Having trouble with your solar system? We're here to help!
The simplest way to check on the health of your system is to look at the color of the lights on your inverter on a sunny day, when the system should be happily generating solar power. A green light on your inverter means your system is functioning properly.
If you are concerned that your system is not functioning properly, the best thing to do is power-cycle or reset your system (see our inverter guides below). Resetting your system before contacting our service team may save you time and money.
If resetting your system does not solve your issue, explore our solar and heat pump support pages, or take a look at our FAQs below.
If you suspect your system is not performing the way it should, often times a simple power-cycle will solve the issue. Completing a system reset may clear the issue and get your inverter back online, with no need to pay for a service visit.
Get to know your system, or find answers to common FAQs about your products. If you have additional questions, contact our support team and we will help you as soon as we can
Currently we only service systems that were installed by ReVision Energy.
If you have a system that was not installed by ReVision, but we have serviced it in the past, please indicate that when you reach out to us.
Nope! Thankfully we live in a climate where it rains often enough that we don’t have to worry about dust or pollen build-up on the panels. We also don’t recommend cleaning snow off your array. Because the panels are black and glass, they act like a metal roof or car windshield and the snow will typically melt and slide off all at once after a few hours. We take regional snow coverage into account when we size your array, so even if you lose a few days of production every winter to snow, you should still be hitting your annual clean energy goals.
We have a whole article about solar panels in the winter; you can read it here!
Clean solar panels help ensure your solar project generate optimal electricity. REC and Q CELL panels are designed for minimal maintenance, however dust, pollen, leaves, and other particles can find their way onto the panel surfaces. We do our best to install our solar projects at sufficient angles, so that regular levels of rainfall should clean panels naturally without requiring intervention.
If pollen or dust lingers for several days, you can use a hose to gently spray down your panels to help wash away the debris. We don't recommend trying to clean your panels using chemicals, sharp objects or abrasive cloths as you might harm the surface. Always be safe and don't lean on or apply pressure to your panels as this can cause damage to them.
If you need to clean your panels, keep the following in mind:
You can find more information about cleaning your panels in this PDF.
Unless you have solar back up storage, your solar system won't produce energy when the power is out. If your power goes out, contact your utility company to be sure they are aware of the outage.
Once the power is back on, here are a few steps you can take to check your system and make sure it’s working as usual:
Our solar systems are warrantied for 25 years and but expected to last over 35 years.
Solar panels are 95% recyclable which is huge – washing machines are only 70% recyclable but everyone has one! So they really can be recycled, we just don’t have the big recycling plants for them yet in this country (they have them in Europe).
The biggest barrier to solar panel recycling in this country is that not enough solar panels have failed to make it worthwhile to recycle them; as we move toward a higher adoption and solar panels age more, this will advance. At ReVision, we have team members working on a process to recycle solar panels when they reach the end of their productive lifespan. We will keep our community updated on our progress!
If your roof needs replacing in the next 5 or so years, we do recommend replacing the roof first and then getting your solar array installed. Otherwise, the solar panels increase the lifespan of the roof by acting as a sort of protective layer, shielding it from the elements.
If your roof ends up needing to be replaced after solar panels have been installed, we can come out and remove the panels and then re-install them. There is a labor fee associated with this.
Absolutely! You can either attach more panels to your existing array, or (if you live in Maine) you can buy a share of a Community Solar Farm (CSF) to supplement your current array. Many of our Maine customers opt to go the CSF route, but we can help you find the best option for your home and energy needs.
Similarly, if you install heat pumps or buy an Electric Vehicle and your electric load goes up, our team can design an expansion for you.
If you have a Tesla battery, please reach out to Tesla with any issues or questions that cannot be answered with our FAQs. Tesla services alls its own technology and ReVision cannot do much to help.
During the process of setting up your Powerwall, we should have set up an account on your behalf which links up your device with their mobile app. This App is the only way to get full features and functionality from your Powerwall.
The app is available for both Apple and Android devices:
If you have no mobile device, you can monitor the Powerwall in a limited way through a computer connected to the same local network as the Powerwall. The method works only for a machine on the same local network- no remote access. This method also does not allow mobile specific features like push notifications of power outages and storm watch mode.
Local monitoring instructions: https://www.tesla.com/support/energy/own/powerwall/monitoring-from-home-network
You will need to know their Gateway serial number for basic monitoring, as well as your Tesla account login info to change settings like the wifi password.
