August 31, 2005
Helping those in need after Katrina...
"The biggest problem facing authorities, they said, was an inability to communicate."
That is a direct quote from this article which appeared this morning on cnn.com. How can we all help? While I am sure that authorities are gathering resources to help alleviate pain and rebuild, I believe that we can all do something to help the efforts. ICP has a portable power pack which can recharge cellphones, run a radio and a small light. If anyone knows how I can help or my company, please post a comment to this blog entry. Thanks and may we all pray for those who have been affected.
Sass
Posted by sass at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2005
Surpass your goals..
When was the last time you sat yourself down and wrote your top five goals of the year? Do it. Identify your strengths in being able to achieve them. Your weaknesses. How you can use your strengths to achieve them. How you need to shore up your weaknesses.
I bet after one week, you'll have already achieved a couple of them...just because..you finally set them down on paper, realized what you had to do to achieve them and did it. Those are probably the easy two...the real achievement may be the other three for they did not come as easily or naturally.
Two of mine were; more personal family time, and exercise. So I've just booked two hours a week of tennis with my wife and kids each and every week, plus a family vacation for two weeks (instead of my usual one week) WITHOUT laptop. Go figure! Two goals on their way to being met just one week after my "intervention"...gotta love life when you take it by the neck and make it yours.
Remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. Now go be breathless...
Sass
Posted by sass at 11:41 PM | Comments (0)
August 28, 2005
Will $100 per barrel make a difference...
So at what point do people actively start to search for alternatives to fuel? When are they driven to ask themselves..is there another way?
It's interesting to see the number of people suddenly driven to look at solar, when they previously found it a novelty and still "out there" in terms of choices. Website hits have grown 20% just in the last month alone. Calls to service lines are going nuts...but the problem is still there...supply is not able to match demand.
So add to this crazy situation fuel looking to go even higher than its current price, and you can see that its going to be a while before the cost of solar goes down...that is until capacity catches up or disruptive technologies that are not bogged down in the silicon bottleneck emerge.
For now, $100 a barrel fuel is looking quite possible and yet another driver of the industry. Now if only dealers could get panels to sell!
Sass
PS. CNN Update, August 31st. $4 per gallon predicted soon. Here comes the sun..
Posted by sass at 08:56 PM | Comments (2)
August 25, 2005
Raise da Roof..
The solar slate we've all been waiting for is finally about to be placed on new roofs for beta testing. This is the beginning of a new era in solar power for homes. It looks like a roof, installs like a roof, and maybe we'll even make it smell like a roof (they say that products which attract all senses win more hearts, minds and wallets!).
Yesterday, this article appeared in our local paper. The kudos belong to Tony, Phil, Randy, Tom, Chris and everyone attached to this great team that is bringing it to market. Spain will be the first install. And with the initiatives coming to Canada...who knows but maybe we'll soon see a solar roof in our neck of the woods. One thing for sure, it will be like "finding Waldo", since you won't be able to tell the roof tiles from the solar one...
Sass
PS. The solar panel you see me holding is our "formerly known as" 18Watt unit. We're taking the same marketing approach as "Prince" did..until we release its new name!
Posted by sass at 03:20 PM | Comments (1)
August 24, 2005
Unique Abilities...do you have one?
So what makes you different from anyone else? How do you feel you surpass others in an area of competence? This is called by some your "Unique Ability".
Focusing on what you do best is what will bring you or others the greatest return. Focusing on what you don't do so well only prevents you from excelling at that which you could. The strategic coach concept is one that I have not embraced until today. Today was life changing. I met a coach. I sat with him for three hours. I am changed. Well, let me rephrase. I have the potential to change. I need to embrace those areas where my "unique ability" makes me stand out, recognize the weaknesses that I have in others, and share the rewards that come from partnering with other people that compliment my skill sets in whatever I wish to accomplish.
