Removals, Installations & Troubleshooting:
Our Team Is Equipped To Serve Your Home
Need a new roof? Planning an addition? Considering relocating your panels? Our team is equipped to safely and efficiently remove and reinstall your solar panels for any project
Coming Fall 2024
Count on us to address and resolve multiple communication issues related to monitoring systems without having to dispatch our technician. Enjoy learning about multiple ways to track your solar data remotely.
Trust us to diagnose and resolve electrical issues, wiring problems, and grid outages, ensuring your system operates flawlessly.
A multi-year service contract can ensure your assets stay healthy.
Coming Soon Fall 2024
Secure peace of mind with our tailored maintenance contracts, ensuring the continued reliable operation of your electrical or solar systems.
Expand your energy capabilities by adding new panels or batteries to your existing solar setup.
Enhance your system with an electrical panel upgrade to support your future energy needs. Ask us about upgrading to a smart home panel.
Our team handles various electrical tasks, including circuit add-ons, relocations, and sub-panel upgrades, ensuring your electrical system meets your evolving needs.
We offer installation services for electric vehicle chargers from a variety of trusted brands.
We coordinate all aspects of Ford’s bi-directional charger projects with Sunrun, managing any additional electrical work required.
Check out our Solar Library for Step-by-Step guided video solutions to common communications issues. If you don’t find what you need, please contact our Home Solar System dedicated support team.
Your Solar Solution Partner
We are your dedicated partner in ensuring the ongoing performance and satisfaction of your solar arrays, offering a suite of premium services to cater to your unique needs. Here’s what our Service Department can do for you:
Complete Array Service
At Michigan Solar Solutions, we believe in inclusivity. No matter who installed your solar array, we’re here to provide the service it requires. Contact us today, and our skilled experts will ensure your array operates the way it was designed.
Exceptional Remote Monitoring Support
Our team is adept and proficient in reading solar monitoring portals so that you don’t have to be. Trust us to be your first call to support issue diagnosis and troubleshooting. Once we are connected with your monitoring portal we will set up alerts for our team to review critical monitoring notifications about your system.
Expert Troubleshooting at Your Service
Our field experts excel in troubleshooting solar issues whether they involve SolarEdge, Enphase, or other systems. With a calm and methodical approach, we diligently identify and address issues, ensuring your solar experience remains smooth and hassle-free.
Manufacturer Liaison for Your Peace of Mind
Should we encounter an issue that requires the manufacturer’s expertise, we’ll seamlessly connect with equipment manufacturers on your behalf. Your satisfaction and your system’s optimal performance are our primary concerns.
Personalized and Effective Communication
Clear and effective communication is at the core of our service philosophy. We’re always available to engage with you, offering remote troubleshooting support and organizing on-site visits when necessary.
Streamlined Warranty Claims & Product Replacement
In the case of warranty claims or the need for product replacement, we act as your trusted mediator. We ensure the process is as smooth as possible, guaranteeing a prompt resolution.
Amy has been a service associate with Michigan Solar Solutions since 2022. She has over 30 years of customer service experience. She works closely with the homeowners to help achieve all their solar needs. In her time off she enjoys crafting, canning, spending time with her family, as well as saving lives and taking care of her elderly neighbors.
Christine joined MSS in early 2021. She brings several years of customer service and business management experience. She has multiple cerifications in leadership and management training. When Christine is not at work, she is a devoted mother and also enjoys coin collecting and metal detecting
Drew is a Senior Service Technician and Site Surveyor at MSS. He is currently studying Renewable Energy with a focus on Photovoltaic Design at The University of Michigan – Flint, and has dedicated himself to a future of clean energy. Drew enjoys traveling, playing drums and guitar, and spending time with his fiancé Hannah and his dog Leia.
Kyle has been with MSS since late 2019. Since joining our team, he has played a key role in the development of our fully staffed Service Department. As our first licensed remote pilot, Kyle developed our existing Drone Program, which has set us on a path to safer, more efficient & effective job surveying! He prefers to lead by example & is one of our most skilled problem-solvers. Outside of MSS, Kyle is a husband & father to two young girls. He values his time with family, working out, playing music, & releasing positive art into the world, in various forms.
In December 2022, Melissa Smith joined the Service Department at Michigan Solar Solutions. She is the Senior Service Associate on the Service Team. Her primary responsibilities include the preparation of service quotes and service invoicing. Before joining MSS, Melissa served as an Office Manager for a horizontal directional drilling company. Beyond her professional pursuits, she finds enjoyment in activities such as hiking, kayaking, mushroom hunting, quality time with family, and the study of herbalism as well as creating herbal remedies and salves.
Bio coming soon.
We all love to look at our solar array production via the handy online applications on our smartphones. But be forewarned: you may drive yourself crazy if you are expecting “normal” production during the Michigan Winters. That is because the Earth has tilted us away from the sun.
