Top 7 Best Solar Companies in Maine (2024 Reviews)

Tesla manufactures and installs some of the most impressive equipment on the market, especially when it comes to solar batteries.

Tesla outsources all installations to third parties, so it isn’t able to guarantee outstanding customer service. Still, most customers are pleased with the service they receive from this tech giant.

Why We Chose Tesla as the Company With the Best Technology

Tesla uses QCells panels in its installations, but its other technology is outstanding and widely considered the best in the industry.

The quintessential example of this is the Tesla Powerwall, Tesla’s solar battery. It’s not only one of the most capable batteries for power output and storage on the market, but it also features some advanced technology and AI-trained features, like StormWatch.

The battery stays connected to the internet to monitor your area for storms that could knock out your power — a common occurrence in Maine, one of the most likely states to see outages. It automatically stores power and reallocates your energy split to prepare for the blackout, providing ultimate convenience without any input from you.

Tesla’s EV chargers are also quite popular and can be adapted to fit non-Tesla EVs as well, making them a popular option for fast charging.

What We Don’t Like

The biggest downside to Tesla is the potential for below-average customer service. Tesla doesn’t have an in-house installation team and instead uses local third-party companies to handle the installation. You still get a workmanship warranty, but your overall experience with going solar could be less than ideal, depending on the installer assigned to your solar project.

Tesla’s workmanship warranty also only lasts for ten years. This is in line with the industry average, but we’d really like to see a longer coverage period in an area like Maine, where heavy snowfall and moisture could pose an increased risk for rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems.

Read our full review of Tesla for more information.

Solar Products

Tesla used to manufacture its own panels but now exclusively installs QCells panels. These are an outstanding option, as they blend above-average efficiency ratings and high durability with pricing that’s lower than you’d see from many direct competitors.

One of QCells panel models has a snow rating that is about 1.5x the industry average, which makes them an outstanding choice for Mainers, who see snowfall each year in great excess of what most other states see.

In addition to QCells panels, you can get the following products and services from Tesla:

• Tesla solar roof
• Tesla Powerwalls
• Tesla EV chargers
• The Tesla solar monitoring app

Financing Options

Much like SunPower, Tesla keeps its systems and services widely accessible by allowing customers to choose from four financing options: cash, loan, lease or PPA.

A system purchased with cash is going to pay for itself the fastest and provide the highest savings thereafter, so it’s the most beneficial option overall. A loan is more accessible since you don’t have to pay everything upfront, but the interest will reduce your savings a little.

Leases and PPAs save less over time and don’t let you take the federal solar credit, but they are the most accessible options.

Warranty Information

When you go solar with Tesla, you get a 25-year warranty for the equipment and the production. The equipment coverage is average, and the production warranty is about five years longer than average.

You also get a workmanship warranty for ten years, which is average. We’d love to see a longer workmanship warranty in a higher-risk area like Maine, but this coverage is still quite good.

Click here for a free quote from Tesla.

Invaleon Solar is a regional company that delivers excellent customer service, local experience and expertise at every step of the way.

The company doesn’t offer a wide range of services, but for those homeowners looking for simple systems, it’s an outstanding option, in our opinion.

Why We Chose Invaleon Solar as the Best Regional Provider

Invaleon Solar has been serving Maine since 2011. It has nearly 15 years of experience, but more importantly, it was founded by master electricians with home improvement contractor certifications. The expertise you get from this company is incredible, and you can always rest assured that your solar panel system is being installed by true professionals.

In case the experience and certifications weren’t enough to convince you, Invaleon also backs all of its systems with a comprehensive 25-year warranty that covers equipment, workmanship and production.

Although this is a larger regional company, the technicians that service Maine have been doing so for many years and are experts on local regulations and incentives. Combined with great customer service, that means you’ll very likely get help navigating local solar incentives and rebate programs to help reduce your all-in installation cost — an important perk in Maine, where the per-watt price of PV equipment is well above average.

What We Don’t Like

There isn’t much we can say about Invaleon that isn’t positive. One minor downside is that it offers just the basic services, including panels, batteries and EV charger installations. For customers looking for more customization options, another company will suit them better.

Additionally, the company carries relatively few equipment brands. In the way of panels, it only carries REC and QCells. These are great options, but we prefer companies that have a wider range in terms of efficiency and cost per watt.

Solar Products

As mentioned above, Invaleon only installs panels from REC and QCells. However, these are tier-one panel brands that deliver above-average efficiency ratings and performance specifications, and they should provide the production capabilities Mainers need to offset their high energy costs.

