Sunhub, a tech distribution company founded as a spinoff from Ohio’s largest solar installer, Yellowlite, is revolutionizing solar e-commerce. 

At RE+, Kadeer Beg, the COO of Sunhub and the innovator behind the Sunhub Trader Platform, met with Solar Surge’s Joe Ordia to discuss how this innovative platform is transforming the way solar equipment is being bought and sold. 

The Sunhub Trader Platform is an intelligent, chat-based system that facilitates real-time negotiations between solar suppliers and buyers such as installers, EPCs, and developers. 

Beg said he started the platform as a way to bridge the gap between buyers and suppliers. One problem that caught Beg’s attention was a disconnect between the way suppliers price their equipment online and how installers price out their projects. 

Beg told Ordia: 

Many suppliers are selling by the piece, while installers negotiate and procure equipment based on kilowatts and megawatts. The platform allows them to negotiate and purchase the way they plan their projects.

Beg likened the platform’s impact to the travel industry’s shift from travel agents to online systems like Expedia, highlighting the need for a central system where industry terms are easy to understand, and prices are competitive. 

How It Works

The Sunhub Trader Platform offers:  

• Live Inventory Updates: Users can see real-time changes in pricing, making transactions more efficient and responsive to market dynamics.
• Quote Requests: Buyers don’t have to buy on the spot. Instead, they can request quotes to lock in a price and purchase within a specified time.
• Flexibility in Negotiation: Unlike traditional e-commerce sites, everything on Sunhub is negotiable, including price per watt (PPW), incoterms, and delivery options.
• Ease of Use: The platform’s user-friendly interface auto-fills product data sheets and pre-fills quantities on hand, streamlining the listing process and empowering users with its simplicity.
• Subscription-Free Access: Users can start using the platform by creating an account, akin to using eBay.
• Community Engagement: Sunhub supports the solar community through newsletters and forums and provides weekly outreach to over 30,000 industry professionals.

The platform’s adaptability is a testament to its future-proof nature. Initially offering modules, it has expanded to include batteries and inverters. Sunhub will continue to add more equipment to the platform to ensure it meets the evolving needs of the solar industry.

Joe Ordia remarked, “This is another step as we mature here in the solar industry, in the way we buy, sell, and trade.” 

You can watch the full interview below:

Learn more about the Sunhub Solar Trader Platform here or book a demo.