Clean Solar

Clean Solar installed our system several years ago. I contacted them about cleaning our panels and cleaning leaves and pine needles from under the panels. They performed the work today and did a great job.

I wanted to get the solar panels installed before the federal incentives were gone so I did a bit of research and found this company to install the solar panels, Tesla power wall. I went with Clean Solar because I had my entire roof replaced by Clean Roofing (they're somehow related) and they did a pretty good job so what could possibly go wrong? Boy, was it a mistake. The roof was literally replaced so it was brand new and Clean Solar comes and installs the solar panels. They put up a ladder against the house and it ripped apart the gutter as they were getting up onto the roof their tool bag or whatever got caught, which they did not tell me and tried to hide the fact that they damaged it until I confronted them. The install team consisted of 3 people: John (leading the team), Chris, and Brandon. The quality of their work for the installation of the Tesla Power Wall is a solid 8 out of 10. The quality of their work for the solar panels installation is a 0 out of 10 because the brand new shingles were damaged since they dragged the rails, solar panels all across the shingles causing major damage. Why couldn't they put down a tarp before dragging it? Brandon kept throwing screws, nails, metal objects off from the roof and a few times it landed into my neighbor's backyard. I've contacted Denise about this and they said they would fix and replace the damaged shingles but they only did half of the work. The shingles that are under the solar panels are still damaged and the solar panels itself is stained with white caulking. It's been 5 months and I've still haven't heard back from Denise (she said she would speak to the manager but that was back in November). I've given up and this has been so stressful and one of the worst companies I've ever had to deal with. I just wanted honesty and transparency but this company has none of that since they tried to hide the damage from me until I flew my drone up there.

The Clean Solar and Clean Roofing teams who installed a new roof and then new solar on our house were absolutely outstanding. They were professional, friendly, timely, and clean from start to finish. The customer service form the very first call with Tim L to the final call walking me through all the products, how they work, and even what to expect out of the solar and battery warrantees should any problems arise in future years were amazingly helpful and patient. In fact, after the job was finished, the team responded quickly to a question I sent over the weekend about the app that controls the system. Again, super friendly and responsive (and to be clear the app and solar were functioning properly- the question was about how to analyze energy production-data-then showing on the app). The price for the solar, battery and roof install was not just reasonable, it was the lowest for the combined job of all the estimates I received. In fact, even as components, the solar, battery and roofing were all individually the best quotes I received. I wish I had all of the names of the Clean Solar team members who worked on our install. They all deserve a shoutout and a huge thank you. We are very pleased and highly recommend Clean Solar (and clean Roofing)!!

I've installed both solar and Tesla home batteries with Clean Solar and couldn't have been happier with the quality of the install and the professionalism of everyone at the company. I'd like to give a particular shout out for Tim Littlefield, who's so knowledgeable and personable and helped me select all the right equipment for my home. Juan and team also did a great job on my most recent project of installing the solar batteries, going above and beyond to minimize the visual appearance of the various cables and boxes required to set up the system to comply with all the right local and PG&E rules. Look no further for a solar or battery company - Clean Solar are the best!

Poor Service and Over Promises.

When Clean Solar sold me a solar system, they made various claims such as guaranteed production and bill saving. None of these happened and Clean Solar backed out of all of their sales promises. Despite several attempts. The system has never fully worked correctly due to the SolarEdge inverters failing because of poor system design. Clean Solar has admitted that the original installation done by them was done incorrectly. Run Fast Away From Clean Solar. For paying a premium per KWH you do not get anything that is better than the next competitor.

Solar System Installed and working

Clean solar delivered the system and installed when scheduled and within the time frame they specified. Their sales person Tom Cottrell was knowledgeable and very responsive to questions and made sure we had the optimal system for our usage. There is an entire team that interfaces and manages the project, permitting and PGE contact. The team worked well together to get us to the end and we are happy to do our part to reduce our reliance on the electric grid, save us some money in the long run and help the climate conditions for our children. They also make a donation at the end of the project with either gridalternatives.org or Break Through Silicon Valley. We selected grid alternatives since that helps bring solar to low income families. We are happy with our system.

