In our Popular RECs series, we’ve explored how Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) can generate additional income and what it takes to register and sell them. In this third installment, we look at how to maximize their value and stand out in a growing market. While every REC certifies the generation of 1 MWh of renewable energy, not all REC transactions deliver the same impact. Here are three key factors that help ensure RECs contribute to a faster and more inclusive energy transition: Pricing that justifies registration and encourages new projects. RECs linked to projects with high social and environmental impact. Strong operational practices that differentiate developers. REC prices are rising in Mexico and that accelerates the energy transition In Mexico, REC prices have increased significantly, from USD $1.0–$1.50 a year ago to current offers of up to $3.7 per REC . At this level, developers have a real incentive to certify and sell their RECs. A market with fair, sustainable prices enables developers to: Install more renewable energy capacity. Improve operations and maintenance services. Strengthen the financial sustainability of their projects. For buyers, paying a price that benefits developers means they’re actively supporting the energy transition. Today, a 500 kWp distributed solar site that used to generate $700 annually in RECs can now generate around $2,590 (before costs). This can start moving the needle for developers who want to grow. You can sell your RECs at a premium if they have social and environmental impact Many companies purchase RECs not only to meet their Scope 2 goals, but also to support projects that positively impact the communities where they operate. There are buyers paying up to $30 for them, which in countries like Mexico is 10 times the price of a traditional REC. Examples of high-impact RECs include: RECs generated by projects in schools, hospitals, or nonprofit organizations , where clean energy improves quality of life and reduces operational costs. RECs from regions where the grid still relies heavily on fossil fuels , where new clean energy projects have a higher emissions reduction potential. RECs from underserved regions , areas with unreliable grids, or remote locations. These RECs tend to fetch better prices because they channel financing where it’s most needed . As a developer, this additional income may make the difference between installing a project in a high impact site versus holding off. Differentiate as a REC generator and sell your RECs at a better price Beyond project type and pricing, buyers are increasingly paying attention to who develops and operates solar sites. Not all developers are the same ; and those with strong practices have a real competitive edge. At Popular Power, we’ve developed an innovative framework to evaluate developers across seven key categories. A few examples include: Community engagement : Relationships with local communities and direct project benefits. Waste management : Reduction, recycling, and responsible material disposal strategies. Labor practices : Fair working conditions, equity, and worker safety. These practices not only improve project impact, but also help unlock premium pricing and attract top-tier buyers . It’s time to position yourself in a market that’s evolving The REC market is evolving. Beyond certifying clean energy, RECs are now a tool to channel financing toward projects that create economic value, social impact, and operational excellence. For developers, this is a real opportunity to generate sustainable income and boost competitiveness. At Popular Power, we work closely with our clients to assess their portfolios, help them capture better prices, highlight their impact, and prepare for a market that rewards those who do things right. Our goal: to drive a more equitable, inclusive, and financially viable energy transition. ¿Interested in exploring more? Contact us stephanie@popularpower.io

In the first entry of the Popular RECs series, we explored how Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) can become a new source of income for a solar portfolio. But once you identify this potential, a key question arises: what do you need to start issuing RECs? To turn potential of RECs into real income for your solar portfolio, you must consider these three key elements: Rights and ownership: Secure the rights to the environmental attribute, clearly defining in contracts who retains ownership of these certificates. Registration process: Registering solar sites for REC issuance requires detailed documentation, and it's important to centralize information and ensure it's correct. Efficient monitoring:  A centralized monitoring platform facilitates the collection of energy generation data, maximizing the potential for REC issuance. Rights to the Environmental Attribute: The Starting Point A Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) represents the environmental attribute associated with 1 MWh of energy generated from renewable sources. This enables better traceability of clean energy within the grid. To sell RECs, securing the commercialization rights to this environmental attribute is essential. While the owner of a solar asset typically retains these rights, financing