If today, you spend 10% of your time delivering to your company in the area of your special capabilities, imagine what you could deliver to them if you spent 50%. Salesmen who are bogged down by severe administrative duties are being prevented from spending time selling...which is why you pay them the big bucks in the first place! The more time they are freed up to sell, the more they sell. Consider the biz model that has eradicated assistants and coordinators. So now you have a $300K per annum sales superstar filling out forms and reports each day when they could take that time to make you millions. How foolish is that?
Now put yourself in this picture and figure out how you can make your company more money. Remember its all about returns. Personal or corporate. What if you could double your vacation time yet still double your income?
If you think this makes sense, then visit this site for more information about strategic coaching. It could be life changing...
Sass
Posted by sass at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)
August 22, 2005
Solar Profit Sandwich
Silicon feedstock doubles in price. Solar cells go up by 30%. Retail prices gain only 5-20%. See the solar squeeze?
Everyone is complaining about it. What to do? Innovate. Separate. Distinguish....or die. With an industry short of supply, but consumers unwilling to pay much more, we all need to be aware of the solar price squeeze symptom. It will surely affect more at the higher end of the power spectrum where its already difficult to get consumers to fork out $40K for a solar-powered home system. Yet it will also affect the lower power spectrum as well. So the key to surviving in such a market, will be to distinguish.
When you have solar dealers operating at 5% margin on a solar panel, a full margin retailer sell that same solar panel and seem competitive. And nobody that I know wants to look uncompetitive! So the choice is to either take a serious margin bite and hope you can make it up on other things (ie. solar becomes a loss leader for you), or you innovate and separate by offering products, services, etc. that others don't.
The market is set to continue price hikes into 2006. We have not seen the end of it yet. Yet I feel that around second half 2006, we should begin to see the effects of new feedstock plants coming online and thus some relief. It will surely be welcome.
In a world where everything linked to oil (from plastics to transport) is going up in cost, the last thing we need is for renewable energy to become far too expensive to afford.
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:29 AM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2005
Solar Size doesn't matter!
Here's an argument for small is big.
Take your boat for example. There is already not much room on a boat to put a solar panel. Some manufacturers dream of placing glass panels on powerboats near the rear. Really? When was the last time you put glass that can shatter in the way of people that want to get in and out of your boat to ski or dive?
So at the very least, try to find the most dense power per foot panels. There are also mounts that permit you to avoid drilling the boat deck or even placing the panel on rails (the ultimate because you can then point the panel to the sun and even double the power you receive from your panels). For ATV's make sure your wire leads are long enough to come down from a shed roof. Nobody I know leaves a solar panel outdoors hanging around on their motorcycle or ATV. It's clumsy and not practical. Besides your friendly neighborhood bear might mistaken it for dessert...
Another example is RV's. Most people do NOT wish to drill holes through the roof of their valuable "second homes". So try to find a solar panel with "feet" that you can glue down. In Europe, gluing is standard practice, but not yet in America. Ask your RV dealer or favourite store if they have such accessories.
For RV winterization/maintenance, find a panel small enough that it fits just above your air conditioner but powerful enough to maintain the battery.
For RV large power applications, find some flat spaces that won't interfere with your desire to park yourself on your roof at the next NASCAR race! Remember to position the panels so that if you later on wish to expand your system (over 25% of RVers expand their solar systems later on) you can easily do it.
Anyways, just a word of caution. Bigger is not better in solar. Think japanese. The more compact the full-featured cellphone, the more valuable it is. You can usually rate the technology of the product you are buying by its "real world" power density.
Knowledge is power. Small is big.
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:09 AM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2005
Max Power vs Min Power..is it martian to you?
Did you know that all amorphous silicon solar panels, which constitute the majority of panels under 20watts being sold by retailers in the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia, suffer from a reduction of power after soaking in light for periods of time?
In fact, the effect begins the second these panels see light. Within a few months, power output of such panels is reduced. In some cases, "sun-forced" degradation is almost 45% (according to University of California testing). In ICP's thin film panels, it's under 25%.
Now assuming you want to use your panels for years, it means that if you want to know your power needs for your application, you may need to increase your panel needs by up to 25% to be safe. This does not apply to the crystalline (blue) panels which are pre-stabilized in the manufacturing process. (The flip side is that ICP's thin film creates up to 20% more amps per watt than crystalline in real life so there is a balance which is close to net-zero with ICP panels).
