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Solar Hall of Fame Series: Interview with RPCS CEO Eben Russell

Posted on by Bri Bruce

Eb RussellSolar Hall of Fame Series

How RPCS CEO Eben Russell is Adapting to the COVID Pandemic

SolarFeeds Magazine

 

RP Construction Services CEO Eben Russell sat down with SolarFeeds Magazine as part of their Solar Hall of Fame series for an interview about how RPCS is fairing during the COVID pandemic.

RP Construction Services, Inc. (RPCS) provides turnkey design, structural engineering, procurement/supply, mechanical installation, and specialty services to EPCs, developers, and municipal utilities. As the nation’s leading contractor and single-axis tracker expert, RPCS has completed more than 700 projects, totaling over 2GW, and helps customers meet their renewable energy goals with simple, seamless project execution. Connect with RPCS on LinkedIn or learn more at stgrpcs.wpengine.com.

 

SF Magazine: First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times?  

Eb Russell: Thankfully, we haven’t contracted the virus. We have a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old.  It’s toughest on our 4-year-old daughter and on my wife. There’s only so much video conferencing one can do to fill the void. The 1-year-old requires constant attention as he is now walking and grabbing at everything which means my wife needs to play one-on-one defense while our 4-year-old, without the outlet of pre-school, continuously tries to reassert her original title as “one and only.”

Days are long and hectic. I made an office out of the company Ford Transit in the driveway.

 

SF Magazine: Tell us about you, your career, how you founded or joined this company

Russell: My first career, straight out of college, was as a financial advisor. It was 1995 and the World Wide Web was moving from a concept to mainstream. There were lots of high-flying start-ups. It was a transformative time; horses and buggies moving to automobiles.

History told us 2,000 car companies failed, 6 survived but they all bought tires from Goodyear Tire and rubber and tools from Ingersoll Rand. I had my clients avoid DoubleClick, AltaVista, Lycos and, instead, own the equipment makers Cisco, Juniper, Corning, Broadcom.

Entering solar in 2003, most startups were focused on residential installations, modules, inverters, development, and EPC. I looked for something boring, the solar mounting system, and decided single-axis trackers offered the most amount of metal or MWs per sale and there was no clear market leader.

In 2008, Array Technologies had 9 people and the iPhone. It was night and day, a better product. It still is. Over the next 6 years, I sold 2,500MWS into a 3,000MW total addressable market.

In 2015, market research showed that 1,000 projects would be built between 1MWand 10MW over the next 4 years, but it was clear that to capture meaningful market share, this market segment would need a turnkey provider: DIRECTV versus satellite dishes. RPCS was formed and we provided the DIRECTV-style offering to the sub 10MW market. It worked out. We managed to grab over 700 of the 1,000 projects.

 

SF Magazine: How does your company innovate?

Russell: We hire people, not positions. Great people continuously find new and innovative ways to optimize and improve.

 

SF Magazine: How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your business finances?

Russell: Thankfully, solar has remained strong. It’s fortunate that our projects are outdoors where safe, social distancing is relatively easy to maintain and our crew has taken the virus seriously, making sure to travel in pods and follow all CDC guidelines.

 

SF Magazine: Did you have to make difficult choices regarding human resources and what are the lessons learned?

Russell: The inside staff moved to virtual and we quickly mandated that all calls be video calls to maintain community and connectivity. We gave the field crew time and pay to travel to sites by car to avoid airline travel.

COVID has been hard on all. From a work performance perspective, it seems most impactful to those with young kids who are now at home helping assist in virtual learning versus dropping the kids off and going to work all day. We have tried to acknowledge this reality. We see emails and team chats flowing through at all hours of the day and even weekends and don’t worry about voids in work or availability during the weekday school hours.

 

SF Magazine: How did your customer relationship management evolve?

Russell: It’s better. Everything is on video now and personal lives are exposed. Dogs are barking, kids are interrupting, and we laugh at the predicaments we are in. No one is worried about neckties and polished shoes.

