With the economy slackening, demand is suffering, and customers aren’t likely to open their doors to strangers.
The novel coronavirus pandemic is testing the residential-solar sector, which had forecast strong growth this year but hasn’t faced a recession since it reached the American mainstream. Its key challenges are similar to those facing many other industries: how to close sales, complete installations, and convince homeowners to add solar panels during a period of unexpected and mounting economic uncertainty. But for some residential-solar companies, the biggest test may be how to reorient their marketing programs—which, new-fangled though the industry may be, still relies on old-fashioned door-to-door sales.
“Until people feel safe again, door-to-door sales will be hit,” says Tara Narayanan, a solar analyst at BloombergNEF. “Installations will slow as well. I’m skeptical homeowners will have construction crews over during a time of social distancing.”
Read the full article at Bloomberg Green.