Solar Living Institute

What Solar Living Institute does

Solar Living Institute (SLI) is a Hopland, California-based non-profit educational organization founded in 1998 that delivers training in solar photovoltaic technology, permaculture, and sustainable living. It serves individual learners, aspiring solar professionals, and sustainability practitioners seeking industry-recognized credentials, and its offerings are accredited by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) as a PV Associate Accredited Provider and by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) Credentialing Program. SLI employs 1-10 people and operates without disclosed revenue or external funding rounds.

The institute historically anchored its programming around a 12-acre Solar Living Center in Hopland that operated from 1995 until closure in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the site closure, SLI pivoted to online course delivery through a partnership with the HeatSpring learning platform, where it now offers 120+ courses at price points ranging from $395 to $2,695 per course. The organization has signaled a "rebirth" phase that includes planned revival of its SolFest event, environmental art camps for youth, and workshops on adjacent topics such as aquaponics and alternative housing.

The business model is direct-to-consumer course sales to a long-tail of individual learners, with revenue derived from per-course enrollment fees rather than enterprise contracts, subscriptions, or institutional licensing. Distribution is intermediated through HeatSpring, which provides the platform infrastructure for online course hosting, payments, and learner access. SLI's competitive positioning rests on its two-decade brand in the solar education niche, its industry accreditations, and the credentialing pathway its courses enable for professionals entering the solar workforce.

Name

Solar Living Institute

Legal name

Solar Living Institute

Website

https://solarliving.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Solar Living Institute is a Hopland, California-based non-profit founded in 1998 that delivers online courses in solar PV, permaculture, and sustainable living to individual learners and aspiring renewable energy professionals, accredited by NABCEP and IREC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Solar Training

NAICS

Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar Workforce, Training & Safety Services (Installer Training, Certification, EHS) (EUAMABAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Renewable Energy Electrical (Solar PV, Wind, Storage) (EDAOABAI), Solar Quality, Testing, Certification & Standards (Lab Testing, Inspections, Compliance) (EUAMABAN)

Keywords

• Professional solar training
• NABCEP certification courses
• Renewable energy education
• Sustainable building training
• Online solar courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Hopland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Online Course Fees: One-time purchase model for individual courses. Course prices range from $395 to $2,695 per course. Students access course content through HeatSpring platform with completion documents and exam registration handled by HeatSpring.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Solar Living Institute sells online professional training courses covering solar PV design, energy storage, NABCEP certification exam preparation, solar finance and business management, green building, and renewable HVAC systems (geothermal, solar thermal, biomass). Courses are delivered exclusively through an affiliation with the HeatSpring learning platform, with one-time pricing between $395 and $2,695 per course.

Product overview

Solar Living Institute is an educational organization providing professional solar and sustainable living training since 1998, offering over 120 online courses through its affiliation with HeatSpring. The core offerings are organized into four main product categories: Solar Photovoltaics & Energy Storage Courses (covering NABCEP certification, PV design/installation, and battery storage), Solar Finance & Marketing Courses (covering business development and financing), Green Building Courses (covering zero net energy buildings and passive design), and HVAC Courses (covering geothermal, solar thermal, and biomass systems). Course delivery is handled through HeatSpring, which provides completion documents and NABCEP exam registration. The organization previously operated a 12-acre educational center in Hopland, California from 1995-2020.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solar PV & Energy Storage Courses Online professional training courses covering NABCEP certification exam preparation (PV Associate and Solar Heating Associate), PV system design and installation, the 2017 National Electrical Code, battery storage integration, megawatt-scale solar design, utility-scale construction project management, and drone-assisted site assessment. Course durations range from 20 to 58 hours, priced between $395 and $1,675.
• Solar Finance & Marketing Courses Online training programs covering financial modeling for solar PV projects, solar sales and marketing, solar business development, and executive MBA-level solar business training. Includes the Solar Business Masters Series ($2,195), Solar Finance Masters Series ($2,695), Solar Executive MBA Training ($1,995), and standalone financial modeling courses.
• Green Building Courses Online courses on sustainable building design including zero net energy buildings ($1,095), energy modeling using eQUEST software, Passive House design standards, and ASHRAE 62.2 residential ventilation standards ($695). Geared toward sustainable-building practitioners and energy modelers.
• HVAC Courses Online training in renewable heating and cooling systems covering solar thermal hot water design with NABCEP Solar Heating Associate exam prep, IGSHPA geothermal installer accreditation, Entry Level Geothermal Professional Certificate Training ($595), geothermal designer boot camp, hydronic system design, biomass heating, and air-to-water heat pump applications ($475).

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HeatSpringcoreTechnology or IntegrationHeatSpring provides the online learning platform for delivering all Solar Living Institute courses. They handle enrollment, payment processing, course completion documents, and NABCEP exam registration. All courses are made available through this affiliation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CleanEdison: CleanEdison provides online and in-person training for NABCEP, BPI, and LEED certifications, with similar pricing tiers and target audience of energy professionals.
• Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA): MREA is a nonprofit renewable energy education organization offering solar PV, wind, and sustainable living training, broadly comparable to SLI in mission and delivery model.
• Solar Energy International: SEI is a long-established nonprofit solar training organization offering professional PV, battery storage, and renewable energy courses with NABCEP-aligned curriculum, directly comparable to SLI's mission and product mix.
• Everblue: Everblue offers online training and certification prep for NABCEP, BPI, and LEED credentials, directly competing with SLI for individual professional certification students.
• HeatSpring: HeatSpring is the online learning platform SLI uses to deliver all of its courses, and also operates as a competing solar and building science training provider with its own first-party content offerings.

Broad incumbents

• American Solar Energy Society (ASES): ASES is a national nonprofit membership organization promoting solar energy adoption and education, broadly overlapping with SLI's mission in sustainable energy workforce development.
• Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC): IREC is the credentialing body whose accreditation SLI holds; it sets training standards and certifies programs across the clean energy workforce, making it an adjacent incumbent shaping the regulatory landscape SLI operates in.

Others

• The Solar Foundation: The Solar Foundation conducts workforce research and advocates for solar jobs policy, adjacent to SLI's training mission but not a direct competitor.
• NABCEP: NABCEP is the certification body whose exams SLI's courses prepare students for; it is not a training competitor but is the central credentialing authority that defines demand for SLI's curriculum.

Emerging players

• Renewz: Renewz is a smaller emerging player offering renewable energy training content with a sustainability focus, partially overlapping with SLI's broader sustainability curriculum beyond core solar PV.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/solarlivinginst
• Facebookfacebook.com/SolarLivingInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solar-living-institute

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Solar Living Institute