This is why ICP is adopting a new labelling protocol which shows both initial and stable power (labelled as "max" and "min" under Standard Test Conditions). This is a huge shift for an industry that prefers to advertise its initial power simply because it looks like you are getting more for less. This is yet another step towards our "truth in advertising" mantra that you have seen me pushing for a while.
When we presented this to our major clients, they were concerned about how the customer would be educated. Some asked why we are still showing the "max" rating if it only lasts a short while, to which we responded that until the governments mandate the "min power" rating only, we can't be the lone wolf out there doing this.
Don't get me wrong, I will be delighted the day that the solar associations in America wake up and enforce such rating protocols! Meantime, we have to help retailers evolve to the truth while maintaining their perceived competitive position in the marketplace in which they play.
I know that legitimate solar manufacturers in the marketplace are applauding this position, so tis' not the sound of one hand clapping that you hear...
Sass
PS> No insult meant by the title to any martians reading this entry.
Posted by sass at 06:08 PM | Comments (2)
August 15, 2005
Sean es un donante!
Congrats to Sean O'Donoghue, our Montreal-based engineer and consumer service technician. Sean kept in touch with a group that was raising funds for cancer and help them with power products for their worldwide tour. You can view their site here.
Although its in french, what I want you to "get" is that the cause is noble..to beat a terrible disease. I salut Manon Horwood for her passion and tenacity in cycling the world to raise funds. Of course, Manon is not yet as famous as Hillary Clinton, who is also blogging for hope yet her contribution is just as important. Keep the faith and please give...
Sass
Posted by sass at 05:51 PM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2005
Lights for Learning
Imagine kids being burned accidentally by kerosene lamps in an african home. That is what is happening all across Africa in homes where they use kerosene lamps for lighting.
Along came "Lights for Learning" , a non-profit charitable group that put together a solar powered lighting kit using donated solar panels from ICP and other components to try to help homes move away from expensive and dangerous kerosene lamps.
You can even see one being installed on an african home here . Or see the panel on a thatched roof!
With over 3billion people on earth having no running electricity, imagine a world in which each home generated its own. Imagine the contribution to themselves and to the rest of the world that people empowered through light can make?
An old tanzanian saying goes like this: "I pointed out to you the stars (the moon) and all you saw was the tip of my finger."
If you know of other organizations engaged in such good work, please let me know how we can support them. And PLEASE see beyond the tip of the finger and help people like Lights for Learning empower those without power. Through empowerment, we all win.
Thanks
Sass
Posted by sass at 09:24 AM | Comments (1)
August 12, 2005
Kongratulations Kenya
The Kenyan government has just announced that ALL solar panels entering the country will have to be certified moving forward...YEAH!
This is the first government to finally recognize the need to validate off-grid solar panels. While most governments have held either IEC, CE or UL certification for "grid-tied" solar panels, there has been little regulation of panels that are not tied to the electric grid.
Let's hope that this is the beginning of a trend that translates into other countries following this example. I know this probably means that there are more false-rated panels now available for other markets, but as I've said before, the truth shall always prevail, it may just take a bit more time than some of us would like...
Off to view more Canadian Open tennis. Agassi was awesome last night...
Sass
Posted by sass at 08:49 AM | Comments (1)
August 11, 2005
Controller Cons
Just when I thought I had uncovered all the cons under the sun... another one is "forced" upon us!
The same group which brought to North America the most outrageous examples of solar panel rating exaggerations (ie. the less is more theory!) is now offering a "30Amp controller" which in fact does control 30Amps...for 30 seconds! In actual fact, the consistent amperage it can control is only 21Amps. So here you are, about to connect 25Amps of solar panel output to that control and POOF...it burns out, or worse, it ruins the other balance of system components you have purchased with hard earned money.
Oh well, here we go again. Hopefully none of you will be subject to the "fries" these controllers could create for your systems...if so, my suggestion is that you take the entire system back for a full refund.
