Six Weeks of Solar Hot Water Part VI - Final Thoughts

We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature's inexhaustible sources of energy — sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.

- Thomas Edison, in conversation with Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone (1931)

What a pleasure it has been to write the “Six Weeks of Solar Hot Water” series here at Renewable Energy World! Each week – with one long pause – I wrote about the tools, resources, and marketing techniques that can help solar thermal commercial and residential installers create new and better business.

Here are all of the posts in review:

• Six Weeks of SHW Part 1: Let's work together for change
• Six Weeks of SHW Part 2: We can be heroes!
• Six Weeks of SHW Part 3: Get Your Free Marketing Materials Here!
• Six Weeks of SHW Part 4: The Road Less Traveled
• Six Weeks of SHW Part 5: Back to the Future
• Six Weeks of SHW Part 6: Final Thoughts

Creating Change

Despite the growing awareness of the benefits of solar energy, solar thermal has never really caught on here in North America. Yet solar thermal is one of Renewable Energy's best-proven and most economical installation options for homes and commercial buildings.

I've said it before – and I think it is worth saying again – we need to start actively motivating individuals to embrace solar thermal. North America is ready for energy change. We can’t wait on industry groups to get organized, so let’s get the message out ourselves!

Thankfully, there are far-sighted solar hot water companies that are willing to take the lead. For SHW to really get growing, though, we need a community effort across the SHW industry and beyond.

Final Thoughts

To close this series I've asked a few renewable energy luminaries to answer the question: What does solar hot water need to do in order to grow in North America? Here’s what they had to say:

Solar thermal technology is very mature, so what the industry really needs right now is consistent and predictable solar policies combined with more creative marketing and customer education.

- Solar Fred, of Unthink Solar (and here on REW)

...there needs to be a coordinated, company-agnostic marketing effort across the solar thermal community to raise consumer awareness and establish a common fact-set; the "Got Milk" campaign is such a template.

- Matt Carlson, Sunnovations (FL)

For my own part, I feel the answer is a simple one.

The industry needs a go-to source for explaining how SHW works – from the technology involved to the cost and energy benefits. I’m hoping to find the time necessary to create this "sales and education" resource and, if all goes well, I will have updates soon.

I want to thank Kathryn Allan at Academic Editing Canada for researching material and making my writing shine in these posts. A big thanks to everyone here at REW for thoughtful and critical comments, feedback and suggestions throughout the six week series. It has been my pleasure to promote and learn more about solar hot water through the course of this project, and I look forward to great things for solar hot water and renewable energy in the future!