However, Roach notes that recent requirements for storage integration have temporarily limited growth in both segments, presenting a challenge to continued adoption despite strong public interest. OPERATIONS AND WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT The operational model behind Williams Solar’s substantial project portfolio balances in-house expertise with strategic partnerships to maximize efficiency and adaptability in a market prone to fluctuation. “Here in the Caribbean, we don’t manufacture solar panels and many of the larger components and equipment that are needed, so a lot of it is imported,” Roach explains.“We work directly with manufacturers or distributors for importing equipment—panels, racking systems, other miscellaneous components, PV wire, electrical equipment.” This supply chain reality necessitates strong international relationships with equipment suppliers to ensure reliable access to quality components. For installation work, Williams Solar employs a hybrid approach, maintaining a core team while supplementing with subcontractors during peak periods. “We have direct employees—installers, technicians, engineers, administrative staff, project management staff,” says Roach.“But we also employ subcontractors ranging from those capable of executing civil works to those who may also be photovoltaic installers. We try to share the work between direct employee staff and utilizing other smaller installation companies.” This flexible workforce model allows the company to respond to the industry’s inherent cyclical nature. “What we’ve recognized is that you have peaks and valleys related to the quantity of installations that need to be done. It depends on how applications are processed. You may have a lump of applications being approved around the same time, different times of the year.” 81 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 12, ISSUE 03 WILLIAMS SOLAR
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