contracts and power purchase agreements (PPAs) don’t always make this explicit. For turnkey solar system developers, REC rights usually transfer to the system owner unless a specific agreement allows the developer to retain them. If you want to benefit from this additional income stream, it’s strategic to structure agreements that allow you to share the value of RECs with clients. This can take the form of: Discounts on operation and maintenance services Incentives to expand installed capacity Partial coverage of spare parts or system improvements The purpose of commercializing RECs is to accelerate the energy transition. As a developer, reinvesting this income into system performance and operational improvements strengthens both your business and your impact. To ensure a smooth REC commercialization process: Define rights from the beginning.  Clearly establish who retains the RECs in your contracts with clients and financiers. Include clauses in PPAs.  If retaining REC rights is part of your business model, make sure provisions reflect this. Negotiate transfers in turnkey sales.  Explore strategies to share the value of RECs with clients to create win-win agreements. Clarifying REC ownership early on prevents roadblocks and allows you to strategically leverage their value. Simplifying the Registration of Your Sites Once you’ve secured the rights to commercialize RECs from your solar portfolio, the next step is registering your sites. While the registration and issuance process may seem complex due to varying standards and data requirements, understanding the basics can simplify the path forward. Internationally, the I-TRACK Standard Foundation is the most widely used standard, while in Colombia and some Central American countries, Ecogox also plays a role. Before a site can issue RECs, it must be registered and audited by a local issuer—Normex in Mexico and Fundación Ecsim or Ecogox in Colombia. This requires detailed documentation , including installed capacity and installation data, GPS location and site photographs, Meter evidence, serial numbers and inverter brand details, among others. Although most solar developers already have this data, it’s often scattered across different formats, making registration cumbersome and costly. To streamline certification: Keep technical documentation organized.  Ensure easy access to all required data. Centralize portfolio information.  Avoid scattered files across multiple locations. At Popular Power, we simplify this process by centralizing your documentation, identifying applicable standards, and managing audits—accelerating the registration of your sites so you can start generating RECs faster. Monitoring Energy Generation Once your sites are registered, continuous monitoring of energy generation is key. Periodic reporting is required for REC certification, but without a centralized platform, developers often struggle to collect data from multiple sources—especially if their portfolio includes different inverter brands. This can make issuing RECs slow and inefficient. Popular Power eliminates this challenge.  Our platform seamlessly integrates energy generation data in one place, regardless of the inverter brands you use. Plus, our advanced analytics help you, identify performance improvement opportunities, schedule strategic maintenance, and ensure each installation operates at peak efficiency. This translates to higher energy generation and more RECs available for commercialization. To optimize monitoring: Integrate your inverter data.  Avoid manual data collection from multiple platforms. Centralize real-time information.  Gain full visibility into your systems’ performance. Use predictive analysis.  Anticipate maintenance needs and enhance efficiency. With Popular Power, monitoring is no longer a bottleneck—it’s a competitive advantage that maximizes both your energy production and REC revenue. Success Case: Navajo Power Home One example of this in action is Navajo Power Home, a solar developer installing residential and commercial systems across the Navajo Nation. Individually, each site has a relatively small installed capacity, but collectively, their annual generation represents a substantial volume of RECs. Through Popular Power’s platform, Navajo Power Home has streamlined the registration and sale of these RECs, unlocking new revenue streams for their projects and communities. Stay tuned for more success stories in this series! Turning Potential into Reality Turning REC potential into real income requires three key steps: Securing the rights  to the environmental attribute Registering your sites correctly Efficiently monitoring energy generation While these steps can seem complex, the right tools make them both accessible and profitable. At Popular Power, we simplify each stage: clarifying rights management, centralizing all necessary documentation, integrating generation data from multiple inverters, and connecting you with buyers to maximize REC value. What was once a fragmented technical process is now a streamlined strategy to boost your solar portfolio’s profitability. Are you ready to unlock this new revenue stream? Popular Power is here to guide you every step of the way—turning challenges into opportunities and potential into tangible results.

