard of Solo? Not Hans. Not the party cup. Not Spanish for alone. Solo … you know … the solar design software. Unless you are in the solar industry, you probably haven’t. According to their About Solo section in their new book:
What we do
Solo’s on-demand design and proposals simplify solar selling by merging education tools, precision design, integrated financing, and document management with speed, stability, and endless integrations. (There’s more, but you get it.)
That’s from their “2025 Guide to Selling Solar in the Era of Trust” free PDF download and I downloaded it … for free. Apparently, the solar industry is entering the “era of trust” where an industry that has allowed salespeople to lie to their customers about everything from solar capabilities, to tax incentives, to financing options, and solar contractors is suddenly worthy of trust because so many of these firms have either gone bankrupt, are in lawsuits, or have otherwise shut down. They write:
While solar adoption continues to expand, the “easy wins” are vanishing. Companies that relied on mass-market demand and aggressive sales tactics now face higher operational costs, stricter regulations, and shrinking margins. Meanwhile, homeowners—the lifeblood of residential solar—are becoming more discerning, tech-savvy, and selective. This shift is forcing solar companies to rethink their approach to sales, marketing, and operations.
Now? Now the industry is trustworthy? Now they want to rethink their approach to sales, marketing, and operations? There are massive Facebook groups dedicated to how one aspect of solar or another is scam. Some are beefing with the sales organization that lied to them. Some are raging against the contractor who did a shoddy or partial installation. Others are searching for legal avenues to get out of a financing or leasing agreement they are being told they have to pay on top of the electric bill they were told would be “wiped out” by their new solar.
Solo has written a book to teach solar contractors how to switch their methods from lying and cheating to fostering trust in an industry that does not deserve it. They write:
In an industry plagued by reports of misleading claims, hidden fees, and underperforming systems, trust has emerged as the ultimate competitive advantage. Solar companies that prioritize honesty, accuracy, and customer-centric practices will not only win more sales but also secure long-term profitability through referrals and repeat business.
Our issue is they write it like all that is a novel idea. It is tantamount to saying, hey, now that you have ripped off all the gullible people, picked the low hanging fruit, you now have to start doing things right in order to keep slinging these panels. They refer to trust as a competitive advantage when it should have always been a core principle.
By the way, they’re wrong. We have been shouting and practicing these principles at everyone who would listen, and these nice guys are finishing last. We have watched these liars and thieves launch multimillion dollar businesses in ridiculously short amounts of time with some frustration. We were, are, unable to make the truth about solar sound as enticing as their lies. The truth is enticing, very enticing, and everyone who has an eligible property should go solar because it pays for itself and even pays you a return. That alone, as far as we are concerned, should make going solar a “no brainer,” and for many it is. So many more prefer the lies.
That simple truth has not proved to be as influential as lies like; the government will pay you to go solar. Solar is free. Solar will save the world, you want to save the world, don’t you? Don’t you love your kids? A lot of sunlight still makes it to the panels, even in the shade, it’s amazing. Leases are great! Caveat emptor? We know all about that there caveat emptor. That’s Latin for sign right here … and the list goes on.
We are not going to make it all the way through their thirty-page PDF that ends with cited sources from Harvard Business Review, to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), and Freddie Mac, among others. At the end of the day, we hope Solo is successful in their attempt at turning criminals into decent solar representatives. We have our doubts though and think you should too.
We have harped on the lack of honesty in the solar industry for years. We have basically virtue signaled to the point of cringe in attempts to warn prospective solar buyers away from these companies, many of whom are now at some stage of going out of business. If it sounds like we have been whining, it’s a shoe that might fit. It’s frustrating to be the honest tortoise and have to watch those lying hares fly by us according to all the recognized metrics of success in the industry. We will make it to the finish line, and many of those hares will not, but it still rankles that they got away with what they did.
Solo is a cool design tool. We use a different one, but the Solo one works too. What they are saying is not wrong, but they should have said it twenty years ago. This new industry secret, to treat people right and present products honestly, should not be new or a secret. Hopefully, all the bad actors that have tarnished our industry get what’s coming to them. Know that many will slip through the cracks. Stay vigilant in your vetting of any company you do business with. Sharks still swim in these waters.
BTW … we wrote a book too. It’s called “Read This Book Before You Go Solar, a Buyer’s Guide from an Industry Insider,” and it warns about a lot of the shenanigans these crooked contractors have been shenaniganing. There’s a link to it (also free) on the home page of this site. We’ll email it to you. Let us know what you think.
