Altair Solar Inc

Long before I wrote this review, I attempted to contact the business and resolve this professionally. But when they ignore numerous emails, texts, voicemails, and cries for help, what choice do I have? They installed a system that is leaking rain water through our roof. I have video evidence which I've sent them, and tarped my own roof because I understand that sometimes I need to wait my turn. So though it feels urgent, all I've asked from Altair is some sort of timeline / communication for the repair. What do I get? Absolute silence. They don't pick up calls, they don't return emails, or texts to the service person's number which THEY PROVIDED. What a sham. You could probably pick a solar company blindly out of a hat full of rat manure and have a better experience than this. So unprofessional, it's hard to understand how a business survives like this.

***Buyer Beware**** ZERO STARS !!!! Our system was installed in 2016 and within 2 yrs our roof started leaking and every year they would send out someone and they would tell us they can find nothing yet everytime it rains it leaks. A few days ago we cut open our ceiling and not only is there evidence of a unresolved leak but now we have black mold! We reached out again and with zero response.

Altair Solar made mistake that cost me over $3,000 a year and keep counting. I have all proof but they were not admit their mistake, denied to fix the problem saying I will have to pay $150 per hour plus parts if I want them to come to my house which I can imagined it is easy to get to $2000 or more to fix. They are lack of business ethic and sympathy. If I pay to fix then I will hire other company to do so, get the report and I will sue their ass in court. the whole story is I hired Altair Solar to install 18 solar panels back in April 2019. At that time system was work fine. May 2020, I had Tesla installed 2 back up battery at my house; everything still work good. On October 2021, I hired Altair Solar again to install 3 more additional solar panels and problem start from there. From beginning, every year SCE charged me roughly $12/month for service fee, during summer time June-October, Solar can’t keep up with AC usage so I need to pull some from grid but it always less than $300 total by the end of October. After that, usages dropped, Solar produced more than needed, uploaded more to grid. Therefore at the end of 12 months billing cycle on June I didn’t have to pay anything, even have some credit. Thing changed only after October 2021 when Altair Solar came to install 3 more additional panels. From then, the system never uploaded to grid as it used to be, my bill keep going up, added up to $1,900 by end of June 2022. Last 3 months July, August,September 2022 I was changed $300 each month fromSCE. Also because of system never uploaded, meter recorded I used more so monthly fee go up to $40-$45 per month instead of $12/month in the past. At this money, every month pass there will be additional $350 I have to pay after I spend more than $40,000 to install solar and battery system for a small 1470 sf house. I checked all my electrical bills from March 2020 until now that clearly prove that mistake was made from Altair Solar but after months emailed, even begging for help. They just simply said warranty is void when battery was installed in May 2020 and won’t do anything to help me. Again, everything was working fine and problem happens exactly after they came to install 3 more panels, how can they just denied any responsibility, keep insisted watery was void? On other word, after you install solar panel from Altair, you can’t not do anything relate to electrical without using Altair otherwise they will void the warranty and you will stuck with the system cost more than $40,000 without anyone will care to fix if problem come up . That mean you can’t add battery, you can run new line EV car, you just basically can’t do anything without pay Altair come to do so for you. Too bad, I got baited. Altair is lacking of business ethic and sympathy for a frustrated customer who spent $40,000 for Solar and now have to pay full price of electrical as if I never install any solar system. Please avoid Altair Solar at all cost unless you want to stuck in the situation either call them for every single time you need electrical work or warranty is void. The 20 year Solar warranty is a joke

This is solely my experience and mine only. I hope if you have already signed with them that your experience is different. If you are thinking about signing with them I would say do so with caution. I signed with them quite a few months ago and my installation has not even started yet. They will blame it on the cities for the delay but don't believe them. They are slow and in my case I think incompetent. It took them a month an a half to have someone go to my house to do a review. There are a bunch of positive comments on them and there's only two possible reasons - 1) they are really that good but they have recently overbooked or 2) those are fake reviews. I'll leave up to the reader to decide which they think it is. Oh, just so the reader knows - my install is still not complete. In fact, it's nowhere near completion. Save yourself time/headache and go elsewhere.