 

SF Magazine: Do you use any specific tools to be efficient?

Russell: Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

 

SF Magazine: Did you benefit from any government grants or any business adaptation that help keep your business afloat?

Russell: A year ago, at the onset of the pandemic, no one knew what would happen to the global or US economy, so we secured a PPP loan. Thankfully, we haven’t had to rely on the loan to survive, but it’s been nice knowing the funds are there just in case.

 

SF Magazine: How would you predict the solar outlook of the post-COVID era in your country?

Russell: US solar is rolling. It’s now the lowest cost of energy, the easiest to deploy, the least variable as far as future cost fluctuations, and able to be installed at or near the demand. The future (pun intended) is bright for solar.

 

SF Magazine: What do you think your government can do more to accelerate Solar’s adoption?

Russell: The industry has done well to secure incentives, manage through the tariffs, and remove regulatory hurdles. Upgrading and modernizing the nation’s grid to handle and manage all the new generation is critical. Incentives that support this grid transformation are essential.

 

SF Magazine: Your final thoughts?

Russell: The industry has such good energy. We see our competitors more as collaborators, working alongside us to push the adoption of clean solar energy forward.    #ComeBuildWithUs

 

See the original post here: https://mag.solarfeeds.com/how-eb-russell-is-adapting-to-the-covid-pandemic/

Cenergy Power, MCE, RPCS Commission San Francisco Bay Area’s Largest Publicly Owned Solar Project

Posted on by Bri Bruce

MCE Solar One RPCSMONTEREY, CALIF. January 29th, 2018 – RPCS is pleased to congratulate Cenergy Power and sPower on the completion of their MCE Solar One project. A local renewable energy project built on an old refinery, MCE Solar One is a new 60-acre, 10.5 MW ground mount solar farm in Richmond, California.

The project deployed approximately 80,000 ground mounted modules using both a fixed tilt rack as well as single axis trackers, with RPCS supplying and installing the Array Technologies DuraTrack® HZ v3 tracker for the SAT portion. Pre-development costs were covered in part by customers participating in MCE’s Deep Green 100% renewable energy service. Once completed, MCE Solar One will generate renewable energy to power 3,417 homes per year.

MCE and the city of Richmond also committed to a 50 percent local hire requirement to build MCE Solar One, guaranteeing local benefits through clean energy job creation. In supporting this local hire requirement, MCE created over 300 jobs by partnering with RichmondBUILD, a program that focuses on developing skill in the high growth, high wage construction and renewable energy sectors. Eighty percent of graduates from RichmondBUILD’s programs are placed into well-paying jobs. MCE will train and hire skilled graduates of the RichmondBuild program as employees for the project.MCE Solar One RPCS Cenergy

“It’s great seeing an old refinery convert its property to a solar project. Overcoming site-specific environmental and property challenges on this site is proof that more of these projects are going to keep happening. It was a pleasure supporting MCE, sPower, and our long-term partners at Cenergy while providing opportunities for local workers through RichmondBUILD,” said RPCS Chief Sales Officer Alex Smith. “This project is a real achievement for everyone involved and a success for lots of people on lots of different levels. We’re very happy to have helped support MCE Solar One and to congratulate MCE, sPower, and Cenergy Power.”

Together, MCE, sPower, Cenergy, and RPCS are working toward increasing the use of renewable energy resources in an effort to help the state reach its greenhouse gas reduction goals, all while creating local jobs and clean power.