Did you know that your solar projects could be generating more value than you think? Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are creating new monetization opportunities for solar developers, and the time to take advantage of them is now. The urgency of the energy transition has never been clearer. Today, less than a third of Mexico’s electricity comes from clean sources,  and power generation accounts for a quarter of the country’s emissions. The Mexican grid faces three major challenges: (1) demand is growing faster than supply, (2) transmission infrastructure has critical deficiencies, and (3) there is an urgent need to increase the share of renewable energy. The situation across Latin America is similar. While many countries benefit from cleaner grids due to large hydroelectric plants, phenomena like El Niño can make them less reliable. This is why decarbonizing, decentralizing, and diversifying our energy sources has become one of the greatest challenges of our time. Redirecting financing—historically skewed towards fossil fuels—toward clean, decentralized, and reliable energy infrastructure is essential. But what mechanisms exist to incentivize solar developers to accelerate the energy transition? One key solution lies in Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Understanding RECs: Your new source of revenue When you generate 1 MWh of renewable electricity and inject it into the grid, it mixes with energy from other sources. Companies with environmental commitments cannot physically track how much of the electricity they consume comes from clean sources—unless they generate it themselves or purchase it through a power purchase agreement. RECs allow them to claim credit for using renewable energy, even if they haven’t generated it directly. Historically, certifying RECs has been tedious and expensive, so only large plants have typically undergone the process. At Popular Power, we want to change that by ensuring distributed solar developers can access this market easily and without complications. The REC market in Mexico is also expanding. As of last year, more than 400 companies worldwide were part of RE100, an initiative bringing together corporations committed to using 100% renewable energy. Many of these companies already operate—or are beginning to operate—in Mexico and other Latin American countries, driven by nearshoring. This has led to rising demand and prices for RECs. If you’re a solar developer, now is the time to enter the market and start monetizing the environmental attributes of your portfolio . With 10 MW of distributed solar capacity, a developer could generate around USD $20,000 per year in additional revenue from RECs. To put that into perspective: this could cover 20% of your operation and maintenance costs! Unlocking value with Popular Power Popular Power provides a comprehensive solution to optimize the management of your solar portfolio. With our platform, you can: Centralize monitoring of your portfolio in real time Automate client reports  Improve the performance of your solar plants In addition to these operational improvements, we help you easily access the REC market. We simplify the registration and certification process, allowing you to generate additional income in a simple and efficient way. This means you can increase revenue, reduce costs, and focus on what truly matters— growing your solar business. Every day that your solar projects do not generate RECs, you are leaving money on the table. Contact us today and discover how Popular Power can help you unlock the true potential of your solar portfolio. We will be present at the first ever I-REC Day México this February 21st 2025 , contact   stephanie@popularpower.io  if you want to meet up! -- Popular Power is a solar monitoring software solution designed for solar companies operating in the C&I segment. Our hardware-agnostic platform integrates site monitoring into a single interface, providing customers with actionable data and insights on their solar portfolios. Why #GetPopular? Our customers can ensure system uptime (increasing revenue), optimize O&M (cutting costs), and streamline reporting and monitoring (saving time on manual processes).

Popular Power exhibited at RE+ 2024 in Anaheim, an annual event that brings together over 40,000 professionals from the renewable energy industry Last week, we got to officially introduce Popular Power to the industry at RE+ 2024 in Anaheim. It's inspiring to work collectively, with purpose, on the greatest challenge of our time: the energy transition. This excitement and ambition were palpable at RE+ 2024. The event brought together over 40,000 professionals from the renewable energy industry, fostering collaboration and innovation. As we reflect on our experience, where Popular Power was recognized as a Top 10 Startup, we'd like to share some key insights that stood out. Here are our main takeaways from this year's conference. Takeaway # 1: Healthy environment for growth and M&A in the $40Bn solar PV software space Lots of opportunities for M&A and partnership opportunities in the $40Bn solar PV software space, whether for or with established companies or smaller startups. I predict there will be significant consolidation in the solar PV software industry in the next 5-10 years. It was also great to see the AI developments in the solar software space. I sensed potential customers (solar companies) were curious about AI solutions. I found it refreshing that AI solutions weren’t overhyped