I strongly recommend Altair Solar for your solar needs. Charlie Kim, the main Sales consultant there is awesome and one of the best I've worked with. He goes to great lengths to explain the details (technical and procedural) around solar to you, walks through all the considerations and shepherds you the entire end-to-end process. Altair was responsive and transparent in their communications. The install went efficiently and without any issues. The installers were very respectful of my property and took my preferences into considerations. Overall, I felt they did very meticulous and quality work at a reasonable price. I would work with them again.

Altair has installed systems on two homes for us. One (10.8 kW) has been running for just over 2 years, the other (8.6 kW) for over one year. Both have performed to expectation, totally covering the power usage of the homes. One of the homes had a tricky intermittent electrical cable problem which Altair dogged until they found and corrected it. The other home required doubling the size of the home's electrical panel and some re-roofing, both of which Altair handled as part of the overall contract. Both homes used LG solar panels and Enphase micro inverters. We especially appreciate the monitoring capability of the Enphase Enlighten system. Altair's owner, Khaled Elsheref, stayed personally involved throughout the process and handled the projects professionally. I would not hesitate to recommend them.

Solar is a big commitment. I mean, it lasts longer than some marriages. Also, we were the first in our townhouse community to get solar, and our HOA was sensitive to the process. Doing the research was important. After speaking with a dozen different solar companies, tracking materials/production/warranties/prices, and breaking down each system’s cost per kWh, Altair impressed me the most. Most companies were licensed, had similar warrantees of 25 years (materials, workmanship, penetration), and used similar products. I selected Altair for four reasons: 1. Charlie, the sales rep, was extremely knowledgeable and patient. He gave us information we didn’t even know we needed yet (and we realized later). Several of the other companies I spoke with couldn’t answer my questions, saying, “I’m just the sales guy”. 2. While you should monitor your system regularly, they also monitor your system’s production. Many companies will install a system and leave you on your own. 3. The owner, Khaled, is an electrical engineer and is NABCEP certified. 4. In addition to being licensed and bonded, they put a portion of profits into a fund that will be used to support clients IF they ever go out of business. Once we started working with them, I knew choosing them was the right thing to do. The entire staff is customer oriented, professional, responsive, and take pride in what they do. We’re getting an EV outlet installed later this year along with a battery, and are looking forward to working with the team again!

We saw a lot of recommendations for Altair Solar on the Nextdoor app. At that time, we already signed up with Tesla (Solar City). We were glad that we contacted them. The owner, Khaled Elsheref was the one who came to our house to do the estimate. Very nice people. They don't pressure you to signup. Two solar companies backed out saying that our roof is too small and panels will not fit and the 3 story house next to us will be on the way. Those two only based it on google maps. Altair used an application to simulate where the sun will directly hit our roof from sun set to sun down. Pretty amazing. This way, they know where to place the panels efficiently. What made us chose Altair? 1. Tesla quoted us $15k for a 3.4KW unit. Altair quoted us $11k for a 3.9KW unit. Bigger unit for less. Tesla tried to price match and offered 13k for 3.4KW unit. Altair is still cheaper minus the federal tax credit, the whole unit is only 8k. 2. Tesla's solar panel shown to us was Panasonic 315 watts and 325 watts max. Altair uses LG 355 watts panels. Altair have better panels. 3. Tesla's warranty is 20 years or 25 if you have Tesla referral code. Altair's warranty is 25 years without a hassle. 4. Very nice people. No pressure. Always on contact. Took them 2 days to install the unit. Prolonged by the city inspector for showing up too early. Installation was smooth and clean. Unit is up and running. We are very happy with the service and the unit.

Altair Solar was one of the most talented and top knowledgeable companies I worked with when I was hunting for my solar installation. Both khaled and Nader were very instrumental in the process. They worked with me with all the details and helped me understand the values and technologies (which is important to me). Nader and team helped me with all of HOA's rules and regulation. we have submitted the forms and they assisted along the way. During the installation, Nader and Crew were on top of things. the installation went on time and on schedule. they were very meticulous, detailed and courteous. they have met most if not all of my requests and asks. Solar installation can be a difficult task but with Altair Solar and Nader's crew it went event less. thanks a lot. definitely recommend.

Altair Solar was one of the most talented and top knowledgeable companies I worked with when I was hunting for my solar installation. Both khaled and Nader were very instrumental in the process. They worked with me with all the details and helped me understand the values and technologies (which is important to me). Nader and team helped me with all of HOA's rules and regulation. we have submitted the forms and they assisted along the way. During the installation, Nader and Crew were on top of things. the installation went on time and on schedule. they were very meticulous, detailed and courteous. they have met most if not all of my requests and asks. Solar installation can be a difficult task but with Altair Solar and Nader's crew it went event less. thanks a lot. definitely recommend.

