Ever wonder what it’s like to be a solar installer? Last Wednesday, I climbed onto the roof of a San Francisco home and found out. With a team from PetersenDean, one of SunRun’s partners, I was able to witness firsthand the ins and outs of home solar installation.
2:00 pm
<img class=”alignleft size-medium wp-image-6881″ style=”margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 6px; border: 1px solid black;” title=”home solar roof” src=”http://blog.sunrunhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/solar-roof-199×300.jpg” alt=”ready to install solar panels for homes” width=”199″ height=”300″ />I’m on-site by early afternoon. It has been a rainy week and I was worried the rain would spoil my installation plans, but luckily the skies clear by the time I arrive. The installation team is headed by lead electrician, Steve, and Javier, the head rooftop installer. There are three others– Gustav, Eddie, and Leandro. They are hard at work when I arrive – Steve is in the garage, working on the inverter; everyone else is up on the roof, installing the solar panel mounting system on which the solar panels for homes will rest.
Climbing up onto the roof is quite possibly one of the most frightening experiences in my life. The ladder seems to go on forever and with each uncertain step, my legs shake. This particular home has a flat roof, which means the team needs to install a mount rail system in order to place the panels on an angle; lucky for me, this also means that I can stand on flat, solid ground. The team chuckles at my nervousness. “You’ll get used to it in a week,” they tell me.
2:30 pm
Gustav starts spreading grey gravel on the bottom of the mounts, in order to disguise the black sealant. We have to make sure we scrape the gravel off the bottom of our shoes when making our way down the roof, so we don’t slip from the reduced traction.
3:00pm
The next half-hour is dedicated to wiring. The team guides three different wires – black, white, and copper, through metal poles. According to Javier, the thick black wire is for the negative connection, white was for positive, and the copper is the ground wire. It becomes quite complicated after that and I use this time to move away from wiring and ask Javier other questions:
Me: How long have you been a solar panel installer, Javier?
Javier: One and a half years
Me: What were you doing before then?
Javier: I was a supervisor for construction sites. For 17 years!
Me: Wow, what made you switch? How did you find out about solar installation jobs?
Javier: I looked on the internet. Installing solar panels for homes is a lot less stressful than construction. This is better.
Me: Well, that’s good – what’s your favorite part of the job?
Javier: Definitely laying out the panels, that’s the best part. And we get to go everywhere to install panels; I like to travel. Sometimes in San Francisco, sometimes in Monterey County… This July, through December, I’m even going to Texas – installing over 400 panels. It’s going to be a big job.
Me: How long do home solar installations usually take?
Javier: Usually two to three days. Today’s just going to take one or two, though.
The installation team moves quickly and efficiently, occasionally conversing in a mix of English and Spanish. I observe them with pen, paper, and camera and try to stay out of their way. They tell me they work on installations every day; I can’t help but think of all the jobs home solar panel installations have created – team manager, lead electrician, roofers, and that’s not even including the jobs created further down the supply chain.
3:30pm
By this time, the winds have chilled and I am freezing. Clad only in my SunRun long sleeve, I muster up the courage to climb down the ladder and get my fleece sweater, which I had left on the ground level, with Steve. “Don’t look down,” Eddie yells down. I can’t help it.
In the garage, Steve is tinkering around with the inverter and we get to talking:
Me: What are you working on right now?
Steve: This here is the inverter. The electricity from the roof solar panels for homes goes to the inverter, where it’s changed from DC to AC power. From here, it goes to the SunRun meter. If something goes wrong, SunRun is the first to know! Then, they call us.
Me: Do you have solar panels for homes on your roof?
Steve: We don’t right now because we’re trying to move but if we don’t end up moving and stay in our home – we’ll definitely get panels.
4:00pm
Eddie helps me back on to the roof. He climbs down the ladder and climbs back up with me; I feel slightly foolish for making him go through the trouble. He tells me he’s been with PetersenDean for fifteen years, starting right after high school graduation. That’s a long time.
<img class=”alignleft size-medium wp-image-6931″ style=”margin-right: 11px; margin-top: 6px;” title=”laying out solar panels for homes” src=”http://blog.sunrunhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/laying-out-solar-panels-300×199.jpg” alt=”solar installers laying out home solar panels for homes” width=”300″ height=”199″ />The team has started laying down the panels – Javier’s favorite part! The panels are dark and slick-looking, 18 in total. Javier tells me he likes to lay them all flat before screwing them in one by one, so he can measure everything out and align them precisely: “I like them to be super straight.” Javier is quite the perfectionist.
He has home solar panels for homes, as well, he tells me – has had them for six years now. I ask him why he decided to get home solar panels for homes and his face glows. “The bills!” he exclaims enthusiastically, “My electric bill went from $200 to almost $10.” Javier is from sunny Santa Cruz.
4:30pm:
The installation crew members climb up the ladder with additional panels held over their shoulders. Quite a feat of strength and balance; move over Cirque du Soleil! When I express amazement, Leandro laughs, “This is nothing.” They finally start screwing the panels onto the mount. I take so many photos that my camera battery dies shortly after I completely use up my memory card. I shift gears to writing notes.
While Eddie and Javier work on aligning the panels, the others work on connecting the wiring underneath the solar panels for homes. This is very careful and precise work; talking ceases and silence abounds. It is cold and quiet and I pull on my hood as the wind starts to blow.
5:00pm
All solar panels for homes are installed, secured, and connected! Cleanup begins immediately – everyone does his part, cutting excess metal off the edges, picking up loose tools. Another tucks in the wiring, making sure that not a single wire touches the physical roof.
I bid the solar installers farewell and make my way down the roof, to say goodbye to Steve. Steve tells me they just need an additional half-day until they are completely done with the installation. The next step is to complete the wiring from the solar panels for homes to the meter.
I’d only been up on the roof with the solar panel installers for around three hours, but I’m exhausted. I feel more connected than ever to the solar energy movement now that I’ve seen it in action. In a matter of hours, solar panels for homes were installed and a regular home was transformed into a clean, green solar home. And that’s all in a day’s work for a home solar panel installer.