Solar project development simulator
See what your solar project developer would turn over, how many buyers you'd win and who you'd lose them to — quarter by quarter for four years — before you spend real money.
Land, permits, an interconnection queue and the buyer at the end of it. This one opens as Brightfield Renewables: A small developer finding sites for community and utility-scale solar, taking them through permits and the interconnection queue, and selling the ready-to-build projects to the funds and utilities that build and own them. Rename it, reprice it, or describe your own solar project developer and let Nova rewrite it to fit.
What a steady developer ends up with
Played steadily for all four years — quality first, then growth, a fair share of the bank spent each year — a steady developer here ends its last year on $9.7m of revenue and $1.3m of profit, with 5 buyers and 0.7% of the market (#5 of 5).
It starts from nothing: $900k in the bank and you, 50 hours a week, with no buyers yet.
People who play it well do better, and a bad plan runs out of money.
Revenue in the last year: $9.7m
Profit in the last year: $1.3m
Buyers at the end: 5
Share of the market: From nothing to 0.7%
Where it finishes: #5 of 5
Years and decisions: 4 years, quarterly
What you'll decide each quarter
Each quarter you set your fees, decide how many people to carry against the work you have won, what to spend on winning the next buyer, and which states you work in.
Each decision shows on a forecast before you file it, and every period resolves against the rivals and the economy.
Who your buyers are
Expertise sells on reputation and is limited by people: every buyer needs somebody's hours, so growing means hiring just ahead of the work without running out of cash first.
700 buyers in all, across Home state, the neighbouring state, the regional grid's other states, the utility's service area and Out-of-region markets.
Independent power producers: Buy ready-to-build projects to own for thirty years, and come back for more. About 385 of them, worth $900k a year each.
Infrastructure funds: Capital looking for a pipeline: portfolios, not single sites. About 210 of them, worth $1.4m a year each.
Utilities: Procurement rounds, a long list of conditions and the biggest projects. About 49 of them, worth $3.6m a year each.
Landowners and community groups: Siting and permitting work on their own land, paid by the job. About 56 of them, worth $45k a year each.
Who you're up against
Three rivals are already in it, and they play to win: they cut prices, spend on marketing and answer what you do. Most of the market is theirs on day one.
The national renewables developer: The biggest, and slow to change — it has stopped listening to its smaller customers. Holds about 28% of the market.
The utility's own development team: Hasn't changed in years and is living off the customers it already has. Holds about 20% of the market.
The regional developer with the land: Wins on price and little else; its customers leave the moment somebody is better. Holds about 12% of the market.
How it works
Free until you start: building and previewing cost nothing, and starting is $10, once.
Build it — free: Press build and you get your own copy of this market: four kinds of buyer, three rivals and five states.
Make it yours: Change any number, describe your solar project developer in a sentence or two and let Nova fill it in, or upload a profit and loss or a month-by-month sales history to fit it to your real figures.
Preview — free: See what a steady developer ends up with, and every warning worth reading, before you pay anything.
Start — $10: Pay once to start, your seat included. Then run it quarter by quarter for four years.
Also for
solar farm · solar developer · solar development · solar project · solar projects · community solar · utility-scale solar · utility scale solar · renewable energy developer · renewable energy · renewables developer · wind farm · battery storage project · energy storage developer · clean energy developer · power purchase agreement · independent power producer
How much does the solar project development simulator cost?
Building and previewing are free: make your own copy of this solar project developer market, change anything in it and see what a steady developer ends up with without paying. Starting the simulation is $10, once, and your own seat is included.
Can I make it match my own solar project developer?
Yes. Every number can be changed — the buyers and what they pay, the rivals, the states, the costs and the starting cash. Or describe your solar project developer in a sentence or two and Nova, SparkTower's AI, fills every section in for one Nova action. If you already trade, upload a profit and loss or a month-by-month sales history and the simulation is fitted to your real numbers, starting from where your business stands today.
Are the numbers realistic for a solar project developer?
The template is checked against what real ones do: played steadily, a believable one finishes year four turning over between $500k and $15m, with between 1 and 20 buyers. This one's preview comes to about $9.7m and 5. Your own prices, costs and figures change that, which is the point of trying it here first.
Can I use it to test a solar project developer business plan?
That is what it is for. Put your plan's prices, costs and starting cash in, play it forward quarter by quarter, and see whether the money lasts, how many buyers you would need and what a rival's price cut does to you — before you put real money in.
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