RP Construction Services, Inc. Surpasses 1GW Milestone

California-based solar project design and installation firm RP Construction Services, Inc. (RPCS) is proud to announce their completion of more than 1GW of solar projects.

 

For RPCS, 2019 was a record year. The company completed well over half a gigawatt in 2019 alone—an increase of more than 200% over 2018—and more than 200 projects in 19 different states.

“We’re thrilled to reach this gigawatt milestone—almost 400 projects of hard work and great memories, with many more to come,” says RPCS Chief Sales Officer Alex Smith.

Installing both individual projects and national portfolios, RPCS continues to establish itself as a relationship-based company focused on long-term partnerships—with customers, partners, and employees alike.

“The numbers are fun to celebrate, but the meaningful part is that our company has grown to well over 150 individuals, all dedicating their careers to our single focus of being the best team in the solar industry. In the next five years, we’ll see our numbers grow even more because our focus won’t ever change,” says Smith.

Headquartered in Monterey, California, RPCS provides leading turnkey design, engineering, and installation services for ground mount solar projects throughout the United States. The team specializes in site layout optimization, ancillary engineering services, tracker and foundation procurement, and complete mechanical installation. RPCS’s experience in the ground mount utility and distributed generation market ensures reliable support at every step of the project, delivering an unmatched level of quality and efficiency.

Despite market holdup due to the uncertainty surrounding tariffs and the stepdown of the solar investment tax credit, RPCS successfully grew its pipeline for 2019, 2020, and 2021. Early this year, RPCS began offering customers a stocking services option with the opening of two locations in California and Texas, an endeavor that has already proved advantageous since its initiation in January. Bringing stocking operations in-house gives RPCS added levels of predictability, efficiency, and reliability to their business operations. RPCS is able to control the delivery schedule and material accuracy, eliminating schedule impacts as well as overall inefficiencies.

Concurrently, RPCS implemented their Safe Harbor strategy to help project developers, financers, and owners to take advantage of the highest possible ITC rate for projects built in the coming years. Their strategy allows customers to realize savings by both purchasing solar tracker materials directly from RPCS as well as storing them safely and cost effectively in RPCS’s storage facilities to serve projects nationwide.

Among other notable achievements this year was the company’s recognition as a Top Solar Contractor for the second year in a row by Solar Power World Magazine, the industry’s leading resource for news and information regarding solar PV installation, development, and technology. RPCS achieved a rank of No. 15 overall out of 415 solar companies, moving up on the list from No. 18 the previous year. RPCS holds the reigning position in the state of Georgia at No. 1, in addition to being ranked the No. 15 Utility Contractor, the No. 4 Installation Subcontractor, and the No. 11 Contractor in their home state of California.

“Its’ an exciting time. The industry is thriving,” says RPCS CEO Eben Russell. “We feel a forever shift has happened, that a world that runs on renewable energy is now a matter of when, not if. Our team, at every level, continues to have enthusiasm to evolve, innovate, and refine. To our customers, vendors, and especially our employees, both past and present, thank you!”

With 2020 on the horizon, the company remains more committed than ever to advancing the growth of solar energy—for the next gigawatt and beyond.

RP Construction Services, Inc. designs and builds ground mount solar projects. With over 360 projects and more than 1GW completed or under construction throughout the United States, RPCS provides full turnkey service and support for solar tracker projects, including site layout optimization, ancillary engineering services, tracker supply, foundation post procurement, and complete mechanical installation. For more information about RPCS, please visit rpcs.com or call us at 831.620.2188. 

Looking Back at InterSolar North America 2018

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Front and center in the third floor lobby of the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Calif.

This year’s InterSolar North America trade show, which was the 11th InterSolar North America exhibition, saw both new and industry leading innovators and their products and services, and a myriad of key solar and storage players. There were many exciting and engaging conversations happening at the Array Technologies’ booth, which dominated the third floor exhibit hall lobby at the Moscone Center in the heart of San Francisco.

As Array’s trusted partner, RPCS showed their support in the booth, where there was an in-depth demo of the DuraTrack HZ v3 solar tracker, topped with both bifacial modules and First Solar Series 6 modules. RPCS shared their year’s many successes, including reaching a recent milestone: 225 projects and 450MW completed.

Reflecting on the show, RPCS founder and president, Eb Russell, comments, “For us, this year’s InterSolar wasn’t closed door meetings about braggawatts, but more of a support group session with friends, colleagues, and competitors sharing openly about the challenging past several months—and a sigh of relief about the recent return to normalcy.” He continues, “We left reinvigorated because of the amazing individuals that make up our industry and that share the vision of a clean, solar energy future for our planet. Thanks everyone for all the good chats and cheer!”

We’re already looking forward to next year’s InterSolar show, and RPCS’s growth.

The Plug-N-Play Solar Tracker

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The Array Technologies booth was abuzz with visitors and engaging conversations.

On Tuesday at the start of the show, RPCS announced their new partnership with solar balance of systems leader Shoals Technologies and CAB Solar, launching their latest turnkey solution offering, the Plug-N-Play Solar Tracker system. This union will bring an even more streamlined approach to RPCS’s solar tracker installations, providing custom designed wiring solutions for projects using the Array Technologies, Inc., DuraTrack™ HZ V3 solar tracker.

“We had a great showing at Intersolar this year; 2018 has been another great year for RPCS and our Array and Shoals partnership announcement makes our offer to the DG market so much stronger,” says RPCS Chief Sales Officer, Alex Smith. “We’re really proud of the number of projects we’ve done the past couple years, but also know that the real work is ahead of us. It’s also really fun to see our RPCS team growing and interacting with all of our customers and partners during the show.”

Together, RPCS, Shoals, and CAB provide customers the next evolution in solar tracker systems, providing simpler installations and making solar energy a more affordable, lower risk source of clean power for future generations.

For more information on the Plug-N-Play Tracker, visit https://www.ampacity.com/plug-n-play-solar-tracker.