Lights are solid: Communicating
Lights are blinking: No data is transferring to the Tesla App
Lights are pulsing: Discharging or charging
If you accidentally leave your Tesla Powerwall circuit breaker open --meaning your Powerwall circuit breaker is in the off position -- this can prevent the Powerwall from operating. It can also cause the Powerwall to slowly deplete its power reserve, which can require service.
Customers will receive an alert through their mobile app if an open breaker is detected. The app will show you the link to Tesla’s Troubleshooting website section, which will then prompt you to restart your Powerwall.
Did you make any changes to your WiFi network (i.e. new router, new network name or password)? If yes, you may need to reconnect your Backup Gateway to your new network. Instructions can be found here.
If you did not make changes to your WiFi network, or the above instructions do not work, please call Tesla directly. ReVision has limited access to your Tesla app, and going through Tesla's customer support will ensure your issue is resolved quickly.
If you need to contact Tesla's customer support, call (877) 961-7652 and press 2 for Powerwall service and troubleshooting.
REC stands for Renewable Energy Credit.
It essentially is a certification of the ‘green’ qualities of your solar array. Your solar array has the literal value that it provides to you in the form of electricity that is either used in your home, or sent to the grid.
It also has value in terms of the benefits it provides the world by offsetting carbon energy. This is what the REC stands for. You earn 1 REC = 1,000 kilowatt-hours of solar generated.
You can sell your solar RECs to utility companies to help them meet their requirements to purchase a certain amount of clean energy per Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS).
Utility companies can meet their RPS requirements for the state (exact % varies in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts) by either building their own renewable energy plants, or purchasing RECs either from bigger projects or from solar producers such as yourself. Alternatively, if they fail to purchase enough RECs they pay a penalty (called Alternative Compliance Payment, ACP) which is funding the state uses to offer renewable programs.
Yep, you can earn a little bit more financial return for your solar array by selling RECs to an interested party.
Here are some rough values for RECs various states:
Customers often choose to sell their RECs, and gain an additional incentive to offset the cost of their solar array. Your solar inverter will be able to electronically report your production to NEPOOL, the organization that mints the RECs. However, in order to receive monetary benefit from these credits, you will want to work with an aggregator who will sell the RECs on your behalf.
We typically work with Knollwood Energy. They monetize the RECs that you have produced and send you a check on a quarterly basis. They'll charge a nominal fee for this service, check with them/their website for latest information.
If you prefer not to sell, you are able to Retire your RECs. Retiring the RECs is cost free and involves setting up your own accounts with NEPOOL and the NH PUC. ReVision can guide you through both of these applications. Once set up, your RECs will report electronically to NEPOOL, mint, and then naturally expire over time. There is no additional monetary benefit to retire them, but you retain ownership of the RECS so this option also prevents the utilities from claiming your RECs without paying for them.
Technically, if you have sold your RECs, you have sold the “Green” properties of your solar array. It is no longer accurate to say, “I have clean power produced by sunshine” because your system’s clean energy properties have been sold to another party (the utility). This prevents “Double dipping” where the utility is able to count renewable credits from your array but then you also are claiming to have green properties for your solar energy.
However! Just because you retire your RECs, doesn't mean your solar isn't doing great things for the environment! Obviously the solar production is the same either way. RECs are an excellent way to add additional financial incentives for you to go solar (improving your ROI).
Massachusetts has run its REC program differently from other New England states. Historically, they had a “SREC” (Solar Renewable Energy Credit) program, which provided a special carve-out in the REC program for Solar projects.
It gets (super) complicated, but in short REC markets have a variety of forms of renewable energy that enter into it, including sources like biomass, hydroelectric, wind, and of course, solar.
Markets that have a special ‘carve out’ for solar typically lead to a higher REC value for Solar RECs — which has been the case in Massachusetts. However there were some limitations with the SREC program, namely that the subscriptions eventually got filled which made the incentive go away.
SMART was crafted to replace SREC with a more long-term approach. SMART offers similar benefits as SRECs — a financial payment per 1,000 kWh of solar produced.
The SMART program is available to customers with National Grid, Eversource, or Unitil as their electricity provider. In towns served by MLPs (Municipal Light Plants), a separate program exists through the Department of Energy Resources.