LightWave Solar
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Author: Kaitlyn Short
LightWave Solar is a solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company providing turn-key solar installation in the Southern United States. The company focuses completely on solar PV and energy storage system design and installation, providing the engineering design, equipment, delivery, and installation for residential and commercial projects.
Founded in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006, LightWave Solar is a founding member of the Amicus Solar Cooperative, a U.S. solar industry purchasing cooperative in which members pool buying power with other installers and share best practices and resources for operations, engineering, and installation.
The company holds an electrical contractors license in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama and also installs in Kentucky. It has designed and installed over 900 solar projects in these states, so it has extensive experience within the industry.
All residential and commercial solar systems qualify for the 26 percent federal tax credit.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Three Residential System Options
- Three Commercial System Options
- Comprehensive Solar Quote
- NABCEP Membership
Three Residential System Options
LightWave Solar offers three residential solar system options with the following features:
- Small solar system
- Is a no-battery system
- Generates your own solar energy to use during the day
- Typically costs $7,400–11,100 after federal tax credit
- Solar system plus storage
- Generates solar energy to use at night and during grid outages
- Typically costs $29,600–44,440 after federal tax credit
- Off-the-grid solar system
- Enables complete grid independence
- Typically costs $44,440–111,000 after federal tax credit
Three Commercial System Options
LightWave Solar offers services to commercial, industrial, municipal, and utility clients. It specializes in solar PV and energy storage solutions ranging from 50 kilowatts up to 5 megawatts.
System options include the following:
- Roof-mounted arrays
- Ground-mounted arrays
- Solar parking canopies
The company will present a custom solar proposal after a detailed analysis of the site location and relevant financial data.
You can browse the company’s website for an extensive photo archive of past commercial and residential solar projects.
Comprehensive Solar Quote
For a free project consultation, simply call the company to discuss your project. You’ll get the most accurate quote if you gather your past electric bills.
A team of in-house engineers will design your solar system and LightWave Solar staff will verify the system design requirements with an on-site evaluation.
Once a final project contract is complete, your contract amount is comprised of all design and installation costs, including the following:
- Site evaluation
- Electrical drawings and site plans
- Completion of interconnection application and other required paperwork
- Permits
- All equipment needed for a fully functional system including panels, inverters, disconnects, meter, conduit, and wire
- Installation
- Inspections
- Grid-interconnection and commissioning with local utility
- One-year workmanship warranty
NABCEP Membership
The LightWave Solar team includes eight fully-certified North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Solar PV Professionals. The NABCEP is a widely recognized certification organization for U.S. solar professionals and staff membership indicates a high level of professionalism in the field.
The Bad
- Short-Term Warranty
- No Special Financing
- Limited State Availability
Short-Term Warranty
A LightWave Solar system comes with only a one-year warranty on workmanship. This warranty pales in comparison to other solar companies’ robust 25-year warranties on both equipment and workmanship. If additional warranty coverage is available for purchase through a third party, information on further options is not provided on the corporate website.
No Special Financing
The federal tax credit can help pay for solar, but it only goes so far. Many competitors offer special financing for solar projects which make them affordable for homeowners. LightWave Solar does not offer any financing options, so if you’re not paying for your solar system with cash, you’ll need to find your own financing alternative through a solar financing company, home improvement loan, personal loan, or other source.
Limited State Availability
LightWave Solar’s service area is limited to the following states:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Mississippi
- Tennessee
The Bottom Line
LightWave Solar encourages homeowners to consider solar to save money on their utility bills but also to lighten their carbon footprint. The company claims that, over a lifetime, the average residential solar system reduces CO2 emissions equal to growing four acres of forest and also prevents the generation of nearly 1,200 pounds of coal ash each year.
More information is needed on the details of LightWave Solar’s residential solar solutions including energy output, financing options, and potential extra features such as online monitoring and the purchase of additional warranty coverage. But from our research, it appears that the company lives up to its proclaimed values of integrity, trust, respect, and customer satisfaction.