as they are in other industries. Solar companies are hyper-focused on deployment and growing their installed capacity (plus, it’s a competitive industry), so I predict they will be smart about choosing AI solutions that affect topline KPIs or significantly automate current manual processes. Takeaway # 2: Specialized software tools proved more effective at demonstrating their value Software solutions with a more narrow focus (at least in marketing & communications) stood out more because they could more clearly communicate their value to solar companies. In 2024, I'm not sure how relevant “one software to rule them all” is, especially in a world where software can be compared to tools in a toolbelt. Yes, some tools are more universal than others-- but you also need more specialized tools to get certain jobs done. Several solutions marketed as the CRM or ERP for solar cos (at all market segments: residential, C&I, and utility-scale) struggled to stand out in my opinion. Unfortunately, saying you can do "everything" is too ambiguous-- so, the potential customer is left thinking the offer is "nothing." Takeaway # 3: Post-sales is the next big thing in the solar industry The post-sales problem is about to be a way bigger problem, aka opportunity. What is the post-sales / O&M problem? Right now, as an industry, we are hyper-focused on everything that happens leading up to the sale: lead generation, design, proposal, quoting, installation plan, etc. This hyper focus on pre-sales / sales means that solar companies often (unintentionally) forget about the world of opportunities that exist to generate value once the solar asset is installed. Installed solar assets will generate a lifetime of value and data– plus, they need maintenance. Post-sales is everything that happens once an asset is installed– such as Operations & Maintenance (O&M), upselling, REC & other incentive generation, and end-user reporting. I saw confirmation of my thesis that post-sales (everything that happens once an asset is installed) is going to be a much bigger focus next in solar. To date, software solutions have focused on pre-sales because that’s where the money is (I sell solar = I get paid). Several factors are leading to the higher focus on post-sales and O&M: Sunpower going out of business and leaving 100k+ homes without a service provider in the USA Several solar sales scams uncovered in the past 3 years, meaning customers are wary of companies with post sales service and O&M plan We are coming up on the expiration date of service for many initial PPAs in the industry in the USA, which means PPA customers (C&I) are analyzing what to do now for O&M Due to the general growth of distributed solar in the USA (and worldwide), it’s natural that many companies popped up to sell, install, and make a quick buck— and are now out of business. These are just some examples of factors that have contributed to end users of solar being left with no service provider. It’s so common that we now have a word for it: solar orphans. Today, solar companies providing solar should be paying attention to post-sales in order to stay competitive and relevant. Especially because it’s something that end-users of solar will be looking for in a service provider. Takeaway # 4: The post-sales software space is growing and is a space to watch While there may be clear winners or dominating players in the “pre-sales” (lead gen, design, quoting, proposals, etc.) software space ( OpenSolar ,   Aurora Solar ,   SOLO LLC ), there are no clear winners in post-sales– especially due to takeaway #3 (this is a new problem / opportunity). This is a space to watch.

It’s official– the best solar companies are Popular Powered! Last week, Popular customer  Navajo Power Home  received monumental recognition from leading private-sector and government entities across the United States, including  Qcells North America , The  U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) , and  Clean Energy for America .  Navajo Power Home uses the Popular Power platform to manage its portfolio of 270+ solar sites, including key activities such as: Register site installations, including photos, paperwork, and contracts Register routine and corrective maintenance visits, including checklists and photos Manage, assign, and view all technician’s O&M activities; plus analyze frequency and recurrence of corrective maintenance issues Track and monetize over $70k USD annually in Renewable Energy Credits Track and report KPIs to leverage >$10M USD in financing We are proud to be Navajo Power Home’s primary software tool and we look forward to continuing to be their partner in growth as they scale to reach 1,000 customers by 2026.  Read more below in the press release from Qcells.  FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Aug. 28, 2024 – Qcells, a premier provider of complete clean energy solutions and a leader in U.S. solar panel manufacturing, and Navajo Power Home (NPH), a next-generation solar service provider for off-grid homes on Navajo and Hopi lands, today announced a partnership to provide high-quality, reliable electricity to an estimated 300 homes on the Navajo Nation reservation.   Earlier this year, Qcells donated 1,000 solar panels to Navajo Power Home. Not only is this the first solar panel donation received by NPH, but this is also the first at-scale donation from a solar manufacturer to support the electrification of tribal lands.   