If you’re looking for maximum production, we recommend the REC panels, which have a higher peak efficiency rating of 22.3%. QCells panels come in a bit lower, but they’re better suited for customers looking to minimize installation costs, as they have a lower cost per watt.

Invaleon also offers the following products and services:

• Tesla Powerwalls
• Tesla EV chargers
• Solar monitoring apps from Tesla and Enphase
• Commercial solar projects

Financing Options

Invaleon Solar only accepts cash purchases and solar loans, so your financing options are limited. We’d really love to see leases and PPAs offered; even though we don’t recommend them to most customers, they can help make renewable energy accessible to a wider customer base.

Of the options available, we strongly recommend a cash purchase if you can make it work. Paying in cash will provide greater benefits over time than a loan. Plus, a cash purchase is more accessible in Maine than in most other states since the average total system cost in the area is around $7,000 lower than the national average before the federal credit.

Warranty Information

Invaleon rivals some of the national companies when it comes to warranty coverage, which is pretty impressive. You get a 25-year warranty for the equipment, the production and the labor. This provides outstanding protection and peace of mind.

The equipment warranty is average, and the production warranty is a little longer than average. We feel the workmanship warranty is the most impressive, though, as it’s 2.5x longer than what most other companies offer for their labor.

Click here for a free quote from Invaleon Solar.

Summit Energy is a solid regional installer with local experience, outstanding warranty coverage and a wealth of payment options to keep solar accessible.

Summit Energy was founded in 2016, making it a relatively young company, but we still feel it holds the expertise necessary for quality installations.

Why We Chose Summit Energy as the Company With the Best Warranty Coverage

Summit Energy’s warranty protection is outstanding and lengthier than you’ll find from most other companies. The coverage includes 25 years of protection for the equipment, a 25-year production guarantee and a 30-year workmanship warranty.

Very few companies provide anything more than a ten-year labor warranty, so having triple the warranty length is incredible. This is especially helpful in an area like Maine, where heavy snowfall can expose issues with the installation process more quickly and potentially lead to system or property damage.

In addition to stellar warranty coverage, Summit offers excellent customer service. It maintains an outstanding 4.33-star customer rating on the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) website and an A+ rating overall. Most customers are pleased with the service, communication and attention they receive from this provider.

Additionally, Summit keeps its products and services widely accessible by accepting all four major solar payment options. 

What We Don’t Like

There’s not much we have to say about Summit Energy that is negative. It offers a nice array of product brands and services, has great customer service and accepts a wealth of payment options.

We will say that the company was just founded in 2016, and we prefer to promote companies that have at least a decade of experience. We feel that ten years of service is long enough to establish longevity and reduce the risk of your installer going out of business and voiding your warranty coverage in the process. Still, the company’s technicians are highly qualified and individually experienced, so this is a minor drawback.

Solar Products

Summit Energy carries a wide range of panel brands, including REC, QCells, Solaria, Panasonic and SolarEdge. These are all great panel options for homeowners to consider, and they deliver excellent quality and durability overall.

If you want the best chance of eliminating your energy bills, we’d recommend the REC or Panasonic panels. These have the highest efficiency ratings of the lot. If you want to keep your upfront system costs as low as possible, we’d recommend the SolarEdge panels, which should have the lowest cost per watt.

Below are some other products and services Summit Energy offers to customers:

• Solar batteries — the company alludes to offering multiple brands, but only Tesla Powerwalls are specifically mentioned
• Roof replacement
• The Tesla and Enphase solar monitoring mobile apps
• Solar panel maintenance

Financing Options

Summit Energy accepts cash purchases, solar loans, solar leases and PPAs, so you have multiple options based on your budget. If you can make it work, we would strongly recommend moving forward with a cash purchase.

If cash is out of the question, a solar loan will be the next best option, followed by a lease and, finally, a PPA. We only recommend leases and PPAs if you absolutely can’t make a cash purchase make sense, and you won’t qualify for a loan. These options save far less money over time and don’t let you take the federal credit.

Warranty Information

Summit Energy provides outstanding warranty coverage, which includes 25 years of protection for your panels, a 25-year production guarantee and an incredible 30-year warranty for the workmanship.

The workmanship warranty is more or less unheard of in the solar industry, and it’s an excellent warranty to have in a place like Maine, where the weather can lead to issues with poor installations rather quickly.

Click here for a free quote from Summit Energy.

If you’re looking for a company that will provide you with a solid solar system but also has a positive impact on the community, we recommend ReVision.

