Noted solar marketing and communications thought leader Tor “Solar Fred” Valenza has joined SepiSolar, a national design and engineering firm specializing in solar, energy storage and solar micro-grids, as its director of marketing. Valenza will focus on promoting SepiSolar’s efforts to streamline solar, storage and micro-grid permitting through more effective communications and collaboration with contractors, utility companies and local permitting departments.
“Nothing is more frustrating to solar and energy storage contractors and owners than needlessly delayed permitting and interconnection,” said Valenza. “The way to streamline permitting is more effective communications about best practices for contractors as well as the Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). I joined SepiSolar because it’s genuinely dedicated to building a community of solar designers and engineers who want to get design plans approved and interconnected faster and with less hassle. To do that, we’ll be creating educational content and streamlined design processes that help everyone understand the requirements and design best practices.”
Valenza joins a growing team of full-time solar and storage designers and engineers led by SepiSolar’s CEO Joshua Weiner, who began his career at Akeena Solar in 2006 and went on to consult with Green Charge Networks and direct the engineering department of NRG Home. Weiner founded SepiSolar in 2008, providing design and engineering services to developers, EPCs, owner-operators, residential contractors, policymakers, and energy storage companies.
“We’re very excited to have Tor on board at SepiSolar,” said Weiner. “As solar and storage expands across the U.S., designers and engineers need to become better communicators and collaborators with contractors and the AHJs, especially as new storage technologies and micro-grids become more popular. Tor’s solar marketing and public relations experience will allow us to share valuable information that will enable solar and energy storage contractors and developers to expedite the permitting process, reducing interconnection delays and soft costs.”
“Now that storage systems are here to stay, Tor and the SepiSolar team will work hard to advocate for solar + storage-friendly policies with local utilities; participate on technical code committees; and continue to monitor, track, and aggregate all requirements necessary to get these types of systems installed and interconnected, all on behalf of our great customers,” he added.
Valenza is a longtime solar marketer who has provided marketing services to tier-one solar brands since 2008. Prior to joining SepiSolar, he was CMO of Solar at the cleantech public relations agency Impress Labs, which recently merged to become Kiterocket, where he served as senior strategy advisor. He’s also known for his solar marketing and advocacy blogs in various solar publications and for his semiannual Tweetups at Intersolar North America and Solar Power International. Valenza is sometimes known as “Solar Fred,” due to his @SolarFred Twitter handle, where he comments and shares the day’s solar industry news with over 16,000 followers.