I suspect that as the solar industry becomes more important, there will be greater regulation to force these types of groups out of the market...a guy can dream can't he?
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2005
Letting the sunshine do good...
September 9th is the date. For anyone who cares to join in this cause, my ICP team will be volunteering at the Linda Saab Annual Breast Cancer Golf Tournament here in Montreal, Canada. Its' an annual event started by a fine gentleman who lost his wife to that terrible disease. Hole sponsorhips are $300 and playing is $150CAD. The ICP team volunteers its day in support as the hole monitors, drink dispensers and fun providers. Support is welcome from across the globe. Givers get...remember?
For more information, contact Issy (my amazing assistant) at idossantos@icpsolar.com or +1.514.270.5770 x147. Merci. Thanks. Xie Xie. Todah Rabah. Choukran. Gracias. Gracie. Kamsamnida. Arigato. Danke schön. Shnorhagallem. Tashakkur. Shukriya. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Posted by sass at 05:47 AM | Comments (1)
August 07, 2005
Do your consumers trust you?
This morning, as my kids were watching TV, I observed my wife struggling to cut what looked like a bar of gritty soap. When prodded, she told me it was the dishwasher pellet which she regularly cut because she learned that they were exaggerating the amount of detergent that you really needed to do a good job.
Basically what she was saying is that she figured this out and many people may not yet have. Like the "repeat" instruction on the shampoo bottles, this was simply done to sell more soap. You didn't really need that much, but they wanted you to go back to the store for more in a shorter time. Is that brilliant marketing? The shampoo people think they are clever. Short term maybe...long term I believe not.
We face the same issue in solar. What do you really need? Are we being honest? To those two questions I would dare say that few are being told the truth, both about what you need and about what you are getting.
November 1st. A new brand is launching in the solar world that will capture the hearts and minds of its consumers because of its brutal honesty. It will be a long road, but it will win in the end. Thankfully we have the backbone and support to ride it. Already a number of our major customers have signed up for 2006. But it usually takes appealing to a party who is ethical and wants integrity and respect to be the hallmark of their company's brand. Certainly there are some for which only the short-term gain is important. If they don't feel their customer includes those values in how they judge their company, then they are not likely to buy into this kind of approach. We'll kindly respect their decision and agree to walk away. It won't be for long. Already two major retailers returned to ICP as a vendor-partner this year because they figured out for themselves what we had been saying was the truth all along.
Back to the detergent analogy. We manufacture a solar panel for Winnebago rated at 10Watts (true max power actually closer to 12watts due to improvements), yet we have been pushing 15-18Watts as the need for a medium sized RV...why? Because, like other solar makers with similar technology, its more profitable to sell a full plate than to cut it. We get to sell you more watts than you need for that application. Just like shampoo or diswashing detergent, you are sold on more than what you really need. That ends November 1st. The anticipation is killing me, but it will be well worth it.
Trust..something that is hard to win but harder to win back.
Sass
PS. An interesting blog entry in Seth Godin's blog about who we trust the most..
Posted by sass at 12:11 PM | Comments (1)
Priorities in life...
Last night, my eldest son was very angry. When prodded, he let out that I had been travelling so much this year that his friend's first question was "is your dad in town?". My reaction was simple. I cancelled a trip to the Solar Congress in Orlando. Besides, Randy and Tom, both senior level people in my team, are capable of handling it.
So why was I going in the first place? Well I didn't sleep much last night until I came up with the answer. Having been defrauded by a previous group of managers who took everything from pictures to text files from our network to use for their competitive line, I was having a hard time empowering through trust.
Go figure! Here I have been professing about empowering a team while I was doing the complete opposite by overseeing even this trade show and other stuff that a CEO should really not be involved with. They say "out of the mouth of babes" come much truth. Like the little girl who asked her mom why she could not have the picture right away once taken, which led her father to develop the Polaroid camera.
We all need to remember that few fathers ever said on their death beds "I didn't work enough days in my life", but I bet there are more than a handful that wished they had spent more time with their kids. I guess I needed a sign to make sure I don't end up with such regrets...