In addition to Qcells’ donation, today the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it has awarded a $5 million Fixed Energy Improvements in Rural Areas Grant to Navajo Power Home to expand its services and provide permanent, high-quality clean energy access to more rural indigenous communities on the Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation.  Between the Qcells donation and the grant from DOE, NPH will meet its goals to power 1,000 homes by the end of 2025 and grow its team of 13, who currently make 33% more, on average, than other jobs offered across the Navajo Nation.  The Navajo Nation spans across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah with an estimated 15,000 homes still lacking access to electricity. Many homes rely on diesel generators for power which are expensive, noisy and produce harmful emissions. With Qcells’ high-efficiency panels and NPH’s installation and electricity services, the organizations are delivering clean energy powered electricity to families living in the Navajo Nation for the first time.   “We are excited to be here today to celebrate the Navajo Nation homes that will now have solar electricity,” said David Turk, U.S. Department of Energy Deputy Secretary. “It’s especially gratifying that these solar panels were made right here in America by Qcells, a company dedicated to building a full solar supply chain in the U.S. We are also thrilled to announce a $5 million grant to Navajo Power Home, which will bring electricity to an additional 350 homes, thanks to President Biden’s historic climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act.” “We are proud to be providing people living on the Navajo Nation with access to reliable, affordable power for the first time,” said Danny O’Brien, President of Corporate Affairs for Qcells. “From turning on the lights to refrigerating groceries, we are excited to work with Navajo Power Home to make this a reality in more than 300 homes in the Navajo Nation. This donation really speaks to our ongoing commitment to sustainably power communities around the world with our U.S. manufactured solar panels and our full suite of clean energy solutions.”   “Our partnership with Qcells has transformed life for off-grid residents on Navajo and Hopi Tribal lands,” said Chanse Foster, General Manager of Navajo Power Home.  “Qcells’ generous solar panel donation has expanded electricity access in our communities and showcases the positive impact of sustainable energy.”  The Qcells donation will allow NPH to finance the installation of service for 15-20 additional homes, allowing NPH’s current resources to go farther. So far, NPH has installed 600kWp of solar to support 250 homes, providing 900 people with electricity access for the first time. The monthly cost to NPH’s customers ranges from $80-$240 a month, depending on the energy needs of each house. This is more affordable than the diesel generators that only run five hours a day, five days a week at about $200-$400 a month. Overall, customers currently relying on diesel generators can save 40% – 60% when working with NPH. They use federal funding to offer qualified customers – elderly, disabled, or single parent households – significantly reduced rates of $20-$50 a month. Qcells and NPH’s announcement coincides with the launch of a new digital video series, sponsored by Clean Energy for America Education Fund (CE4AEF), which features some families benefiting from this partnership. The videos, released today, are available on CE4AEF’s website , YouTube  and all its social channels. NPH team members with Qcells VP of Corporate Affairs Danny O’Brien, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk

Read all about us in Whitepaper , Descubre.vc , StartupsLatam , and more! With the announcement of our Pre-Seed funding round, Popular Power made some waves in the media last month. We've been featured in a handful of publications that took a closer look at our recent Pre-Seed round, the cool features we're rolling out, and some of the awesome customers and investors who are part of our journey. Check out the links below to get the scoop on how we're helping companies supercharge their solar operations Features in ENG 📘 ImpactAlpha  | Mexico’s Popular Power raises capital to help solar power developers optimize their systems 🟪 LatamList  | Popular Power raises $875K and launches B2B solar software platform 📗 Contxto  | Morgan Babbs shares vision for Popular Power after funding round ☀️ North American Clean Energy  | Page 108 - Product Features - Popular Power monitoring platform Features in ESP 📗 Contxto  | Morgan Babbs comparte su visión de Popular Power tras la ronda de financiación 🗞️ Reforma  | Capitanes - Software solar ✴️ TechLA  | Con $875,000 en capital, Popular Power lanza una innovadora plataforma de software para empoderar a las empresas solares a brindar excelencia posventa 🍎 América Economía  | Popular Power lanza plataforma de software para ayudar a las empresas solares a alcanzar excelencia posventa 🌎 Global Energy Mx  | Popular Power asegura 875,000 dólares para software de monitoreo fotovoltaicos Photo:

