SolarCity Installation Timeline: Difference between revisions

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* July 1 -- Installation team arrived. Proceeded to put mounting hardware on the roof <span style="color:red"><b><I>inconsistent with the proposed design</i></b></span>. Rather than re-route an external plumbing vent pipe as proposed (and have a clean rectangular design), one of the panels was being mounted offset and avoiding the pipe, leaving a less desirable (and not agreed-to) design. After I informed them of the error, and an assist from my energy consultant, they moved the mounts and put things up per the design.
* July 1 -- Installation team arrived. Proceeded to put mounting hardware on the roof <span style="color:red"><b><I>inconsistent with the proposed design</i></b></span>. Rather than re-route an external plumbing vent pipe as proposed (and have a clean rectangular design), one of the panels was being mounted offset and avoiding the pipe, leaving a less desirable (and not agreed-to) design. After I informed them of the error, and an assist from my energy consultant, they moved the mounts and put things up per the design.
* July 1 -- Was informed by installation team that they couldn't connect their breaker to the meter because <span style="color:red"paperwork had not been submitted to PG&E</span> as it usually would have been. Installation was left incomplete, with a promise that a followup team would be by to finish things.
* July 1 -- Was informed by installation team that they couldn't connect their breaker to the meter because <span style="color:red">paperwork had not been submitted to PG&E</span> as it usually would have been. Installation was left incomplete, with a promise that a followup team would be by to finish things.




* July 1 - July 7 -- Radio silence. My energy consultant and concierge have asked on my behalf, but <span style="color:red">zero response nor scheduling communication</span> from ops team, whom I'm told are overworked, but at this point I have an incomplete installation that sits this way because of a SolarCity process error.
* July 1 - July 7 -- Radio silence. My energy consultant and concierge have asked on my behalf, but <span style="color:red">zero response nor scheduling communication</span> from ops team, whom I'm told are overworked, but at this point I have an incomplete installation that sits this way because of a SolarCity process error.

Revision as of 16:53, 7 July 2017

While I picked SolarCity for a number of reasons to provide solar power, the installation timeline and process has been a bit frustrating.

Note that this is a cash buy, and every invoice has been immediately paid, so there should be no financing approval process anywhere in this timeline.


  • June 10, 2017 -- Submitted initial paperwork while the very professional "Energy Consultant" was on site. Paid $500 deposit and scheduled visit (for June 16) by a surveyor to measure the roof, etc, so I could get an official proposal. Initial proposal with energy consultant ended up being the one I would want to go with (which put a set of panels on a less efficient but back roof to complement the main set of panels).
  • June 15 -- Got a call from the surveyor that he was available earlier if I was, and got the survey done early!
  • June 15 -- Received design proposal, which was different than the one I went through with the energy consultant, but was more efficient. I immediately responded and asked for a re-design, moving the 2nd set of panels to a different roof.


  • June 15 - June 23 -- Energy consultant asked on my behalf, but radio silence from engineering team. No redesign in sight.
  • June 23 -- Posted to social media about delay. Got immediate response. Engineering hopped on things and I got new proposal on the same day.
  • June 26 -- After finding out permitting wasn't submitted on new redesign (probably due to a process circumvention on the escalation), got installation scheduled for July 1.
  • June 28 -- Received invoice from finops@, paid $14331.28 half-invoice within an hour over paypal.


  • July 1 -- Installation team arrived. Proceeded to put mounting hardware on the roof inconsistent with the proposed design. Rather than re-route an external plumbing vent pipe as proposed (and have a clean rectangular design), one of the panels was being mounted offset and avoiding the pipe, leaving a less desirable (and not agreed-to) design. After I informed them of the error, and an assist from my energy consultant, they moved the mounts and put things up per the design.
  • July 1 -- Was informed by installation team that they couldn't connect their breaker to the meter because paperwork had not been submitted to PG&E as it usually would have been. Installation was left incomplete, with a promise that a followup team would be by to finish things.


  • July 1 - July 7 -- Radio silence. My energy consultant and concierge have asked on my behalf, but zero response nor scheduling communication from ops team, whom I'm told are overworked, but at this point I have an incomplete installation that sits this way because of a SolarCity process error.