Altair Solar was one of the most talented and top knowledgeable company I worked with when I was hunting for my solar installation. Both kaled and Nader were very instrumental in the process. they worked with me with all the details and helped understand the values and technologies (which is important to me). Nader and team helped me with all of HOA's rules and regulation. we have submitted the forms and they assisted along the way. During the installation, Nader and Crew were on top of things. the installation went on time and on schedule. they were very meticulous, detailed and courteous. they have met most if not all of my request and assisted. Solar installation can be difficult task but with Altair Solar and Nader's crew it went event less. thanks a lot. definitely recommend.

This is our second solar installation. Both times we are extremely happy that we chose to go with a local company that is invested in the community and to help promote hardworking small businesses. The owner, Khaled is an electrical engineering geek which is exactly what you want for someone installing your solar system. He is extremely knowledgeable, experienced and very easy to work with. He communicates well, is flexible and just an all around great guy. You really can't go wrong by choosing Altair Solar. Not only does he offer a great product, but he has excellent prices. His team did everything--all the paperwork, inspections etc. We got four bids, and based on his reviews and his personality, we chose Khaled and Altair. We highly recommend Altair Solar!

Great experience! This was one of the easiest home improvement projects I've ever experienced. The reason is Khaled and his crew. Altair was probably the tenth quote I had gotten for solar installation. They came in at a substantially lower price than the rest of the quotes I had gotten. Also, with Khaled, I didn't have to endure the used car salesman approach that most of the other solar companies put you through. He is very knowledgable about his products and is always happy to answer any questions that come up. We decided to purchase our solar by using financing. Altair works with a financing company that gives decent financing terms and it's a breeze to get approved. It's all done online and via emails and docusign. Super easy! Permits and applications are all moved along smoothly throughout the process by Khaled. Altairs installers are very polite and professional. System was up and running within about one week. Great job!

I find Khaled to be knowledgeable, honest, and professional. He's a relatively small solar company, but has been in this business long enough and have done enough commercial/home projects(on records) to deliver excellent work on my PV installation. I had quotes from 7 different solar companies, from Costco to Solar City, but decided to go with Khaled and his company because he sounded personal, knowledgeable, and patient to answer all your questions. His pricing of installation is fair and utilizes good quality equipment. But, actually you can probably pick and choose any where from cheap to high quality equipment and prices will vary due to that. Once the contract is signed he works from A-Z in dealing with the HOA, the city for permit, and his crew to get the project finish in a timely manner. I recommend him highly.

In a nutshell, here are the reasons we're so happy with how it went: - Super thorough. We needed some creativity for our job and Khaled did his own measurements of roof size, pitch, and direction. He took his time to get it right. (Not just trusting satellite photo measurements.) Of course, our 1 story home made that easier. - Knows his stuff. Khaled's an electrical engineer by trade, and it was refreshing to learn from him rather than a sales guy. - Very competitive pricing. Panels are pretty much a commodity with fixed prices. So the rest is labor and (in the case of folks like SunRun and Solar City) corporate overhead. Khaled and the team are efficient and fair. They came in at or below the other 4 bids we got. - Crew was friendly and clean. Chris and the install team were on time, considerate of our space, and cleaned up after themselves each day. - Accuracy. The results matched his mock-ups (in terms of looks and placement) and the energy production is right where his calculations estimated it would be. In short, I did a TON of research. Got 5 quotes. Khaled and Altair won on every category: price, instilling confidence, and executing as promised.

