Sales and Economics (10%)

PVA · 30 questions

• A homeowner in a time-of-use area uses 6 kWh overnight for fridge, lights, Wi-Fi and phone charging and wants that load covered plus next-day cloudy backup for the same loads. The sales rep has meter data and a critical-load list. Which storage estimating method best sizes usable capacity for self-consumption and load shifting?
• A homeowner with good tax liability, a neighbor with little taxable income, and a third buyer short on cash all ask about a 6-kW quote. The state offers an upfront rebate, a tax credit that offsets only tax owed, and a low-rate loan program. Which economic comparison explains tax credits, rebates, and low-interest loans for each buyer?
• A café tenant has her landlord's written approval to install solar on the roof. She wants to keep her cash for a new oven, see a solar cost that stays steady through cloudy weeks, and end the term with no equipment left to own or maintain. Which financing option meets all three goals?
• A sales rep gets a web lead for a 9 kW home system: a renter in a shaded duplex wants zero-down purchase, quick install, and HOA approval handled. The manager asks if the lead is qualified to advance. Which qualification review covers location, utility, and ownership needs?
• Three neighbors request quotes: one tracks payback and bill savings closely, one wants low carbon and clean air, one wants backup during outages and control over rates. Bills, shade, and roofs are similar. Which qualifying summary identifies each customer motivation for financial, environmental, and energy-choice value?
• A salesperson is preparing a preliminary 8-kW home estimate where the customer wants full offset and fast install. The utility caps system size to annual use, needs an interconnection application, and requires an accessible lockable AC disconnect. Which utility interconnection requirement must the estimate recognize to stay valid?
• A family with 9,400 kWh of bills last year plans to buy an EV in six months and runs most loads evenings with higher summer cooling. They want a fair rooftop estimate now. Which preliminary estimating method should the associate use to account for current and anticipated usage and daily/seasonal profile?
• A homeowner in Raleigh wants a quick quote for a 7-kW roof system. The south roof is 18 years old with worn shingles, a 35-degree pitch, and a tall oak shading it until 11 a.m. The west roof is newer and open. Which preliminary system estimate best assesses shading, roof type and age, orientation, and pitch?
• A sales trainee must qualify three leads: a 8-kW home with net billing, a 250-kW warehouse with demand charges, and a 100-MW field with a power purchase contract. The trainee mixes up approval paths and sales cycles. Which market-segment distinction best organizes these PV opportunities?
• A 250-kW ground-mount array for a school district needs predictable budgeting for panel washing, inverter checks, mowing, and fast response if an inverter trips offline during classes. Which service-contract approach best covers inspection, cleaning, and vegetation work for this customer?
• A sales associate meets a family with high summer bills, a pool pump, and gas heat. They bring 12 months of electric bills showing kWh use by month, peak demand, rate plan, and net usage notes. Which bill review best qualifies the customer for a PV proposal?
• A homeowner compares a 7-kW cash purchase versus a high-interest loan while the utility projects steady annual rate hikes. They ask why payback shifts with money cost and bill growth. Which explanation best shows how financing cost and utility rate inflation affect payback?
• A sales rep is preparing a preliminary estimate for a 9-kW home system in a neighborhood with a strict municipal utility, the customer wants net metering, and the install is six weeks out. Which utility interconnection requirement should the estimator recognize first to keep the proposal realistic?
• A suburban client with a 9-kW system, 1:1 export credits, state SREC sales, and a utility battery dispatch offer asks where extra income beyond lowering the bill can come from. Daytime exports are steady and evening peaks pay bonuses. Which revenue opportunity should the advisor explain for dispatchable export income?
• A sales rep quotes a 25-year rooftop system for a home with 18-year-old asphalt shingles and an existing 11-year-old string inverter the owner wants to keep. The customer wants no surprise costs. Which maintenance cost forecast best anticipates equipment and roof replacement costs?