No Service after signed contract

I contacted Clean Solar in April 2020 for Tesla Power Walls and a full solar roof installation. I deposited $2,000 and signed their contracts. In my contract, the scope or work was to be completed in "5 - 7 months" which would take us to November 2020. I responded quickly to any inquiry and kept reaching out to my project manager as time went on. The deadline came and went quickly, citing availability issues with the Power Wall. That's when i found out they never ordered them when they took my deposit. They explained that they don't order them until they're ready, which by then was already too late. Project Manager was fired or quit so I was contacted by someone new and kept getting a delayed ETA, no problem. Mind you these people never contacted me, I was the one who was reaching out for updates. I then found out my new project manager quit or was fired. its now over a year since i paid my deposit and no ETA in sight. May 2021, June....July... finally in August 2021 i reach out to the only people i knew including Art Balaoro who was quite the Customer Service guy at the beginning. My original salesperson finally told me, look, there's no ETA on your project and i wouldn't be surprised if it didn't happen in 2022 either. I appreciated the honestly and told them with no end in sight, and since they overshot the contract by over a year, I'll just take my deposit and do something else. They were ok with this but didn't give me a full refund. They told me they had to take $550 for a permit they applied for which expired back in early 2021. I don't think that's right but that was their stance. I emailed Art again, no reply. They all clearly decided it was better to spend their efforts on current customers. It's really telling when the service you receive changes so abruptly. I opened a case with BBB as well which they let expire without a response. This is just my experience, I hope you do your own research first before getting involved with them.

Excellent service

We contacted Clean Solar after talking with 3 neighbors who purchased their installations from Clean Solar. Everyone Marcia Bever, Patrick Sweeting, Installer Angell and his crew, and Cris who came out for the City inspection-was professional, helpful, and very pleasant. The crew cleaned up after themselves and did a great job with the installation. We are very happy with the final product and everyone who we dealt with at Clean Solar. We highly reccomend them and their product.

Beware of empty promises like production guarantee

When Clean Solar sold me a solar System in 2016, they made various claims such as guaranteed production and bill saving. None of these happened and Clean Solar backed out of all of their sales promises. Despite several attempts.  Overall, Clean Solar pays less than half of the claims for production guarantees (data provided by their CEO through BBB). For the few who go through the painful claim process, Clean Solar responds with exceptions such as environmental changes and customers end up victims of their misleading sales tactics. 

Clean Solar is excellent and highly recommended

Wow, choosing a solar company is no easy task. There is so much confusion, which panels, which type of inverter, should it be micro or not, so on and so on. Having interviewed four different companies I finally decided on Clean Solar. And boy, I’m glad I did. Right from the start their sales rep Marcia Bevers went over the process, explaining the differences of panels, inverters, micro inverters and sizing the system to fit my needs and outlining the process of permits and the install schedule. Next we were assigned a Project Manager, Justine Farley who did an excellent job of keeping the project on track and on time. And finally I can’t say enough about the install crew. Julio Hernandez and his crew’s work was professional and top notch. Clean Solar is a fantastic company and highly recommended.

Most thorough bidding; make process enjoyable!

We just had our system go fully operational yesterday and we can't be more happy with the experience we had with Clean Solar. Their estimation/bidding process was they most thorough and personable. Once we decided to move forward with them, the entire process was stress-free. Clean Solar's project manager handled all the scheduling, logistics, and paperwork. We decided to install Sunpower, partially due to the quality, and that Clear Solar are a Sunpower Elite Dealer. Installation went without a hitch and I honestly believe the panels make my house look better. Thanks Clean Solar for the great work!

Great company to work with and very good value.

They were very responsive and provided me with a very competitive quote for the high-end panels that we wanted. Met all commitments and timelines. Very easy to work with.

I am so proud to have my CleanSolar system installed. From the first day of contact to the last day of the final walk through, I was very happy with all interactions with everyone at CleanSolar. I liked that they stand behind getting the most efficient panels and inverters from the beginning. I did my own research and gotten multiple quotes from other installers that quoted less efficient panels from the start. CleanSolar was the only company to quote SunPower from the beginning. Their quote was very competitive with others that were quoting less efficient panels and had a shorter warranty and production guarantee. My solar analyst, Craig Rush, was very helpful in taking the time to explain every nuance about CleanSolar solar systems and the different configurations possible. Even though, I used to design solar panels; I was still apprehensive in investing such a large amount on solar panels. He dedicated a lot of time to explain everything to me and helped me to cautiously step through the entire process, production guarantee, payments, rebates and all the different inverter options, AC vs DC output, and configurations. Again, I don’t think I could have had a better experience with being guided through the whole process. From the beginning, I wanted the most efficient panels and knew I was going to pay out of pocket for them. My roof is very broken up and steep and knew it would be a difficult job to layout. Leasing was not an option because my consumption was too low but I have always wanted panels on my roof to be a good environmentalist. Craig was very helpful in explaining the priority (South, West, East) for where to put my panels and even found room for 2 extra on my roof. He explained that I could stick with my original 8 or less or go for the whole thing which I opted for. My payback is a little longer than most would accept (15 years) and we will probably move before the system is paid back and I am making way more power then we use but I am happy and joyful knowing that I am doing my part to help Mother Earth. When we move, the first thing after getting our keys, CleanSolar will be coming out to put another system on my new place.

