Solar Wave Overview
Established in 2018, Solar Wave is a relative newcomer to the solar energy market. This small company – based in Lakewood, Colorado – prides itself on putting the customer first and cutting away middlemen and hidden fees. They only take on a handful of projects per month; limiting their growth and influence but maximising the amount of time and care they spend on each installation.
Founder Steven Weaver states that the motivation behind Solar Wave was a sense of disappointment at the state of the solar energy market; too many firms put profit before sustainability. Although Solar Wave has only a few reviews to its name, each one of them is a glowing endorsement of its customer-focused approach.
Solar Wave Services and Specifics
Specific Solar Panels offered
Solar Waves offers three specific brands of solar panel:
| Silfab Prime 370W
HC Black |
QCell G10+ 400W Black |
Canadian Solar 395W Hiku6 black |
|
| Module Power (Wp) | 370 watts | 400 watts | 395 watts |
| Max. Power Voltage | 34.95 volts | 37.13 volts | 34.4 volts |
| Module Efficiency (%) | 20.2% | 20.4% | 20.2% |
| Product Warranty | 25 years | 25 years | 12 years |
| Linear Performance Guarantee | 30 years | 25 years | 25 years |
| Annual Performance Degradation | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.55% |
All three of these panel types are extremely high performance and durable, coming with a minimum 25-year performance guarantee. In fact, the QCell G10+ is the first 400W module for the residential market.
This commitment to quality extends into their battery backup systems – the Enp0hase IQ series – and their choice of inverters, namely the Enphase IQ7/8+ and the SolarEdge SE5000H and SE 10000H models. All of these are some of the industry’s best in solar energy technology.
Specific Types of Solar Offered
Solar Wave provides grid-tied solar energy systems to both residential and commercial properties. They also offer off-grid solutions for residential properties, though we couldn’t find anything confirming this directly. What they do offer is an extensive array of battery backup and energy storage solutions, which heavily support their off-grid potential.
These services are currently limited to the Colorado area.
Solar Wave Installation Costs and Process
Costs
Solar Wave makes a bold promise that they can offer you a solar energy system for 35% cheaper than other providers. They claim this is possible by stripping out many of the middlemen and hidden fees that other, larger solar companies charge. They promise a flat rate solar pricing structure, as opposed to one based on your existing utility bill. This flat rate is quite simple; if you were to install a 7kW – or 7000-watt – system for $3 per watt you’d pay a flat $21,000. This is just an example price: the actual cost per watt is not listed on their website and will vary based on your situation.
Although there are additional costs for permitting fees and labour costs, these are consistent across all of their projects. Solar Wave provides a table of these on their website.
They also provide details on the pricing of their battery backup systems – their Enphase IQ systems vary in price from $16,000 for a 10 kW system up to $35,000 for a 30kW system.
Solar Wave does not list any financing options on its website; however, they are partnered with financing companies such as Mosaic and the Clean Energy Credit Union. You will have to enquire about potential options as part of your consultations.
Legitimacy
Solar Wave is a legitimate company with a handful of impressive certifications;
- A verified Electrical Contractor’s license with the Colorado Department of Regulator Agencies (DORA) (#EC.0102446)
- Accredited with the Better Business Bureau as of 2022, with an A+ rating
- NABCEP certified Photovoltaic Installation Professionals
- EnergySage Elite Installer, screened and verified
- QCells Certified Partner
In addition, they are partnered with various industry leaders, such as Enphase, Silfab Solar, Canadian Solar, SolarEdge Technologies, and LG Solar.
Although they only have a handful of reviews available online, they’ve made a stellar first impression for such a young company – a consistent five stars across Google Reviews and EnergySage, with many customers praising their efficiency and expertise. By far their most attractive aspect, though, is Solar Wave’s transparency about price; it seems that their customers agree that Solar Wave’s commitment to cutting out unnecessary fees is the right approach.
Maintenance
Much of Solar Wave’s equipment is covered by manufacturers’ warranties, ranging from 10 years on an Enphase inverter, up to 25 years on high-quality solar panels. All of their installations come with an equal or greater set of performance guarantees.
The SolarEmpower View
| Cost: 10/10 | Legitimacy: 9/10 |
| Quality: 9/10 | Customer Service: 9/10 |
Solar Wave sets out to disrupt the solar energy market with its focus on providing high-quality products for the lowest price possible. Although it may not have the wealth of reviews that other solar energy companies do, those that it has, paint them as a highly professional, efficient photovoltaic installer. We highly recommend you give them a look, for their cost and service alone. An optimistic 9/10.
