Zeo Energy simplifies procurement choice with SunModo

Solar procurement

Solar installers that cover a dozen or more states are often faced with a plethora of options when it comes to procurement, complicated by variations in delivery options and install scheduling. Zeo Energy, based in New Port Richey, Florida, has streamlined many of these factors by working with SunModo, which has a wide array of ground and rooftop mounting options, according to Cody Baird, Zeo Energy’s director of procurement and strategic sourcing.

“It’s just that they’re so versatile. Their products can be used all over the country, and the wind ratings on their products are above and beyond standards. They’ve checked all the boxes on everything that it goes into the equation for selecting the right product,” says Baird.

His company has been relying on SunModo for the past year and a half, shortly after Zeo Energy became a public company in March 2023, formerly known as Sunergy Solar.

“For example, in the Miami-Dade area, or basically anywhere a home is on the coast, you need to bump up the wind resistance of the installs to be able to withstand hurricane force winds, to a certain extent,” Baird says. “So when we use SunMoto, since they have the high wind resistance capability, we don’t have to worry about which kind of equipment you’re using. It’s kind of standardized here since it meets and exceeds all the requirements for the wind. So it’s actually very easy.”  

Expanding its national footprint

In Greek etymology, Zeo means “fervent in spirit.” Zeo Energy’s national expansion rollout is no less than that. “By the end of this year, we are looking at being active in close to 30 states. We were in 22 states at the end of 2024,” Baird told Solar Builder in a recent interview. While Zeo Energy executes some commercial solar, it is primarily a residential solar company.

“The transition to becoming a public company was definitely beneficial. It really shows how mature the company has become. The difference between private and public is you can see all of the behind-the-scenes activity in a public company,” Baird says. “Everything is there for the public to review and judge. And as a public company, we do a little bit more in the community and try to build a community presence. With a private company, everything can be kind of closed-door.”

Zeo Energy boosted its footprint with the acquisition of Lumio’s forward portfolio, affecting all projects closed after Nov. 1, 2024. Lumio was formed in 2021 through the merger of four regional solar companies, with operational coverage in 16 states.

Zeo Energy went public on March 14, 2024, when it began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market following a business combination with ESGEN Acquisition Corp. (ESGEN) and Sunergy Renewables LLC (Sunergy), according to Nasdaq. 

“Zeo Energy (NASDAQ: ZEO) is owned by 0.54% institutional shareholders, 108.99% Zeo Energy insiders, and 0.00% retail investors. Timothy A. Bridgewater is the largest individual Zeo Energy shareholder, owning 10.46M shares representing 25.49% of the company,” according to WallStreetZen.

Streamlining procurement and logistics

Zeo Energy has partnered with Greentech Renewables to centralize procurement and outsource delivery so that inventory and warehousing is minimized, says Baird. “We work with Greentech Renewables hand in hand to provide them with a pipeline or a forecast of what we’re going to need. Even on the SunModo front, we reach out to Greentech, and they deliver a couple of days before the install start,” he adds.

“We try to plan out two to three months in advance for procurement, in general. I can start to see how sales are trending toward the beginning of the year, and can build a forecast of anywhere from three to six months ahead, to try and stay current with the market,” Baird says.

Ramping up staff

Keeping pace with staffing is a challenge for a fast-growing solar company. With some 600 employees now, Zeo Energy is building out its ranks rapidly, says Baird. “Our team is built with quite a few experienced installers, directors and managers that have worked with so many different solar companies, we have many different venues from which we can attract good talent,” he says.

Training is no small part of building out new teams. “As the new employees are brought on, we schedule a training session with SunModo and they do an in-house demonstration. We set up a mock roof and SunModo will come down and walk the install crews through the proper and efficient way of using their products,” Baird explains.

Out of Zeo Energy’s total staff of 600, about 50% are installers, forming 50 to 100 installation teams of three or four installers, depending on the ebb and flow of new sales. “One crew might cover two states of one state might require 10 teams. It just depends,” Baird says.

The company also has a well-defined ethics code, modeled in part on the principles of organizations like SEIA and the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association (FlaSEIA), Baird notes.

Multiple financing options

When it comes to financing residential solar, Zeo Energy leaves most options open. “We have an in house TPO program, but we also work other lenders like Sunnova, Mosaic, Goodleap, all those big financing companies,” Baird says. “After the install, we hold everything [financial] in house.” Many solar companies syndicate portfolios that they develop once the holding reaches the size needed to attract institutional investors.

Apart from ready financing for customers, Zeo Energy can offer strong assurance that it will stand by its warranties for 25 years, Baird notes. “Our service department was one of our pillars for going public. All of our customers are made aware of the service expectations that they may have by the point of sale. We also work with our vendors and partners closely so that if we have any kind of equipment issues, we try to go through the most direct avenues before we might launch an investigation, or run into an [legal] issue,” he says.

“We try to standardize everything involving warranties and make it uniform across the country. We want to make sure we’re offering homeowners good products, beneficial products and good warranties,” Baird adds.

Future growth

While Zeo Energy has not completed its annual report and count of 2024 installs, as of this writing, the company completed about 3,400 installs in 2023, Baird says. As a public company, predicting sales to existing or potential investors is unethical.

However, Baird adds, “I think that 2024 was a difficult year for everybody, but moving into 2025 there’s some healing that’s that should be going on. We’re hoping to see interest rates drop down a little bit to help out with the sale of the systems and to provide more financial benefit to the homeowners. We’re definitely hoping that 2025 is going to be a good year.”

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