Learn more about the project at https://www.mcecleanenergy.org/news/press-releases/mce-solar-one/

 

About RP Construction Services, Inc.:
RPCS designs and builds ground mount solar projects using the industry’s gold standard for quality, the Array Technologies DuraTrack® HZ v3 Single-Axis Tracker. With over 300 MW and over 180 projects completed or under construction throughout the United States, RPCS provides full turnkey service and support for the industry’s most bankable and reliable tracker. RPCS’s expert knowledge of Array Technologies’ trackers ensures world class turnkey project assistance including site layout optimization, ancillary engineering services, tracker and foundation procurement, and complete mechanical installation. The team at RPCS provides reliable support at every step of the project, delivering a level of quality and efficiency that parallels ATI’s market reputation. For more information about RPCS, please visit rpcs.com or call us at 831.620.2188. 

About Array Technologies, Inc.:
Array Technologies, Inc. is the leading solar tracking solutions and services provider for utility-scale projects. With efficient installation and terrain flexibility coupled with high reliability, durability, and performance, Array delivers the best project returns in the industry. As the chosen tracker for more than 16 GW years of energy production, Array’s products have been optimized through unparalleled experience garnered over nearly three decades. Array Technologies is headquartered in the United States with offices in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East, and Australia. For more information, please visit arraytechinc.com.

 

 

 

 

RPCS Partners with REC Solar to Complete 4.5MW AC Solar Farm for CalPoly

Posted on by Bri Bruce
RPCS REC Solar CalPoly
Photo: REC Solar

MONTEREY, CALIF. – January 26th – On Wednesday, an official ribbon cutting ceremony for Cal Poly’s first solar farm celebrated the successful completion of a high profile and very meaningful solar project. The new solar farm is the first energy-related project since the university announced their goal of climate neutrality.

The 18.5-acre 4.5 MW AC solar site containing more than 16,000 solar panels is located on the western side of the CalPoly campus in San Luis Obispo, California. Set to generate more than 11 million kWh each year (enough to power over 1,000 homes), the solar farm will produce up to 25% of the university’s total electricity needs while creating nearly $17 million in savings.

CalPoly partnered with REC Solar, a San Luis Obispo-based company founded by two CalPoly alumni, and RPCS to design, construct, and install the site. The site is being financed by Duke Energy via a power purchase agreement that will allow CalPoly to purchase energy at a lower rate without paying upfront for the cost of the system’s construction and maintenance.

The solar farm uses ground-mounted single-axis tracking technology from RPCS partner Array Technologies. This innovative technology, specifically Array Technologies’ DuraTrack HZ v3 system, increases energy production of the solar modules by 20 to 25 percent over fixed-tilt systems. RPCS is the trusted DG partner for Array Technologies’ solar tracker systems and provides leading U.S. solar companies with turnkey services in the ground mount utility-scale solar sector.

RPCS REC Solar CalPoly
Photo: REC Solar

The solar farm will also provide an added opportunity for students to study and conduct experiments in a hands-on environment. The site will incorporate a newly created solar engineering and microgrid laboratory to maximize academic applications for students and faculty.

“CalPoly is an important project for a lot of reasons and RPCS is proud to have contributed to its success. It was a pleasure making sure the trackers and installation were perfect and that everything from boundaries, topo, environmental, and schedule challenges were handled beautifully. All of us who worked on this project will remember it and be proud to visit for decades to come,” said Alex Smith, RPCS’s Chief Sales Officer. “Congrats to REC, Duke, and CalPoly’s leadership and students!”

The CalPoly campus is located on California’s Central Coast and in an environmentally sensitive and restricted area, neighboring the area’s iconic Bishop’s Peak. The geological realities for a ground mount project in this location included significant sloping and undulations as well as challenging soils which required sophisticated foundation designs and installation methods.

In addition, the campus neighbors an equestrian center, where subjecting the resident horses to noise was a concern. The team was also under strict regulations to ensure that construction did not interfere with important artifacts from nearby Native American cultural sites. RPCS adjusted its schedule and planned on behalf of REC and Duke to ensure that the installation timing, methods, and durations would be considerate and effective in reducing construction noise and disturbance.

The university is known for its sprawling, breathtaking grounds, so ensuring that it would remain pristine before, during, and after construction was a special goal that RPCS was able to achieve.