Sass
PS.Dear ET,
Thank you.It was a much needed wake-up call that helped me re-prioritize. You've said I should pursue those guys who stole from ICP to the end of the earth. All in time son. Good things come to those who have patience. We'll certainly do that. But mostly we will focus on winning the hearts and minds of our customers. The truth will be our ally. Love you, Dad.
Posted by sass at 11:55 AM | Comments (2)
August 05, 2005
The heart says "i want it", but the wallet says "ouch"!!!
It's that time of year when the industry presents its next year's product and programs to the dealer and distributor base. Normally vendors walk in and the customers are eager to hear about price discounts.
However this year, customers are more likely to want to know how we are going to supply! Luckily, we're in a good position due to long term supply contracts and our own manufacturing facility. But for others, there is a real problem. If you are a distributor or dealer, even if you have contracts, there has been and will continue to be shortages in the industry. Sharp, one of the industry leaders, just announced price increases of up to 19% on their modules in the USA market!
Recently, I was interviewed by thewatt.com's Ben Kenney on this topic. If you're interested, you can click here to listen in. Ben's questions centered around how the industry is going to handle the growth of demand as well as the issues of standards.
So for anyone wanting to buy solar, if you can get your hands on it, and you can verify that its made by a reputable maker (the manufacturer is not necessarily the same as the brand that appears on the solar panel), then my suggestion is that you grab it! Here's another link indicating what is happening in pricing now and expected to continue through 2006...
Regards from my "holiday",
Sass
PS> Sharp's brave announcement is attached here Download file
Posted by sass at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)
August 02, 2005
What's your brand?
So you think you have a brand? Tell me, what does your brand stand for? Is it just a name, a logo, a funky slogan you thought of on your den couch while watching TV? Did you even ever give it more thought or effort? Or is it a personal image that you have of yourself?
Take for example, the current CEO of Canadian Tire, Wayne Sales. When I think of his name, I conjure up thoughts of successful, marketing-savvy, driven, community-oriented, understands the public markets, strong leader. His brand is relevant to me because he leads an organization which I have served and will surely again serve in the future as a "vendor-partner" (that was a term I first heard from his lips back in the mid-90's far before anyone else was using it).
All too often, people are confused about the definition of their own brands. The less effort they put in, the lower the value of the brand. Look at Coke. Investing hundreds of millions in a brand rather than a technology. The results? A bottle whose shape they own, a brand that is worldwide and a business model that is sustainable and valuable.
When looking to determine if you really have a brand, ask people what comes to their minds when they think of you. You then have the information to understand your own personal brand. Ever ask customers what they think of when they think of your company? Do you have a image of innovator, deliverer, low-cost producer, value-driven? Or do they see your company as a pain in the ass to work with (in which case your relationship will only last as long as they really need you!).
Your brand is a reflection of your business. It does not mean that your brand stands for tremendous marketing like Coke's does. Your brand stands for what you are. And the sooner you know how you're seen, the sooner you know if it matches how you WANT to be seen...
Below is a list of questions that you can ask yourself to determine what your brand is:
What do I/we stand for?
What am I (are we) passionate about?
How am I (are we) different from other people (businesses) that provide the same or similar products or services?
What are my/our strengths?
What is my/our specialty?
What are my/our values?
What do my/our clients most value about what I/we provide?
What am I (are we) trying to accomplish?
What problems do I/we help our clients solve?
What do I/we want to be known for?
Do I/we have any "quirks" that I/we can incorporate into my/our brand image?
Answer these questions for yourself and your organization. You'll then discover whether you really have a consistent message and deliver on it.
Can anyone out there guess what the Sass Peress brand stands for? Let me know through comments so that I can learn what you think of me. It will help me determine whether how I see myself matches how others see me, and then take the actions necessary to match the two and take them both to where I want my brand to be!
Solar regards,
Sass
PS> If you're interested in what a real guru has to say, noting the difference between brands (passive) and branding (active), read this blog entry by Seth Godin...
Posted by sass at 08:19 AM | Comments (2)