Last updated: 10/30/2026
Where does The Green Panel install solar? We install across Michigan and Ohio. Our main office is in Brighton, Michigan, and we have an office in Byron Center serving the Grand Rapids area. We work with DTE, Consumers Energy, Great Lakes Energy, Wolverine Power, AEP, and Toledo Edison.
Is The Green Panel a certified Tesla installer? Yes. We are the only Tesla Premier certified installer in Michigan and Ohio. We install the Tesla Powerwall 3 along with Tesla solar panels.
How long has The Green Panel been in business? Since 2007. We are a Michigan company and have been installing solar here for almost two decades.
What warranty comes with a Green Panel installation? Ten years Workmenship warrenity on all installations . Equipment carries its own manufacturer warranty on top of that, which varies by product. Most Solar panels we carry offer a 25-year warranty.
What equipment do you install? Tesla, JA Solar, and Hyundai Solar panels are our most common, alongside Panasonic EverVolt and Hanwha Q Cells depending on the design. We use Enphase microinverters, IronRidge racking, and Tesla Powerwall 3 batteries. The right combination depends on your roof, your usage, and what your utility will approve.
Do you install ground-mounted systems? Yes. We install roof-mounted arrays, ground mounts, and carports.
Can I get a battery or an EV charger without installing solar? Yes. We install Tesla Powerwall batteries and EV chargers as standalone projects, not only alongside a solar array. Whole-home batteries can be used as an energy source during outages and for recharging from non-peak-rate energy for daily savings.
Do you service solar systems installed by another company? Yes. We take service calls on systems we did not install, as well as our own, including systems whose original installer is no longer in business. Tell us what you have and what it is doing, and we will tell you whether we can help.
What happens if my system stops producing? Contact us, and we will diagnose it. Work covered by the Workmanship warranty carries no charge. If a visit falls outside warranty, we quote it before anyone is dispatched, so you know the cost before we come out rather than after.
How long does a solar installation take from signing to switch-on? The installation itself is usually one to three days. Getting there takes longer, because two of the steps belong to other organizations. After you sign, we design the system, submit for permits with your local jurisdiction, and apply to your utility for interconnection. Permitting and utility approval each run about four to six weeks, and neither is under our control. Once both clear, we schedule the install. After installation the system is inspected, the utility swaps your meter, and then grants permission to operate, which is the point your system legally starts running.
What is permission to operate, and why can't I turn the system on without it? Permission to operate, usually shortened to PTO, is your utility's sign-off that the system can connect to the grid. Generating power before the meter swap and PTO can trigger charges from the utility, so the system stays off until it comes through, even though the panels are physically installed.
Why does permitting take so long? Permits are issued by your city, township, or county, not by us, and each jurisdiction works at its own pace. Four to six weeks is the normal standard. We submit as soon as the design is finished and chase anything that runs past that.
Will I need approval from my HOA? If your property is in an HOA, yes, and we need that clearance in writing before we can schedule the installation. We will tell you early whether it applies to you.
Who do I contact once the job is underway? Your salesperson stays your point of contact through the project. For anything after the system is running, contact our service team directly. Our Sales Coordinator is at the office Monday- Friday to take calls if our team is busy.
Can you install in winter? Yes, we install year-round in Michigan. Weather can move a scheduled date, and for some winter installations we will ask you to sign a consent form acknowledging the conditions before we proceed.
How do you decide what size system I need? We start from twelve months of your actual electricity use, taken from your utility bills. That gives us your annual consumption, and your utility sets a ceiling on how much generation it will approve. DTE and Consumers Energy calculate that ceiling differently. The system we design has to sit under your utility's limit, so your own usage, not your roof size, is what decides the system.
What if I already have solar and want to add more? We deduct what your existing array already produces before sizing the new one, because your utility approves against what is left rather than your whole consumption. Additional work at a property we have already worked on keeps the original job number so the whole history stays together.
What financing is available? We work with Michigan Saves, which is available in Michigan only, and ATMOS, which is available in both Michigan and Ohio. PACE financing and USDA REAP grants apply to some commercial and agricultural projects. Cash purchase is of course also an option.
Do you charge for a quote? No. Quoting and system design are free.
Will I be charged for a service visit? Not for anything covered by warranty. Where a visit falls outside warranty, the charge depends on the work involved and how far the property is from us. We quote the visit before dispatching anyone, so you approve the cost first. Contact us, and we will price it for your situation.
What does a home solar and battery system cost? Most of our residential systems land between $25,000 and $35,000. The figure follows how much electricity the house actually uses rather than how big the house is, so a high-consumption home needs a larger system and a modest array without storage costs less. Quoting is free, and the number you get is built from your own bills.
How much will solar cut my electricity bill? We design toward covering 80 to 95 per cent of a household's usage. Where a particular system lands in that range depends on how much usable roof there is and whether storage is included. Your utility also caps how much generation it will approve against your consumption, so the honest answer for your house comes out of your last twelve months of bills.
How long before solar pays for itself? Ten to twelve years is typical for a system with battery storage, measured against what you would otherwise have paid the utility. Rising utility rates shorten it, which is the arithmetic most of our customers are really buying.
