Once you’ve decided solar is right for your home and energy use, you’ll move on to the process of installing and connecting a solar energy system. This process involves a lot more than just installing panels and plugging them in.

Step 1: Finding a contractor

Installation and interconnection is a specialized and complicated process, so it’s important to find the right contractor to guide you. How long it takes you to find your contractor depends on a number of factors. We recommend getting quotes from multiple installers before entering into a contract.

Step 2: Determine your sizing

Once you’ve determined which contractor you’ll be working with, they’ll help you determine how much solar to install. How many panels to install will depend on factors like how much sunlight you get, how much electricity you use, the geography of your home and the type of equipment you choose to install.

The solar contractor you select should design and size the system for free without any obligation to buy. We also recommend looking at your bill to know how much electricity you use each year before starting this process. The average home consumes 10,400 kilowatt hours of electricity each year. Some incentive programs may require the system to be sized to historical load.

Step 3: Applying to interconnect

Once you know what size system you want to build, your contractor will apply to interconnect through our PowerClerk portal. We review the application and send installation requirements to your contractor with approval to move forwards.

This process is easy to overlook but is important because it allows us to make sure the power grid around your home can handle the additional energy from your solar generation system.

The timeline for this step is generally one-to-three weeks, but may be extended if we need to follow up with the contractor for additional details or missing information.

Step 4: Construction and installation

Once the paperwork is filed and we've provided permission to install, your solar contractor will begin construction and install your new solar system. This will include your solar inverter, panels, and wiring for a new meter. 

A typical residential job takes one-to-two days to install, but scheduling your installation can often take longer depending on backlog and parts availability.

Step 5: Inspection and interconnection

When your system is built, a few separate steps will happen to make sure everything is installed correctly and your system will credit you for electricity produced:

• Your local building or electrical inspector conducts a systems and wiring inspection
• We install a new meter to measure how much energy your system produces, how much energy you pull from the grid, and how much your system sends back
• Once the new meter is installed, we will issue permission to operate your new system. Your installer will then help you turn the system on.