Professional and highly customer focused solar installer

Clean Solar did a great job on our 18 panel home solar system. They were direct and honest with their proposal and there was no pressure or funny business. When I told them I needed a few months to make a decision, they were fine with it and Bryon, our account manager, checked in regularly and unobtrusively to ask if we had any questions. I did and he answered all of them throughly. I had contacted three other solar vendors, including the big and prominent one, and none was as willing to spend time and talk through my questions as Clean Solar. Clean Solar ended up putting together different five proposals as I changed what I was interested in with no issues. They gave me choices and options and told me the advantages and disadvantages of each. The big company never stayed in touch, when I called them later the contact I had originally had left the company, I was told someone would get back to me and they never did. But in addition, they were inflexible by favoring leasing over buy, and their pricing was not as good as Clean Solar for buying vs leasing. That approach to customer relations continued after we signed the contract. They kept us informed about what would happen and what did happen every step of the way. They let us know that Los Altos inspectors might expect to come into the house to inspect the smoke alarms, and what we needed to do ahead of time to be prepared. They handled the inspections and permits without me having to get involved, as well as working with PGE to get them to sign off. They made sure we approved ahead of time where each piece of the system went, including the proposed location of the inverter. The installation process took two days, and went smoothly. All employees were very professional and customer focused. Bryon followed up after the installation by coming to our house, going over paperwork and maintenance suggestions, as well as reviewing with us the details of how the system worked. Having gotten proposals from many vendors and seeing so many negative reviews in Yelp from others, I highly recommend Clean Solar.

Great company !!

6 Thumps up for Tim Littlefield and Clean Solar !! Excellent experience with Clean Solar !! I saw the top Yelp reviews and they delivered across the board.I got quotes from several solar companies, ranging from large corporations to small local businesses. After my research and talking to few of my friends who has had panels for many years, I decided to go with Clean Solar and I am glad I did! They had all the perks of a large company - price advantage, parts warranty, labor warranty etc. However they also have the perks of a small local business: when you call you get a human every time, or a quick call back if they need to.... Here's what I loved about them: 1. Convincing Sales guy 2. Project Management 3. Schematic Drawings 4. Construction/Solar panel Installation. 5. Smooth City Inspection 6. Walk Through of solar system. 7. Quick "Permission to Operate" from PG&E/Energy-utilities provider Tim Littlefield was a great sales guy who walked us through the quote process, he spent about 1 Hours on our roof on his first visit and told us there were no big issues standing in the way of installation. His quote totally made sense and his advice aligned with thew research I did on my own. He was able to help us source all Sun Power panels to maximize solar output and 25 years warranty,which really made the difference for us! --> Clean Solar gave us a detailed report with the quote explaining the economics involved in sizing the system -- they ran multiple reports to give me a couple of options based on various hypothetical scenarios. --> Clean Solar answered every question I had about the process and the system (as an engineer, I had many of these!) --> Clean Solar did a wonderful job on our house and supplied us with a clear diagram of how the solar would be placed and on which roof faces. --> Clean Solar inked the deal and coordinated the install with me entirely over email ; I never even had to pick up the phone! --> Clean Solar helped us do City Inspection as easy as it could have gone and hooked up with PG&E in no time. In nut shell, Clean solar has outstanding service, their employees are eager to please and have latest technology! The work was done in a less than a 10 days( When actual construction started and I got a Permission To Operate from PG&E), and the system was operational in the same time window. Even PG&E moved quickly for us without Tim having to badger them, I got an email within one day after the application went in to them saying we were all hooked up. The city inspection also went smoothly with no issues raised. I highly recommend Tim Littlefield and Clean Solar to anyone looking to join the green revolution! Cheers! -AR