Our experience with Altair Solar was extremely positive. The installation crew were there on time. They finished the job quickly. Initially I didn't want to invest in solar, but my husband convinced me that if we install the solar system, after it pays off, I can have a free vacation every year. In the mean time, I will convince him to get me a Tesla :)

I have been longing for a solar system for many years now and I can say up and till now I was never comfortable with those door to door companies. I was always very cynical of companies that come to my doorstep because the appointment setter needs to get paid and then you have a sales guy and all the marketing that you end up paying for. The once or twice that I let one of those "experts" come in to my house I as a tech geek threw them out. I have a passion for electronics although I am not an electronics engineer you can say I have been building gadgets all my life and very familiar with semiconductors, AC, DC, and how this stuff works. So I get down and dirty on the technical part of the install. I can tell anyone who is reading this I left only a handful of reviews in my life as I'm very lazy to give a review on things I'm not excited about. I hate leaving reviews but when Altair finished this job I felt that I owed them not only a review but a great one. Altair solar is an amazing company that offers a balance of price, technical competence, speed and customer support. I installed a 5.2kw system with them to get me on my way to running one plugin Prius along with all my electrical needs including AC. The sales guys are not pushy and are HONEST. If you don't know about solar and need someone else's insight that has a decent idea of how this stuff works I can tell you they are very competent. They give you a good offer then they give you time to do your research. Here are a list of things that differentiated them from the rest: 1. Price wastes other installers by far without quality loss. I will explain the other points that make this very important. A good price is not what you should look at and these guys are not just trying to please you they want to do it right even if you don't. This is very rare. 2. These guys know their stuff. I understand electricity and I can tell you that other companies sales reps don't know crap. When you are being sold something the sales reps need to know the technical stuff especially for solar. I was easily given 3kw proposals and I never took the offers that were almost double these guys. Yes prices went down, but a few years ago I was quoted more than double the price for a system nearly half the size of the one I got today!! Don't get ripped off with their competitors. 3. They push only what works best for you. Other installers just want to jump on your roof and maximize their profits. For example my roof was small so I needed high efficiency panels. The LG panels were really expensive when I researched them but it seems Altair absorbed some of the costs to keep me happy. Other installers would size the system to benefit their ease of installation and profit margins because I had to install on two different levels of my roof. They did not cut corners in any part of this project. Including the panel upgrade and dealing with the electric company. 4. They brought up points that other installers failed to mention like how to prevent roof leaks which I thought was not an issue looking at things from an electronics guru's perspective. They bring up many concerns. 5. They are transparent in what they are installing for you. Other companies try to play games with some of their quotes and don't mention the tile related product that will prevent leaks (they included it without me asking because I did not know it exists). I was so happy when I saw the newer products that actually left me with some extra tiles. They don't just drill into your roof they use this extruded concept that is a bit difficult to explain but in short raises the area where the screws will go into your roof. This lets water go around the holes. You need to see it to understand. I had underestimated the installation stuff before the install. 6. My installation was not perfectly convenient (lucky me) because I had to move my gas meter away from my new panel (if your panel is too small they will need to change it out =( especially if you have a plugin EV) . Other installers would probably not have taken my project because it was time overhead they could not profit from for a small system. The tech guys and sales guys stepped me through everything including how to deal with the ultimate bureaucrats, the electric companies. The electric company in my view wants to sell its solution when you need to upgrade your panel and really tried to make it hard for me to get this going. 7. Altair will make you happy unless you are the trouble maker or the penny pincher =) GO ALTAIR SOLAR. I will be recommending you to anyone that wants solar. You got a new free sales rep. Forgot to mention one thing if you are planning on adding an EV let these guys know. They also helped out very much in estimating it. They know the latest models and their energy consumption. They helped me with the Prius Plugin.

Simply put Khaled at Altair Solar is the single best vendor I've ever worked with on any project ... ever. I'd been researching solar for a while before I took the plunge. I'd interviewed a number of solar installation companies and they either couldn't figure out a configuration to fit enough panels, or the equipment they were recommending was inferior from what I'd learned in my research. Khaled was on-time (or early) for every day on the job. This was not an easy install (due to an inspector who kept changing the rules mid-install) Khaled and his team stayed gracious and professional until the job was done and done right. (and by done I mean all the way through confirmation through the completion of the interconnection with the power company). Update 8 months in - the system has been performing better than what was promised. I.E. the panels are delivering more energy than Khaled's original quote - and I very much appreciate people who under promise and over deliver - the only thing that never worked quite right was the monitoring system, and even though the job was finished and paid for Khaled stayed on top of it and when the technology improved he let us know and updated the monitoring system - follow up like that is so rare A very very satisfied customer

My husband and I have been thinking about going solar for some time now. We were approached by many installers either by phone or knocking on the door, and we got a wide range of quotes from both large and local businesses. The reason we chose Altair solar is because they used quality products (LG Panels and Enphase microinverters) at a very reasonable price including system monitoring compared to everybody else. The sales process was also very smooth, there were no pressure tactics, and the sales person always answered my questions on time and always picked up the phone which is a plus for me. He seemed very knowledgeable as he had an engineering degree from what I learned from him. The quality of the installation was not less than the products themselves. The installation crew was always on time and cleaned up every day after they left. It didn't feel like I had a construction project in my house. When the installation was finished we got connected to SCE within a week, which was great, so now we are saving a lot of money as I like to have the AC blasting the whole time without worrying about the bill.