• A customer with high late-afternoon use faces time-of-use rates with pricey 4-9 pm power, a monthly demand charge, and net metering that credits surplus at a lower rate. The seller must size self-use and export timing. Which rate-structure interpretation guides the preliminary estimate?
• A sales rep is quoting a 7-kW home system where the customer compares two bids with different totals and asks what actually drives the final price beyond the panels and inverter on a simple shingle roof with no battery or trenching. Which identification of system price components best answers the cost question?
• A couple requests a 5-kW quote: one partner wants lower utility bills and outage ride-through for a home office, the other wants lower carbon and supporting local clean power. Budget is tight and the roof has minor shading. Which qualifying question should the associate ask to identify customer motivations?
• A sales rep meets a homeowner with good credit, steady tax liability, and limited cash for a 6 kW rooftop system. The state offers an upfront rebate, the federal program offers a credit against taxes owed, and a local bank offers a low-rate loan. The customer asks how each dollar actually helps. Which economics comparison of tax credits, rebates, and low-interest loans best guides the purchase choice?
• A sales rep is sizing a 1,800-sq-ft home that used 10,800 kWh last year, runs a pool pump mostly in summer afternoons, and plans to add an EV next spring with night charging. The utility has high summer time-of-use rates. Which preliminary system estimate method accounts for current and anticipated usage with daily and seasonal profile?
• A caller wants a quote for a suburban home with a south roof, mentioning high bills, a co-op utility, and that they rent with plans to move in two years. Your manager needs only viable leads passed to design. Which qualifying check on location, utility, and ownership should the sales associate complete before a site visit?
• A small bakery pays high afternoon demand fees and faces evening outages, and asks if batteries save money beyond solar kWh. Load data show a sharp 4-7 p.m. peak. Which storage economics should the associate explain to show avoided cost and peak reduction value?
• A sales trainee has three leads: a 8 kW home roof, a 250 kW retail store roof with demand charges, and a 50 MW fenced field selling to a utility, each with different buyers, permits, and interconnection paths. Which distinction among PV market segments best guides the sales approach for these leads?
• A rural customer wants two days of backup for 8 kWh per day of critical loads plus daytime self-consumption, with limited roof space and frequent evening outages. Which preliminary estimate correctly sizes storage needs for backup load, autonomy, self-consumption, and load shifting?
• A salesperson is building a preliminary production estimate during a home visit in the Northern Hemisphere. The array will fit on only one plane: the 6-year-old asphalt shingle roof has a 6:12 south face shaded only over a small area by a chimney from 4 to 6 p.m., while the detached garage offers an unshaded 5:12 east face. Which roof plane should anchor the preliminary production estimate for the array?
• A homeowner with high evening use and a sunny roof asks why two neighbors with same-size systems have very different bills under different utilities. One has net metering, one has time of use with low midday credit, and a small shop faces demand charges. Which rate-structure interpretation should the associate give for a preliminary system estimate?
• A homeowner compares two quotes for the same 8-kW system with identical production: one cash purchase and one high-interest loan, while the local utility filed for multi-year rate hikes. Which statement correctly explains how financing cost and utility rate inflation affect payback for this choice?
• A sales rep must explain a 7-kW home quote to owners comparing two bids with different totals but similar panel counts. The owners ask what actually drives the installed price. Which breakdown correctly identifies system price components for the economics comparison?
• A homeowner is quoted a 8-kW rooftop system with a 25-year module performance promise, a 12-year string inverter warranty, and first-year savings that assume no output change. She plans to stay 20 years and wants true lifetime cost. Which economic assumption correctly accounts for degradation, replacement, and warranty limits?
• You qualify a homeowner with a 12-month utility bill showing kWh use by month, peak demand charges, time-of-use periods, and net-metering credits with rising evening rates. They want bill savings and right-sized solar plus possible batteries. Which utility-bill review best supplies useful data to size and value the project?