Is solar worth it in Michigan? Yes, and the state's reputation is unfair. Panels run on daylight rather than heat, and cold air makes them more efficient — a Michigan summer treats a panel better than a desert one does. Regular rain keeps dust and pollen off the glass without anyone going up a ladder. Output is lower in December than in July, which is why we size against a full twelve months of usage rather than a good month, using ten years of sunlight data for your specific location rather than a state average.
Is there still a federal tax credit for home solar in 2026? Not for homeowners buying their own system. The residential clean energy credit, Section 25D, ended for systems completed after 31 December 2025 — cut short by legislation signed in July 2025 rather than running to 2032 as originally written. If your installation was finished in 2025, you may still claim it on that year's return. Businesses and farms are in a different position: the clean electricity investment credit is claimed by whoever owns the system and remains available, which matters for commercial and agricultural projects. Tax treatment depends on your circumstances, so confirm with your accountant before relying on a number.
What incentives can I use in Michigan or Ohio? Neither state runs a broad solar rebate, so financing rather than a cheque is where most homeowners find help — Michigan Saves in Michigan, ATMOS in both states. Your utility's net metering terms matter more than any incentive: what you are credited for the power you export is set by DTE or Consumers Energy rather than by us, and the two treat it differently. Commercial and agricultural projects have more options available to them, including PACE financing and USDA REAP grants. What applies to a particular property varies by utility and municipality, and we check it while quoting.
Do I need a battery with my solar panels? No. Panels alone will cut your bill. A battery is what lets the system run your house after dark, and what keeps your power on in an outage. That second point surprises people: a grid-tied array without storage shuts itself down when the grid goes down, so that it cannot send power into lines crews are working on. If staying on through an outage is the point, you need a battery.
Will my solar panels work during a power outage? Only with battery storage. Without it, the system disconnects automatically the moment the grid fails, for the safety of utility crews. With a battery, the house isolates from the grid and keeps running on its own.
How long will a home battery last in an outage? From eight hours to several days, depending entirely on what you are running. A fridge, lights, internet, and a furnace fan will stretch far longer than air conditioning and an electric range. You decide which circuits the battery carries, and that decision is what sets the number.
Can a battery run my whole house, or only part of it? Either, and it is your choice. Whole-home backup needs more storage. Backing up a critical-load panel — heat, fridge, well pump, a few outlets — costs less and lasts considerably longer on a charge. It is configured during installation.
What size battery do I need? It depends on whether you want the whole house or only the circuits that matter, and on what your household actually uses. Send us a utility bill, and our design team sizes it against your real consumption rather than a rule of thumb.
How do solar panels and a battery work together? Your panels power the house first. What the house is not using charges the battery. Once the battery is full, the surplus goes to the grid. After dark, or during an outage, the house draws back from the battery. Whether you spend that stored power in the evening or hold it in reserve is up to you.
Can I add a battery to a system I already have? Yes, at any point after installation. We check your existing inverter and electrical panel first, because not every array pairs with every battery, and the retrofit is quoted from what is already on the roof.
What kind of battery is best for a home? A permanently installed whole-home battery. Portable units and solar generators have their place, but they are not whole-home backup, and they do not integrate with your array the way a fixed system does.
How many solar panels do I need for one Powerwall? Tesla's guidance is roughly 5.2 kW of solar per Powerwall. Below that, the battery refills more slowly than it discharges across a dull week. We check this on every design that includes storage.
Is my roof suitable for solar? Most are. We assess the roof before anything is ordered and model its output against ten years of sunlight data for your location, so what you see is what your roof would produce rather than a regional average.
Will solar work on a shaded roof, or one facing east or west? East and west both work. South is ideal, but it is not a requirement, and a good many of our installations face elsewhere. Shade reduces output, and the degree of it matters, which is why the site assessment measures it rather than estimating.
What if my roof is old? Replace it first. Panels outlast a worn roof by decades, and removing an array to re-roof underneath is an expense nobody wants twice. If your roof has under ten years left in it, do the roof, then the solar. We will tell you plainly what we see.
Can panels go on a metal, tile, or flat roof? Yes. We install on asphalt shingle, metal, tile, and flat roofs. The mounting hardware differs by roof type, which affects the price, and it is specified in your quote.
Will solar panels damage my roof? No. We mount with Rooftech attachment blocks, which are engineered to seal into the roof rather than compromise it, and we assess the roof before we touch it.
How long do panels and batteries last? Panels are the long-lived part — decades of service, with output easing down slowly across that time. Storage has a shorter working life, so plan on replacing a battery at least once over the life of an array. Warranty terms differ by manufacturer, and the exact figures for your equipment are in your quote. Our own labour and installation warranty is ten years.
What happens at a site assessment? One of our team comes out, examines the electrical system and reviews the roof, and leaves with everything needed to produce a complete installation price. It is the visit that turns an estimate into a real number.
What affects the price of an installation? Four things mostly: how many panels your usage calls for, the pitch and complexity of the roof, how much electrical work the house needs, and whether storage is included.
Will I need an electrical panel upgrade? Sometimes. It depends on your existing panel and whether the house is code compliant. We check during the site assessment, so it appears in your quote rather than arriving as a surprise mid-installation.
How much maintenance does a system need? Very little, and there is no annual service requirement. We do recommend using the monitoring app that comes with your system, because the first sign of a problem is almost always a number rather than anything you could see from the ground.
Do you handle permits, inspections, and utility approvals? All of them. Permitting, interconnection, inspection, and the utility's permission to operate are ours to manage, not yours.