This company has a relatively short workmanship warranty and limited payment options, but it can’t be beaten in terms of social impact.

Why We Chose ReVision Energy as the Company With the Best Social Impact

ReVision Energy is one of the few installers in Maine that is a certified B Corp. This certification confirms that the company goes above and beyond and puts its bottom line at risk to have a positive effect on the communities it serves. It also makes charitable donations, which is just icing on the cake.

ReVision doesn’t just deliver when it comes to the community, though. It also has over 20 years of experience and a positive track record for good customer service and quality installations.

The company installs a good selection of panel brands and couples those with a nice range of services, too. It’s clear that the company understands the big picture when it comes to clean energy and doesn’t just focus on installing as many panels as humanly possible on roofs to maximize profit. That means you get some system customization opportunities and a responsible and sustainable company overall.

What We Don’t Like

ReVision Energy is lacking when it comes to its labor warranty, which lasts for just five years. This is half the industry average and about a third of what we ideally like to see in higher-risk areas like Maine. We do believe the company’s decades of experience should help reduce the risk of issues popping up, but we’d still prefer a longer formal warranty.

Additionally, ReVision only accepts cash and solar loans as payment. These are the only options we typically suggest considering, but we’d still prefer to see the company making its services accessible by entertaining PPAs and leases as well.

Solar Products

As mentioned above, ReVision carries a nice range of panel brands, which include QCells, SolarEdge and SunPower.

SolarEdge are the most affordable solar panel of the three, so they’re ideal for keeping installation costs as low as possible. SunPower/Maxeon panels have the highest efficiency rating in the industry, so they will perform better and produce more power than any other option available from any provider. QCells panels deliver excellent durability as well and fall between the other two in terms of price per watt, making it a good intermediate option.

Below is a quick list of the add-on products and services you can get from ReVision:

• Solar batteries, including the Tesla Powerwall
• EV charging stations
• Solar heat pumps
• Solar water heaters
• Community solar
• Commercial solar projects

Financing Options

ReVision only accepts cash purchases and solar loans, so your payment options are limited. A cash purchase is going to be the better option in the long run, as it leads to the fastest payback period and the highest energy savings overall. However, it’s the less accessible option of the two.

A loan will still let you take the federal tax credit, which is a major plus, as it holds an average potential value of over $5,000 in Maine. However, the interest you’ll have to pay will reduce your solar savings and push back your break-even point.

Warranty Information

A system from ReVision Energy will come with 25 years of protection for the panels and a 25-year production guarantee. The equipment warranty is in line with the industry average, and the efficiency guarantee is five years longer than the average.

Unfortunately, ReVision only offers a five-year workmanship warranty. Something is better than nothing, but this is half the industry average. This is a pretty significant downside, in our opinion, especially in an area like Maine, where we’d prefer above-average workmanship warranties.

Click here for a free quote from ReVision Energy.

Maine Solar Solutions is a smaller local company that delivers incredible customer service and individualized care, all at a below-average price.

We do wish the workmanship warranty was longer, and more payment options would be helpful, but we still feel it’s the best local installer in the state.

Why We Chose Maine Solar Solutions as the Best Local Installer

If you’re looking for the care and communication you’d expect from a small local company, we don’t think you can beat Maine Solar Solutions. This provider is small and specializes in solar installations, specifically in Maine. That not only means you get personal attention and constant communication throughout the installation process but also that you get hands-on help with navigating the solar incentive programs in the state.

In case you need proof of the outstanding customer service you’ll receive, just look at the Google reviews. Maine Solar Solutions maintains an A+ rating with the BBB and an unheard-of 5-star rating on Google Reviews. Every customer review raves about the company’s attention to detail and quality of service, which is exceedingly rare for a solar installer.

Despite the above-average service offered, this provider still manages to keep pricing below average. This is especially helpful in an area like Maine, where the typical price per watt is above average.

What We Don’t Like

There are two minor downsides to working with Maine Solar Solutions. The first is that the workmanship warranty only lasts for ten years. While this is decent and matches the industry average, we do prefer to see lengthier coverage in a higher-risk area like Maine.

Like many local installers, Maine Solar Solutions doesn’t accept leases or PPAs. This isn’t the end of the world because we don’t generally recommend these less-beneficial options anyway, but it does mean the company’s services are, overall, less accessible to customers.

Solar Products

Maine Solar Solutions installs an impressive array of panel brands, including Solar World, REC, Canadian Solar, Suniva, SolarEdge, Silfab, Solaria, QCells and Panasonic. This is more than most installers, and it speaks to the customization you can get from such a localized company that understands local energy needs.