Khaled was the most honest professional contractor I've ever dealt with. He answered all the questions I asked and was never put out because I ask so many questions. He delivered everything he said he would and more. I was referred to Khaled by my nephew who also recently had solar installed by him. I will be referring Khaled to anyone who asks me. Very efficient and timely.

Finding the right solar company can be a very frustrating ordeal. My quest began a little over a year ago. The obvious starting point was with the most recognized company, Solar City. Solar City pushed a high priced, low output system and would not evaluate my property until I signed a contract, saying I could always cancel. “No Way” I proceeded to get recommendations from friends and reviews on the internet. I contacted ten solar companies, but only seven responded. Of the seven, after looking a Google Earth, three companies said that because of the steep slope of my roof and position of my home, solar would not generate enough energy to be feasible . One came out, but would not even go up on the roof. Of the remaining companies, bids and specs were all over the place and answers to questions were evasive. I read many reviews online and the reviews for Altair stood out. My first meeting with Khaled was impressive. Khaled was extremely thorough and knowledgeable. He is an electrical engineer and very experienced. He also made sure that I understood all of the aspects of going solar, cost, equipment, installation, permits, HOA approval and what I could expect in energy production and savings. Over the next four months, I had many questions that were always completely answered to my satisfaction. Khaled is truly patience and never once did I feel pressured in any way. The verdict is in. It has been six months since I went online with SDG&E and could not be happier. My system is preforming as expected. I have a 6000SqFt. home that has had bills as high as $600 per month. This amount has been greatly reduced over the winter months to an average of $150 per month. Now as summer is approaching and days are lengthening, I am receiving credits to my account. Last month I received a credit of $167. There is no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision to go with Khaled and Altair. A.J. Laguna Niguel, CA

I chose Altair to do my installation after seeing their work first-hand with my next door neighbor's installation. I saw that Khaled, Altair's CEO, was on-site every day of the install and personally oversaw everything. In speaking with him, he was very knowledgeable and wasn't into pressure sales tactics. Sometime later, I asked for multiple proposals because I wanted to compare options. Altair was happen to design a system that met my needs at an affordable price. They took care of everything (getting permits, working with SCE, and giving me designs that would satisfy my HOA - we live in Irvine). The installers were professional and the work was finished on schedule (I wanted it done before the new year so I could include in my 2015 taxes). Given my experience, I would highly recommend them - I've actually done so to my friends who are interested in Solar.

I highly recommend Altair Solar if you’re looking to purchase and install a solar energy system. Altair Solar has provided me with a top quality roof solar system at the best price. Altair Solar is an honest and trustworthy company with full understanding of solar systems, electrical installations, and state/city/fire-authority requirements. Altair Solar and associates are professional, courteous, and experts at solar installation and roofing. I chose Altair Solar ahead of twelve other competitors. Before I selected a solar contractor I investigated every aspect of residential solar installation. The information allowed me to calculate the size of the system, know the benefits of different types and components, and understand the cost plan that I required for my energy needs. Based on online information I filtered potential candidates down to six companies. I interviewed all companies via e-mail and spoke to four contractors in person. I carefully compared every-ones services and prices when comparing similar systems. I also dismissed those who knew less about solar than I did, those who included sales gimmicks and unlikely promises, and those who did not have legitimate justification for using a different type of system than the one I had selected. I chose Altair Solar as my contractor because they satisfied all my requirements. Altair Solar’s proposal arrived quickly, matched my design in size and type, and was less expensive than other competitors. Communications with Altair Solar were concise and focused on functionality, services, and cost. No sales pressure tactics were used. Moreover, Altair Solar is local to Orange County, California which meant I was able to meet with the person in charge—Khaled Elsheref. Altair Solar is synonymous with Khaled Elsheref. Communicating with Khaled in person, impressed me with his straight forward honest manner and made me confident that his business was legitimate. However, I still verified his business license, insurance, and bond, which all checked out. It was immediately apparent that Khaled has a deep understanding and passion for the solar energy profession. I felt comfortable that I would receive a superior solar/electrical system done according to state and local requirements, while preserving the integrity of my roof. An additional benefit of choosing Altair Solar is that Khaled oversees all aspects of the installation himself, including the contract, scheduling, purchasing the system, installation and roof work, as well as customer service. In larger companies it might require the coordination of three or four departments. Space on my roof is limited because of multiple vents and pipes. Khaled recommended that I use a higher efficiency panel. The complete system consisted of twelve LG-310 panels including twelve Enphase 250 micro-inverters. I signed the contract on Monday, received the components on Thursday, and installation took place on the following Monday and Tuesday. In the process, aesthetics considerations were taken into account when routing the conduits on the roof and walls. The end result looks great. On Wednesday the city inspector approved the work. Less than two weeks after installation, SCE delivered the PTO, and I was net-energy-metering. The whole process and installation was quick and clean. I am confident you would be satisfied contracting with Altair Solar.

