Vector Structural Engineering says it has completed 100,000 projects in the solar installation field.
The company, whose solar division was created as a formal part of the organization only five years ago, is now recognized as a national and – with a growing presence in Canada – international player in the solar energy industry.
“We joined the solar market a decade ago,” says Jacob Proctor, principal engineer at Vector. “We didn’t start solar projects in volume for several years. As we became known in the industry, the business started to grow dramatically: 100-fold in five years.”
The groundwork for Vector’s growth started 15 years ago, when the company began to design its own interactive online project management system to serve the needs of its telecommunications industry clients. The firm’s IT group developed a workflow automation template that quickly steps projects through careful review of all engineering issues and suggests cost- and performance-effective improvements. Projects are often turned around in 24 hours or less. Vector has since completed over 20,000 projects for telecommunications companies.
The system could be modified for similar sectors, so when the solar industry started gaining momentum, Vector was ready for the transition. Its solar division now employs more than 40 engineers and has reviewed over 100,000 projects for U.S. solar installers, which accounts for close to 5% of all U.S. solar installations.
“Engineering,” says Proctor, “is a relatively straightforward proposition. Our clients need two things from us: they need to know the project is sound, and they need to know it in a hurry. We’re proud of our young solar division and its ability to meet those two needs. We look forward to growing along with the solar industry through the 2020s and beyond.”
Founded in 2002, Vector Structural Engineering has over 2,500 clients throughout the U.S. The company specializes in multi-family, residential, commercial, telecom, bridges, industrial and solar. The company’s services include the design of new structures, the analysis and redesign of retrofit and repairs of existing structures, and residential and commercial solar structural certifications.
The company is headquartered in Draper, Utah.
Photo: A Vector-approved solar project