About RP Construction Services, Inc.: RPCS designs and builds ground mount solar projects using the industry’s gold standard for quality, the Array Technologies DuraTrack® HZ v3 Single-Axis Tracker. With over 300 MW and over 180 projects completed or under construction throughout the United States, RPCS provides full turnkey service and support for the industry’s most bankable and reliable tracker. RPCS’s expert knowledge of Array Technologies’ trackers ensures world class turnkey project assistance including site layout optimization, ancillary engineering services, tracker and foundation procurement, and complete mechanical installation. The team at RPCS provides reliable support at every step of the project, delivering a level of quality and efficiency that parallels ATI’s market reputation. For more information about RPCS, please visit rpcs.com or call us at 831.620.2188. 

About Array Technologies, Inc.:
 Array Technologies, Inc. is the leading solar tracking solutions and services provider for utility-scale projects. With efficient installation and terrain flexibility coupled with high reliability, durability, and performance, Array delivers the best project returns in the industry. As the chosen tracker for more than 16 GW years of energy production, Array’s products have been optimized through unparalleled experience garnered over nearly three decades. Array Technologies is headquartered in the United States with offices in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East, and Australia. For more information, please visit arraytechinc.com.

 

 

VIDEO: http://ow.ly/wh9Q30ezJru

Official PR from REC Solar: https://recsolar.com/press/cal-poly-dedicates-new-solar-farm/

 

Is Solar a Hobby Job? No Longer!

Posted on by Bri Bruce

first solar rpcsIn 1999, I had an internship at Sunlight & Power as a laborer for solar thermal and PV installations on residences. One day a project would be in Oakland, and the next day we would be in Redwood City. Solar was few and far between; my father called it a “hobby job” …

Today, the Department of Energy estimates that solar jobs are no longer a hobby. In fact, over 250,000 people are employed by this bright emerging technology sector. A light in the dark coal mining history of energy, the renewable energy industry along with distributed energy storage aims to create infrastructure jobs that cannot be exported or imported. Solar installed on US soil must be installed in the US. These jobs are only threatened by politics.

As a microstudy, our little company stgrpcs.wpengine.com has worked with 417 local hires in South Carolina, Colorado, Indiana, New Mexico, Georgia, Florida, California, North Carolina, Tennessee, Nebraska, and Mississippi – and I think I am missing a few others. We provide training and work. Our developer & EPC clients provide these great and expanding opportunities to build infrastructure that is local. In one particular town, Barnwell, South Carolina – the town treated us as family for many of the local sons & daughters came to work with us on the solar farm…. and there is more to come! We cannot stop the sun.

How many people work with your solar company? I bet it’s a growing number.

Why stop that growth? I am yet to hear a valid reason; yes there are technical challenges with storage and distribution – but let’s not run away from those challenges.

When we look at the world, what do we see? China installs solar too, yes. Is that a bad thing? The Chinese have installed more solar in the last 3 years than the USA and Germany (#2 and #3 PV Countries) combined in the last 15 years. Why not benefit from those economies of scale that a global economy creates?

Who are we protecting when we place a tariff?

In India, the price of solar panels has been reported as low as $0.34/watt-DC. The entire WORLD is installing solar these days. Why would we build a tariff wall to put ourselves behind the rest of the world? Let’s use these valuable US dollar$ to buy some non-plastic energy producing goods that will create skilled jobs, improve the infrastructure, and beef up energy security in the USA. If we let this thing ride, the opportunities and jobs will continue to grow.

In the US, new states are embracing wind, solar, and energy storage – with minnesota, illinois, nebraska, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and many more realizing that solar energy is less expensive, and easier to deploy and maintain, than any other type of energy generation.

Let the sun shine in! This industry is not a hobby; it is now a global juggernaut. The USA should be leading the way, so I vote that we raise the bar.

 

Adam Larner
VP Operations, RPCS