Khaled was professional from start to finish. We contacted a lot of other companies prior to Altair and they had very limited selection for solar panels or they were pricey for what they offered. Altair offered excellent pricing and had a good selection of solar panels for us to choose from. We are very pleased with the system we got (they also use micro-invertors!! Anyone into solar panels, this is the future!). They also worked around our schedule and was able to complete the job very quickly. We'll be breaking even with 5 to 6 years after the solar install. Also it feels good to work with a company that's located near my house. Not only are we sustaining the environment with solar panels but sustaining a local business too.

I never realized that the process of getting solar would be so easy. The Altair team gave the best prices around and worked with us to help us understand what would be best for us based on our usage. They constantly kept us up to date on what was going on with the city, the installers and what rebates applied and when they would be paid. I would recommend that anyone looking for solar give them a call.

I just got my system completed from Altair Solar. The inspector just finalized everything and I'm already generating sweet solar fuel :) It feels so good to not be giving all that cash to SCE. I did a lot of research when it came to getting solar at my house. I started like most do, looking at the big names like Solar City, Sungevity, and Sun Run. I got quotes from all of them, they all had one thing in common, aggressive salespeople and they all wanted to sell me a lease. This was obvious because their cash quotes were crazy high. I needed more information. Being new to solar, and extremely curious about everything and being a big nerd, I bought the Solar Electricity Handbook from Amazon and read it cover to cover. After reading it, I learned the difference between a microinverter vs. central inverters and other technical jargon. I also went on Solar Panel Talk's online forum and learned from the people there and shared my different quotes. They were very helpful. Ok, now that I knew what I was getting into, I decided to get quotes from local installers who were experienced contractors. I got 3 quotes, and I narrowed it down to Altair for a few reasons. First and foremost it seemed like Khaled from Altair was the most trustworthy out of them. I have had my share of nightmares from contractors in the past and didn't want a repeat of one of those situations. I have a pretty good "Larry David" radar for that sort of thing by now. Second, he really knew what he was talking about. Even with the recent knowledge that I had ascertained from the book I read and the forum, and my technical background, I was able to talk shop with the different contractors and could weed out their experience level. Third, Altair gave me a very competitive quote for the system that I was looking for. I finalized on a 41 panel, 280 watt mono black Solarworld system with m250 microinverters. 11,480 total Wp total. I finalized the contract with them and then went on vacation, scheduling them to come out when I returned. By the time I got back, he had already pulled the appropriate permits. The day I got back, he had all of the panels, microinverters, and equipment delivered to my garage and they started work. I have concrete tiles so they had to be careful up on my roof. Breakage is inevitable with these installs, but they were able to replace anything they had broken with new tiles. Within a few days they had the rails installed properly on my roof with panels gleaming in the sun ready to accept solar goodness. After they routed the conduits and hooked up to my panel, we were ready to turn it on and test. It worked! They installed a monitoring device from Enphase that allowed me to see on the web or on an app my daily and hourly generation. On the first sunny day I was already generating 60 kilowatt-hours! He told me I still needed to trim a tree or two to get optimum results because there was some shading during parts of the day, after which he said I'd get even more generation. It's only spring! Anyhoo, I'd completely recommend Altair if you are going solar.