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If you’ve been following my journey toward energy independence, you know it hasn't exactly been a "plug-and-play" experience. After a fair bit of waiting and wondering why my solar panel project wasn't hitting the numbers it was supposed to, I finally have some great news to share.
The Turning Point Sometimes, you’re just too close to a project to see the missing piece. After a period of stagnation, I had the team at CKR Solar take a professional look at the setup. It didn't take them (actually him) long to spot the issue. While I won't get into the weeds of every technical hiccup, let’s just say that what was "apparent" to a pro was a total mystery to me! Making It Right The best part of this experience wasn't just finding the problem—it was how it was handled. CKR Solar stepped up, corrected the flaws, and ensured everything was optimized for peak performance. Where we stand now:
What’s Next? I’ll be tracking our data over the next month to see exactly how much of an impact this is making on our grid reliance. Stay tuned for the first real data deep-dive!
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Now that we have our POA (Permission to Operate) from Alabama Power we are thrilled! I can't tell you how much fun it is seeing the system work. We are 'off-grid' the majority of the time and enjoy the freedom to leave town knowing we can monitor everything.
Here's a recent video from CKR Solar's powers that be ... and what they say is true as it can be. I can, without a doubt, recommend them.
Here we go! We are as ready as we can be ... both cars have been moved to the front yard to give the installers plenty of room.  As expected, Joe arrived as scheduled at 8:30 and the installation crew at 9. These random pictures show the progress of getting the panels onto the roof. The rest of the project starts tomorrow! I was going to wait to share my thoughts about the install to date but I'm just too thrilled to let it ride. Yes, there was a glitch - it happens - but the impressive part about it is how it was handled. There was no panic, no uncertainty, no hesitation. There was only devotion, focus, and solutions offered. It all worked out. These guys are pros. Such a pleasure to work with ... even though they did all the work. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Next Up: Getting It Connected
We both drive Teslas. Tom drives a 2016 Model S 90D and I drive a 2018 75D; most of our lawn equipment (Greenworks) and many tools run on batteries and it's been that way for years. So what made us 'go solar'?
It's simple. We met Joe Ward ... the nicest guy you'll ever meet. He didn't come across as a salesman at all ... that's plus for us! We had dinner with him and several other folks from Drive Electric Alabama recently. I opened up the can of worms by asking Joe what he did for a living. I already knew he drove a Rivian and wasn't surprised when he said he worked for CKR Solar. Hmmm ...not something we ever really thought about. Being in our mid-seventies, debt-free, and generally comfortable with our life we weren't looking to make a change. With our 'twilight' years are encroaching and it was something we quickly pooh-poohed. The topic was dropped. The next day, we attended a car show and there was Joe with his Rivian, Steve Johnson of Wiregrass EV Charging with his Rivian, Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition executive director, Mark Bentley with his Tesla Model Y, and Tom and me. What great conversations we had! I had an opportunity to chat more with Joe. Again, in his gentle, no pressure demeanor he barely mentioned solar. It was then I asked him a simple question, "Why should we consider solar?" His answer was simple, "Stop the bleeding." And, that was that. The conversation was over. I returned to my husband who really wasn't ready to have any discussion about solar. I dropped it and enjoyed the car show! Later that day, Joe offered to review our power bills from the last year to see if solar was even a good fit for us. He felt confident we could have solar for less than we're paying now for power. That's all I needed. I quickly logged into our power company's website and saved a years worth of power bills and sent them to Joe. He said it would probably take a couple of weeks for him to get back to us. True to his word he text me and offered to come to our home and lay it out for us. I reminded him Tom was NOT on board and he was likely wasting his time. He told me that was fine. We set up a day and time to come and he was in front of us - likely full of hope - while we were apprehensive and set in our ways. Next up ... What Changed Tom's Mind |
