Lake Forest & Orange County, CA Residential Solar Panel Installation

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Barnes Solar There are many moving parts to a residential solar panel installation. There is pricing, equipment, solar energy financing and much more. But even as the industry has evolved, there is no part more important than a quality and timely install. With over 10 years in the industry, Barnes Solar has earned its reputation on the back of its commitment to high-quality, customized installations. We like to think of a construction company that does sales and not the other way around. How solar energy flows from the sun to your electrical panel can be a complicated process. Which is why we not only have a full-time engineering team in house.

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Going Solar With Barnes Solar

Homeowners considering a solar energy system for their home often focus on the sales process, solar energy financing and the financial benefit of solar. But understanding the nuts and bolts of the solar panel installation process is equally as important. Best practices for most residential solar panel installations will not vary from company to company, but that doesn’t mean that every project is the same.

Factors such as roof type, electrical infrastructure and home type can change the way a solar energy system gets installed. Homeowners should always receive an accurate description of how and when the installation will take place. However, first it is important to understand everything that goes into the process.

The typical solar panel installation cycle takes about 6-8 weeks from start to finish and breaks down like this:

Site Survey (week 1)

Once a contract is signed, we will send out a technician within the week to measure the roof, gather details about your home and create a construction game plan for our installation.

Design and Permitting (weeks 2-5)

With the site survey details, our team will create the engineering design and compile a permit package that is submitted to your local building department for approval. In some instances, we also need approval from your utility company or HOA. We also help to facilitate this process so that we have all sign-offs before beginning construction.

Installation (weeks 6-7)

Once we have an approved permit, we’ll contact you to set up an installation timeframe. A typical installation will take between 2-4 days depending on the size of your system. Once the installation is completed, we facilitate the inspection process with the local building department.

Final Approval & Activation (week 8)

After the project passes inspection, the last step required is for your utility company to grant Permission To Operate the system (PTO). We facilitate the PTO process, which typically takes 3-5 business days. When approved, the utility company will send out a PTO email that allows us to activate your system. At this time, we also will activate your monitoring system to allow us (and you) to remotely monitor your system.

Types of Residential Solar Panel Installations

Roof Mounted

This is the most common solar panel installation type and often the most cost-effective. Solar can easily be installed on composition/asphalt shingle and most concrete tile roofs. Solar energy systems can also be installed on clay tile and composite tile roofs but will require additional prep work to ensure proper sealing and waterproofing.

Ground Mounted

We can also install solar panels on the ground where space permits. A steel frame structure is built that provides a secure racking system for the panels.

Carports

Carports are common in commercial and industrial applications. However, they can work in a residential setting as well. We build a steel frame structure that provides a secure racking system for the panels.

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Solar
Installation
Equipment

Solar Panels Generate DC (Direct Current) electricity when exposed to sunlight

Power Optimizers Optimize the output of each panel, allowing them to work independently of each other and be individually monitored

Inverter Aggregates the output of each solar panel-power optimizer pair and converts the electricity from DC to AC

Racking System Connects directly to the roof and provides a frame for the solar panels to be mounted to

Conduit The pipe that contains the system wiring as it is routed from the solar panels to the electrical equipment

Disconnect Switch A main shut-off switch that allows the solar system to be isolated from the rest of a home’s electrical circuits

Solar Circuit Breaker A circuit breaker in the main service panel that protects the solar system from any surges from the electricity grid

Hopefully this detailed breakdown of the process is useful. If you ever have any questions about the process, whether it is about the installation or even solar energy financing, a Barnes Solar team member will happily walk you through the steps, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. We want all of our customers to understand exactly what the solar energy project entails before pulling the trigger.

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