What HelioVolta / SolarGrade does

HelioVolta is a privately held B2B professional services firm headquartered in Carlsbad, California, founded in 2021 by co-founders David Penalva (CEO) and James Nagel, PE (COO) — both NABCEP-certified PV system inspectors with decades of field engineering experience. The company provides independent technical inspection, owner's engineering, and quality assurance services for solar PV, energy storage, and microgrid projects across the United States. HelioVolta reports having inspected more than 1,000 commercial and utility-scale projects spanning 5 GW of capacity and impacting 50 GW of client portfolios, with engagement by 10+ Fortune 100 companies.

The company's core technology stack comprises two complementary assets: (1) SolarGrade, a proprietary field operations software platform originally developed internally and spun off in 2025 into SolarGrade, Inc. as a separate affiliated company (marketed at solargrade.io); the platform standardizes inspection protocols, georeferences findings, automates reporting, and generates punch lists across project portfolios; and (2) advanced field diagnostic equipment including Electroluminescence (EL) imaging, infrared thermography, XCT tomography for connector analysis, and comprehensive electrical testing capabilities (IV curve tracing, insulation resistance, continuity, polarity, ground resistance, inverter performance, string-level monitoring, power quality analysis). HelioVolta's proprietary HelioVolta Quality Standard (HQS) methodology categorizes contractor performance by issue severity and frequency and underpins the annual SolarGrade PV Health Report.

HelioVolta operates on a quote-based professional services model, generating revenue through construction QA/QC, commissioning oversight, owner's engineering, third-party health assessments, failure root cause analysis, remediation oversight, technical advisory engagements (due diligence, repowering consulting, training), and rapid-response emergency support services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements are project-based or retainer-based with multi-year contract cadences. Customers span four segments: asset owners, offtakers, and investors; asset managers and operators; EPCs and project stakeholders; and insurance providers. Go-to-market is exclusively direct enterprise field sales supplemented by industry conference participation (notably RE+ in Las Vegas) and a thought leadership content engine anchored by annual research reports and white papers. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding.

Name

HelioVolta / SolarGrade

Legal name

HelioVolta LLC

Website

https://heliovolta.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

HelioVolta provides independent technical inspection, owner's engineering, and quality assurance services for solar PV, energy storage, and microgrid projects in the United States, serving Fortune 100 asset owners, EPCs, O&M providers, and insurance companies through field engineering teams and the proprietary SolarGrade software platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Renewable Energy Technical Inspection Services

NAICS

Building Inspection Services (541350)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar Quality, Testing, Certification & Standards (Lab Testing, Inspections, Compliance) (EUAMABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar Operations, Maintenance & Asset Management (EUAMABAC), Owner’s Engineering, Grid Interconnection & System Studies (PVsyst/Performance Modeling, Protection Studies) (EUACAGAG), Solar Workforce, Training & Safety Services (Installer Training, Certification, EHS) (EUAMABAO)

Keywords

• Solar QA inspection
• Renewable energy field services
• PV quality assurance
• Owner's engineering solar
• Energy storage inspection

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlsbad

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technical Inspection and Field Services: HelioVolta generates revenue by providing independent technical inspection and field engineering services to renewable energy stakeholders. Services include construction QA/QC, commissioning oversight, owner's engineering, third-party health assessments, failure root cause analysis, and remediation oversight. Engagement is project-based or retainer-based depending on client portfolio size.
2. Technical Advisory Services: Advisory engagements including standards and program development, technical due diligence for acquisitions, repowering consulting, and custom training and workshops delivered to client field crews, construction foremen, and asset managers.
3. Emergency Response Services: Rapid response field team services for post-event system inspection following fires, thermal events, or catastrophic failures, including root cause analysis and remediation planning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HelioVolta provides independent technical inspection and field engineering services for renewable energy projects, including construction QA/QC, owner's engineering, commissioning oversight, third-party asset health assessments, failure root cause analysis, and remediation oversight for solar PV, energy storage, and microgrid assets. Field engineers use the proprietary SolarGrade software platform to standardize inspection protocols, document findings with geo-referenced punch lists, and generate automated reports across project portfolios.

