B2B marketplaces continue to launch in vertical markets of all types. And the solar power industry is no exception.

Sunhub, a newly launched marketplace for the solar panel market, has started operations, says chief operating officer Kadeer Beg.

Launching a B2B marketplace for the solar industry

Traditional solar procurement has been ridden with challenges, Sunhub says. Sellers and buyers use different languages, such as selling solar panel quantity when contractors want to buy in watts. Solar buyers also struggle to obtain quotes and other manufacturer information, find inventory, and arrange logistics and warehousing for their projects.

“We founded Sunhub in response to a critical solar market need,” Beg says. “You can think of us as the eBay of solar, facilitating safe, efficient buying and selling of a wide selection of available inventory from major suppliers at competitive prices.”

What does Sunhub do?

The B2B marketplace gives buyers digital tools to:

• quote, bid and buy products.
• negotiate with manufacturers.
• see products in real time and view pricing.
• use inventory information for project planning.
• use specific pricing terms such as purchasing by watt.

Sunhub facilitates transactions between solar installers, engineering, procurement and construction contractors, distributors, manufacturers and the do-it-yourself (DIY) community, the marketplace says.

Sunhub’s procurement staffers moderate anonymous price and term negotiations between verified buyers and sellers. They do this by chat and capture final agreements between buyers and sellers. Their system then auto-generates legally binding contracts, the marketplace says.

“Having products on time and within budget is essential for keeping up with increasing demand for solar projects, enabling solar business growth and advancing renewable energy,” Beg says.

Solar’s share of generating capacity

By 2050, solar is expected to be the largest source of generating capacity on the U.S. power grid, says Sunhub.

“However, procurement challenges could hinder the industry’s growth if solar installers and EPCs can’t obtain the components they need to deliver projects on schedule and on budget,” the marketplace says. “Sunhub’s creators identified this industry gap and saw the need for a trading platform to serve the solar market like the ones that have benefited other industries. The team identified what specifications buyers use to purchase solar panels, inverters and batteries and obtained manufacturer information to list products accordingly, allow for negotiations and simplify sales contracts.”

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