We’d recommend the panels from Solar World or SolarEdge if you want to optimize for a low installation cost, but the panels from REC and Panasonic have the highest efficiency ratings and will maximize your solar energy production.

Below is a list of other products and services you can get access to through Maine Solar Solutions:

• Solar batteries, including the Tesla Powerwall
• EV chargers
• Off-grid solar
• Solar heat pumps
• Community solar
• Commercial solar projects

Financing Options

Maine Solar Solutions only allows customers to pay with cash or through a solar loan. These are the two options we recommend, and of the two, a cash purchase will serve you better over time. However, loans usually require no down payment, whereas cash demands that you pay the entire system cost — an average of almost $12,000 after the federal credit — upfront.

Leases and PPAs would be nice options for accessibility, so this is a minor downside to choosing Maine Solar Solutions.

Warranty Information

Maine Solar Solutions installs products that come with a 25-year manufacturer’s warranty for the panels and the panel efficiency. The equipment warranty is standard, but the production guarantee is a little longer than average.

The company also guarantees its workmanship for ten years, which is in line with the industry standard. We do, however, prefer longer coverage for labor in Maine, as the heavy snowfall can put rooftop panels at risk if they are installed improperly.

Click here for a free quote from Maine Solar Solutions.

Another great local solar installer is Sundog Solar, which has many years of experience and numerous certifications that make it stand out as reliable.

The company has a less-than-ideal workmanship warranty and limited payment options, but we still think it’s a wonderful option to consider.

Why We Chose Sundog Solar as the Company With the Most Local Experience

Sundog Solar was founded in 2009, which means it has nearly 15 years of experience. Plus, it has exclusively worked in Maine, so it’s familiar with local energy demands and can help you navigate and file for local incentives and rebate programs. Ultimately, this means you’ll get a system specifically tailored to your home and location, plus a good chance of minimizing your effective installation costs.

The company also holds some impressive certifications, including BBB certification and multiple technicians that are certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). This helps guarantee that your system is installed by true professionals. The company is also associated with Efficiency Maine Qualified Partners, which further proves its ability to help you take as many local incentives as possible.

Sundog Solar delivers high-quality customer care, as well, and it maintains a 5-star rating with the BBB and a 4.5-star rating on Google Reviews.

What We Don’t Like

One downside to working with Sundog is that the workmanship warranty only lasts for five years. This is half of what most other companies offer and far less than we’d like to see in a snowy state like Maine. We do think the company’s experience and expertise should limit the risk of issues, but we’d still prefer a longer warranty term.

Sundog Solar also only accepts cash purchases and solar loans, so its services aren’t going to be as accessible as those from most other companies. There’s a higher chance that you won’t be able to make Sundog Solar work as your installer, given the lack of payment options.

Solar Products

Sundog installs a handful of tier-one monocrystalline panel brands, including Solaria, SolarEdge, Canadian Solar, Solar World and QCells. These are all excellent brands that deliver durability and high performance.

Of these options, we think the QCells panels are the best suited for Mainers. They have a lower cost per watt than comparable panels, but they still have an efficiency rating of 21.4%, which is well above average. The SolarEdge and Solar World panels, however, can help you keep your solar conversion costs down.

Below, we’ll list some other products and services you can choose when you have Sundog Solar tackle your solar project:

• A variety of solar batteries, including the Tesla Powerwall and LG Chem batteries
• Off-grid solar
• Solar heat pumps
• EV chargers
• Commercial solar applications
• The Tesla and Enphase solar monitoring apps

Financing Options

Sundog Solar accepts cash purchases and solar loans for its products and services. Of these options, a cash purchase is going to lead to a solar payback period that’s about four years shorter and solar savings that are around $5,000 higher. If you can afford to pay cash, we strongly recommend it.

A loan is also a great option, as it’s more accessible with minimal or no down payment requirements. Loans also let you take the federal tax credit, unlike leases and PPAs. We would still like to see these other low-cost options accepted, though.

Warranty Information

The systems you get from Sundog Solar include a 25-year warranty for the equipment and the solar production. The efficiency warranty is a little longer than you’d expect from most installers.

Unfortunately, the company only offers a five-year labor warranty, which is half as long as most other top-tier installers provide. We’d ideally like to see at least 15 years in Maine, so five is a bit of a disappointment. Still, we think the company’s expertise speaks for itself and should limit the risk of system malfunction due to improper installation.

Click here for a free quote from Sundog Solar.