In the winter (November through February +/-) the sun’s rays have to penetrate the atmosphere at an increased angle, thus rays go through more atmosphere – dropping solar production significantly. The Earth’s tilt also means the days are shorter and the average hours of sunlight are decreased. Add in the thicker cloud cover on a high number of days per month and it is understandable how Michigan solar arrays only make 10-15% of the annual production over the entire four months of winter.
There are some winter days your array won’t even turn on. Many other days the array just appears to be flaky on your monitoring application. Don’t worry – this is all normal. When we size an array – all of that is taken into consideration. It is normal!
After a large snowfall, brush off and expose a portion of each panel. The panels will begin to produce energy and warm up melting the rest of the snow off the panels. For large or roof-mounted arrays you may want to use a roof snow broom/rake to remove the snow. If the roof rake has a metal end, duct tape a towel around it to protect the glass on the solar panels so they don’t get scratched or cracked when removing the snow. There are also telescoping snow brooms available online that auto dealers use to brush snow off cars that won’t scratch your solar panels.
* Note: Solar panels work best when they are cold.
So, if a period of very cold weather is expected, you will see a large benefit from removing any snow from the panels to maximize your energy production. The best hourly production you will have all year is when it is at or below zero!
If there is any snow at all on your solar array, it will disproportionately reduce your energy production. Either wait for the snow to shed our brush it off.
Step 1: Check your electrical panel and make sure your circuit breaker didn’t trip. If it did trip, reset it. If it didn’t trip the breaker then continue outside to the meter. Near the meter is your solar AC disconnect. The lever should be up in the ON position. If it isn’t up, flip it up. The only way for this to be off is if someone flipped it off.
Step 2: Make sure the router is plugged in. Next, reset your router. If it does not have a reset button, power it down for ten seconds (unplug it) then power it back up. If your system has a ZigBee/Gateway WI-FI then most of the time the issue is because the Gateway device (plugged into your router) has recently been moved, or an obstruction has been placed between the Gateway device and the antenna on the inverter. When this happens, the signal can be blocked/lost due to an obstruction. This will require either the Gateway device to be moved so that it has a clear line of sight to the inverter antenna, possibly closer to the inverter if available staying plugged into the router. Or the obstruction could be moved out of that line of sight. If all else fails, you may need to hardwire the connection, if available (may incur additional costs).
Step 3: If this fails, please contact our service department at (248) 397-5083 Option 1.
The utility company has no way of knowing how much power is produced by the solar system. They do not list solar power as Power Produced on their customer’s bill. They list solar power Outflow. The only power the utility company ever sees is the overflow power that cannot be consumed on-site because the solar array is generating more than the loads of the home can consume. At that point, when the solar array is generating more power than can be consumed at home, the excess power has nowhere else to go other than to backflow through the meter and to the utility company. This is the only power the utility company sees.
About 35 years ago, an international standard was created to rate all solar panel outputs. This was a result of manufacturers playing games with the figures in their marketing. This is called STD or standard test conditions. STD can only be mimicked in a laboratory setting on a specific machine that does a flash test in a controlled environment. This is because panel output varies dramatically depending on the temperature outside, how hazy the day is, and how intense the sun is.
A 310w panel can produce from zero watts to over 400w depending upon these factors. The output increases as the ambient temperature falls, as the sun becomes more intense and the skies become clearer. Those days when it is below zero ‘F’ has the best potential. This is why the wire sizing of a solar array is dependent upon these items. A solar array in a warmer climate can get away with smaller wires than we can in Michigan. At zero degrees ‘F’ a 310w solar array can produce over 356w, with all else being equal. The STD panel wattage listed on the placard, of any panel sold in the United States, is at an ambient temperature of 77°F (25 degrees c), 1000 W per square meter of sun intensity, and 1.5 atmospheres. When any of these factors change, so will the output.
“From the time I contacted them to when they could perform the work was by far the fastest I have encountered with any solar company. They were very quick to remove the panels for me and to get them reinstalled right away after we replaced the shingles.”
Bill W.
“I had a great experience with Michigan Solar. They (Tony, Jimbo, and Evan) were very professional, answered all my questions, and got our panels uninstalled fast to prepare for our new roof to be put on. I liked that the same team of guys came out to do the installation and it looks great! They even added additional support for a section of the conduit pipe that rests on the roof (which the previous company did not). Melissa and Amy who worked in the office were great at staying in touch, answering questions, and getting us scheduled quickly around the time of our roof being redone. Thank you for making it so easy to keep our solar panels when we needed a new roof.”
David R.
“I called multiple solar companies to get a few single panels as well as get some questions answered and either couldn’t get a callback or much information until I contacted Michigan Solar Solutions. They went out of their way to make my experience great! They answered all of my questions plus some and I willingly made the hour drive to purchase panels through them, which actually saved me money compared to some of the other companies. I highly recommend and will definitely go back to purchase more in the future!”
Rose C.
3260 Old Farm Lane
Commerce Twp., MI 48390
(248) 923-3456
11780 NW Monroe Rd M-46
Riverdale, MI 48877
(989) 833-5333