Product overview

HelioVolta provides technical services to ensure renewable energy assets perform safely and reliably. The company operates two complementary offerings: (1) SolarGrade, a field operations software platform developed by SolarGrade, Inc. (an affiliated company that spun off from HelioVolta in 2025), which provides transparent documentation, standardized inspection processes, geo-referenced punch lists, and data analytics for tracking quality trends across projects; and (2) a suite of professional technical services including construction phase services (milestone inspections, QA/QC, commissioning), owner's engineering services, operations phase services (health assessments, failure root cause analysis, remediation oversight), technical advisory services, and emergency response. SolarGrade software is used by HelioVolta's field teams during every inspection and provides ongoing feedback to refine the platform. The company also publishes annual PV Health Reports analyzing data from field inspections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SolarGrade: Field operations software platform for transparent documentation, standardized processes, and repeatable results used by HelioVolta field teams for solar and energy storage inspections
• HelioVolta Quality Standard (HQS)

Products and services

• SolarGrade Field Operations Software Cloud-based field operations software platform for solar PV and energy storage inspection that provides transparent documentation, standardized inspection protocols, geo-referenced punch lists, automated reporting, and data analytics to track quality trends across project portfolios. Offered as a standalone product to the broader market and used by HelioVolta's field engineers for every inspection engagement.
• Construction Phase Services Technical services delivered during the construction phase of renewable energy projects, including milestone inspections, construction QA/QC oversight, commissioning and acceptance testing, and verification of contractor work product for asset owners.
• Owner's Engineering Services
• Operations Phase Services
• Technical Advisory Services
• Emergency Support Services

Quantifiable outcome

• EPCs participating in third-party quality programs demonstrate a 48% reduction in issues per MW over time.
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• SolarGrade, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SolarGrade, Inc. is an affiliated company that developed SolarGrade, a purpose-built field operations software platform for solar PV and energy storage inspection. HelioVolta's field teams use SolarGrade software for all inspections and provide ongoing feedback to refine the platform. In 2025, SolarGrade became its own affiliated company, continuing close collaboration with HelioVolta. SolarGrade is also offered as a standalone product to the broader market through solargrade.io.
• PV Evolution Labs (PVEL)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelioVolta partnered with PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) to develop the Ultimate Safety Guide to Solar Connectors white paper. PVEL is a leading independent PV testing and certification laboratory, and this partnership produced a comprehensive technical resource covering PV connector field issues and installation best practices for the solar industry.
• Amicus O&M CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmicus O&M Cooperative, a mid-market O&M provider, is referenced as a key industry partner in the 2025 SolarGrade PV Health Report. CEO Amanda Bybee is quoted providing an industry perspective on construction quality and its impact on O&M economics, validating HelioVolta's findings.
• Servist EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServist Energy, an O&M provider, is quoted in the connector white paper providing field perspective on connector inspection importance. The partnership reflects HelioVolta's collaborative approach with O&M providers in communicating quality and safety best practices across the industry.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Black & Veatch: Black & Veatch is a large engineering, procurement, and construction firm that provides owner's engineering, construction QA/QC, and commissioning services for utility-scale solar, overlapping HelioVolta's core inspection and owner's engineering offerings.
• TÜV Rheinland: TÜV Rheinland operates global PV testing laboratories and certification services for modules, inverters, and BOS components, providing solar QA, certification, and bankability testing comparable to HelioVolta's inspection and quality assurance scope.
• UL Solutions: UL Solutions provides PV module and component testing, certification, and quality assurance as part of its broader safety science portfolio, directly overlapping HelioVolta's testing and certification offerings while serving many additional end markets.
• DNV: DNV is a global assurance and risk-management firm that offers solar PV owner's engineering, independent engineering for financing, and asset management services, competing with HelioVolta in solar QA and due diligence across utility-scale and C&I markets.
• RINA Consulting: RINA is an international testing, inspection, and certification company offering independent engineering and technical advisory for renewable energy projects, including solar PV owner's engineering and quality assurance comparable to HelioVolta.

Emerging players

• kWh Analytics: kWh Analytics provides solar asset performance analytics, risk management, and insurance data products for solar portfolios, representing an emerging data-driven peer that complements or competes with HelioVolta's portfolio-level quality benchmarking.

Direct peers

• Clean Energy Associates (CEA): Clean Energy Associates is a direct competitor providing independent solar PV and energy storage owner's engineering, QA/QC, and technical advisory services to asset owners, developers, and EPCs globally, with overlapping inspection and commissioning offerings.
• PV Evolution Labs (PVEL): PVEL is a leading independent PV testing and certification laboratory that benchmarks module reliability and partners with HelioVolta on connector safety research, making it a directly comparable independent testing/quality player in solar PV.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/heliovolta
• Facebookfacebook.com/heliovolta
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heliovolta

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 HelioVolta / SolarGrade