SunCast 859: Patrick Crane’s Plan to Cut Solar Costs in Half
Sep 30, 2025
Patrick Crane, Global Head of Growth at OpenSolar and a veteran in the solar industry, shares insights on cutting solar costs in half. He reveals how improving customer acquisition through referrals can dramatically lower expenses. Patrick discusses AI's role in streamlining customer design experiences, speeding up sales, and tackling permitting hurdles. He emphasizes the necessity of consolidating tech stacks to unlock further savings and promotes a retail-style website approach to enhance accessibility and transparency in solar sales.
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Referral Engine Scaled Sungevity Growth
- Patrick Crane describes using LinkedIn-style referral tools at Sungevity to drive over one third of sales from referrals.
- That program cut CAC from ~$4,000 to under $2,000 by asking for referrals at the moment of highest customer happiness.
Use Small Incentives Plus Shareable Links
- Offer a modest financial incentive and referral tools like unique share links to mobilize customers.
- You don't need huge payouts because community motivation often outweighs cash rewards.
AI Turns Leads Into Immediate Sales
- AI-driven on-site design and instant estimates boost engagement and move customers from inquiry to decision.
- OpenSolar's AI lead-gen can raise conversion rates from ~10–20% into the high 20s–30s and shorten sales timelines.