The SolarCity solar panels took six weeks to schedule, two days to install, and it may be another two months before they’re finally turned on.
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Six weeks ago my family got back from a vacation and my wife called SolarCity to schedule the installation of solar panels on our roof. She and I expected it to be a week or two, but were surprised to find that SolarCity is busy enough in the Denver metro area that it would be six weeks before their installers could get to our roof. We weren’t exactly thrilled – we’d been hoping to get the system operational as fast as possible to start saving up energy credits for the winter, when we’ll generate less electricity and yet consume more.
We were quite happy to see the SolarCity installers when they showed up yesterday, and over the last two days my home went from having a bare roof to having a full set of solar panels. In addition, all they upgraded the electrical box and installed all the electrical systems required to support the system. While I spent most of that time at work, it was still cool to come home today to find out that they were done and that we were now waiting on Xcel Energy – the electricity supplier for most of Colorado – to come out and install the net meter.
It was less cool to find out that it could take Xcel as much as two months to get to us. Again, we’d really like to store up some electricity credits before winter. Unfortunately, I’m no longer convinced that’ll happen. It’s not like we were banking on it or needed it financially, it just would have been even nicer financially than having a solar on the roof will be regardless.
If you look at it from Xcel’s perspective, they have no incentive to come out and hook up the solar system any sooner than they absolutely have to. Sure, they’ll want to have it hooked up before the end of the year so they can claim the system for their renewable energy requirement, but they more they can delay it without breaking the law, the more money they make from my utility bills. Still, maybe we’ll be one of the lucky ones that get hooked up faster than that.
I’m not holding my breath.
Categories: Energy, Renewable Journal
Progressive Culture | Scholars & Rogues 
That’s pretty frustrating. We’ve been thinking about solar for a while but have yet to ever speak to someone that’s actually had it done. I’m not sure if this is the place for it, so you can PM me your answer if that makes more sense, but did you receive a break down of costs or cost estimates that made sense? ie. initial out-of-pocket, xcel rebates, available tax credits (if any are currently avaiable), how much you can expect on a given day of sun to recoup, etc? Thanks!