With $1,025,000 in funding, Popular Power  launches its i nnovative software platform empowering solar companies to deliver post-sales excellence The solar industry is booming, with projections indicating that 20% of the world's electricity demand will be solar-powered by 2024, and distributed solar PV being the fastest-growing source of electricity worldwide. According to the United States Department of Energy, the USA recently reached the milestone of 5 million homes with solar, which is expected to double by 2030 and triple by 2034. Industry-enabling solutions like Popular Power's are critical to advancing this growth and supporting the rapid expansion of the solar industry. In Mexico alone, there are over 8,000 solar installers, highlighting the need for tools that simplify operations. [Leer en español] Update August 30th, 2024 -  Popular Power completed a small follow-on to the Pre-Seed Round, ultimately closing out the round at $1,025,000 USD. Mexico City, Mexico - July 17, 2024  - Popular Power, a cutting-edge software company , today announced the official launch of its revolutionary platform  designed to streamline monitoring, alerts, analytics, and performance tracking for solar companies. The company also announced the successful closing of its Pre-Seed funding round, which saw participation from strategic investors, including Amplifica Capital , Cerulean Ventures , 0bs.mx , Dunn Family Impact Capital , Golden Sail Ventures , and Mercy Corps Ventures . Popular Power's B2B platform consolidates a range of critical functions for solar companies in the residential and C&I spaces into a single, user-friendly interface. By integrating solar site monitoring, alerts, analytics, and performance tracking capabilities, the company enables solar providers to gain unprecedented visibility into their operations, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to enhance efficiency and profitability. With the platform, companies can better manage and process alerts, plan Operations & Maintenance activities, and automate reporting to their end users, among other features. “Solar companies battle with managing a different monitoring platform for each hardware solution they install. A typical solar company is relatively hardware agnostic, so may have 5-6 different hardware products they install. This results in segmented data, alerts, and analytics– leading to limited insights and a heavy reliance on manual processes,” explains Morgan Babbs , co-founder at Popular Power. The company's co-founders bring extensive experience in the solar space, having managed multiple "next-generation" utilities throughout the Americas, reaching over 30,000 end users with solar energy access in their previous ventures. "Our goal is to empower distributed solar companies with actionable data and insights to deliver post-sales excellence," said co-founder Morgan Babbs. "There has been so much innovation in the Solar PV software space on the pre-sales side– design, quoting, and proposals– but the post-sales side is still somewhat a desert. As an industry, we can’t keep acting like our job is over when an installation is complete– it’s quite the opposite, in fact. That’s just the beginning of when that solar asset generates value for the user. Distributed solar is a major part of our energy future, so we must empower solar companies to deliver long-term value. That’s what Popular Power is solving for." Anna Raptis, Principal at Amplifica Capital, commented on the investment: "Morgan and Manuel are entrepreneurs who represent the most relevant values for Amplifica Capital. Their proposal is an excellent example of how technology addresses the challenges faced in Latin America, by offering a solution that contributes to mitigating the effects of climate change. As investors, we look for business models that have the potential to provide extraordinary returns, and at the same time address Latin America's problems with innovation. Popular Power is a great example that this is possible." The inspiration behind Popular Power's name comes from Gretchen Bakke's book "The Grid," specifically the quote: "Everybody was using their fairly expensive, almost identical infrastructure [a grid] only part of the time because it was as cheap to produce their own power as it was to buy it from any centralized source." While this quote refers to the late 19th century when the grid was growing, and people initially preferred producing their own power, the co-founders see it as a nod to the future they envision, where it becomes cheaper and better for individuals to use power from their own source: solar. Popular Power aims to be an enabler of this energy transition. Popular Power launched it’s product in August 2023 and is already monitoring 39MW of residential and C&I solar sites on its platform. With the successful Pre-Seed funding round, Popular Power plans to expand its team, grow to new customers, and accelerate product development. While primarily marketing to Latin America, the company's product is ready for worldwide use. To access the platform, customers can sign up directly at app.popularpower.io  or contact morgan@popularpower.io . About Popular Power Popular Power is a software company that empowers solar companies with actionable data and insights to deliver post-sales excellence. By consolidating solar site monitoring into a single platform– independent of hardware brand– Popular Power allows customers to standardize alerts, analytics, and performance tracking, and share automated reports with their end users. Visit popularpower.io  to learn more. Pictured:   Hybrytec, a leading developer of photovoltaic projects in Colombia with over 63MWp of installed capacity, relies on the Popular Power platform to monitor its solar sites, including the series of installations totalling 22MWp for the Olímpica chain in Colombia, a project completed in collaboration with Compañia Energética de Occidente. Image courtesy of Hybrytec.