The best way to create a solar proposal depends on:
- Type of solar installation (residential/commercial)
- Stage of the sales process (early/mid/contract signing)
This article starts by outlining the key options. But you can skip right to the end for our recommendations.
1. Solar proposal templates
A template is a simple and effective option for creating solar proposals. It can be enough for small solar installation businesses.
You can download free solar proposal templates here.
For a unique and custom-made option, you could pay some on Fiverr to create a proposal for you. I’ve used this method myself in the past. The result only cost €30, but required a lot of time for revisions to get to a satisfactory result.
Unfortunately though, using a template also has its limitations. Most importantly, solar proposal made from a template won’t include detailed energy generation forecasts. That’s where software comes in…
2. Paid solar proposal software
There’s no shortage of paid software available for creating solar proposals. Most work as online platforms, making it quick and easy to get started. Many also offer a free trial.
They mostly follow some variation of the below process:
- Enter customer information
- Draw panels onto a satellite image of the roof
- Specify other system components
- Specify estimates for onsite electricity consumption
- Generate the proposal as a PDF or online quote
Creating a diagram of solar panels on the roof has its pros and cons. On the plus side, customers may prefer to know exactly where the panels will be located. On the downside, blurry satellite images mixed with CGI can result in a less-than-aesthetic result. This can hurt your chance of a sale more than it helps.
Aurora Solar
Aurora Solar is the largest company in the space, valued at $4 billion as of 2022. The platform lets you create a detailed design including the layout of panels on the roof. Proposals are good-looking and include detailed energy generation forecasts.
Pricing: Starting at $159 per month
PVSketch
PVSketch, a product by PVComplete, is another paid solar proposal designer. While the user experience isn’t as sleek as the other options here, PVSketch can produce attractive, detailed, and clear proposals.
Pricing: 5 proposals/month: $0. 20 proposals/month: $50. 100 proposals/month: $100. Unlimited proposals $250/month.
Pylon
Pylon has a per-proposal pricing model. It comes with access to high-resolution satellite imagery for drawing panels on the roof. The proposals that Pylon creates double up as formal quotations/contracts. While this can be convenient, this makes the proposals more wordy and less engaging.
Pricing: Starting at $4 per proposal
3. Free solar proposal software
OpenSolar
OpenSolar is a free competitor to the above paid platforms. Despite the free price, OpenSolar’s technology can work well, and it can create attractive proposals. Like the paid platforms, the OpenSolar platform revolves around drawing solar panels on a satellite image of the customer’s roof.
Pricing: Free and unlimited for solar installers
SolarEdge Designer
SolarEdge Designer lets you design and create proposals for solar PV systems that use SolarEdge microinverters. The proposals it creates are somewhat technical but very cleanly presented.
Pricing: Free
SunnyDesign
Ginlong Solis Design lets you create proposals for systems that use Solis inverters. While certainly not flashy or sleek, the platform is fast, highly responsive, and functional. The proposals it creates contain a lot of technical information, but also clear graphics that will be easier for customers to understand.
Pricing: Free
EasyPV
EasyPV is primarily a design tool, but it can also produce proposals. The proposals it creates are highly detailed and technical. It’s free to use, but only works for hardware distributed by Midsummer Wholesale
Pricing: Free
Nimble Solar
Unlike the other options list, Nimble Solar is not a design software. Instead it’s 100% optimised for creating proposal documents that win solar deals.
Features include:
- Colourful graphics showing how the solar energy system will work
- Easy-to-understand information on the financial benefit from solar
- Clear pricing and system specifications
- Enough technical information to give your customers confidence, without befuddling them
- Fast and easy to use
Pricing: Free and unlimited
The right proposal tool depends on the job
Before choosing a solar proposal tool, consider your goals.
Want to create a detailed electrical system design? Want to create a formal quote/purchase contract? Or convey your value proposition and make a sale?
In practice, most solar installers will want to do all of the above at some point. So your business should probably be using several different tools, rather than one jack-of-all-trades platform. For example:
| Use Case | Tool |
| Residential sales | Nimble Solar |
| Commercial system design | Aurora Solar |
| Purchase contracts | A template prepared by your lawyer |
Author: Dominic Ó Gallachóir
Founder of nimble.solar