CORPORATE: 14309 Toepperwein Rd., Ste 102, San Antonio, TX 78233 | 855-955-7657 | Sales@solarwindinc.com
SOUTH CAROLINA: 105 New Colony Ct., Lexington, SC 29073 | 803-236-8731
FLORIDA: 1434 NW 41st Place, Cape Coral, FL 33993 | (239) 677-6859
Owner mobile numbers: 803-991-8272 (Jamie Donaghe) | 830-312-1213 (John “JD” Donaghe)
SUMMARY
We have had, and continue to have recurring issues with the Solarwind Energy Company. It took them seven months after they installed our solar panel system (and collected our money) to get the proper permits approved and the system actually producing. Once they received our money, it has been next to impossible to get any timely support/service from them..
The system has had frequent issues in the 30 months since installation. As of this date (January 2, 2020), the system has been completely down for 68 days with one excuse after another from Jamie and J.D. Donaghe as to why their company hasn’t arrived to do the repairs (this is after a 120 day outage earlier this summer). They haven't responded to any of my requests for the last 30 days. The system is currently not producing any energy, and yet we are required to pay the $320 loan payment each month.
Our solar system has only provided full production for 9 of the 30 months since it has been installed.
After the Donaghes had made their sale to us (and collected our money), it has been next to impossible to get any timely support/service from them.
THE DETAILS
We contracted with Solarwind in August 2017 to install a solar system on our home for a total amount of $29,000. They began and completed the installation in in one week in early September 2017. After the installation was complete, we were asked to sign the loan papers because “all that was left was for the inspector to give his approval and SCE&G (the electric company) flip the switch to make the system live”. Anticipated SCE&G completion was one week. We signed the loan papers.
Nothing happened for @ two weeks, so we requested a status update. We were told the inspectors were backlogged. We requested another status update @ 2 weeks later, with the same response. We received the same answer for three months, and finally in December 2017 I contacted the Town of Lexington inspector myself to check on the status, only to find they had no record of a permit being pulled. When I notified Solarwind, they assured me that they had pulled the permit and promised me that the inspection would be done within a week.
Time since installation = 3.5 months
The inspection was done in early January 2018, and failed. Solarwind made some changes to the system, and inspection failed again. The inspector for the Town of Lexington told us at that time that Solarwind had overlooked some basic electrical principles in the installation.
We waited @ two weeks for the results of the 3rd inspection, and Solarwind told us that everything was fine, and “all that was needed was for “SCE&G to flip the switch”. When nothing had happened by February 12, 2018, I contacted the Town of Lexington to find that they had not given the final OK on the permit because of unpaid inspection fees. I contacted Solarwind and asked them to pay the inspection fees.
One week later (February 19, 2018) I asked Solarwind for a status update. Was told they were paying the inspection fees that day. The next day (February 20, 2018) I requested another status update and was told they had paid the fees and had the inspection approval in hand, and “all that is needed now is for SCE&G to flip the switch”.
About 1 week later I called Solarwind for a status update, and was told SCE@G had us in the queue, but they were quite busy. The next week I called again, and received the same response. I checked again the first week of March 2018, and received the same response.
Time since installation = 6 months.
SCE&G came out the 2nd week of March 2018, and failed their inspection. Solarwind did some changes to the system.
March 19, 2018, I called Solarwind to get a status check on the SCE&G approval. Was told the were waiting for the second inspection. SCE&G came out later that week (3rd week of March) and failed the installation again. Solarwind made some changes to the system.
March 28, 2018 – SCE&G did another inspection (which passed), and they hooked up the meter and “flipped the switch”. System showed an “error” message.
April 2, 2018 – Solarwind came out to repair the system, and it started working.
Time since installation = 7 months.
It should be noted that we requested Solarwind to reimburse us for our loan payments during the time between the installation and when it started producing, and Solarwind did so. Although we were very frustrated at their incompetence and timeliness in handling issues, we yet lost no money during these seven months.
POST INSTALLATION PROBLEMS (after system started working)
The first Post-installation problem occurred three weeks later, April 23, 2018 - the day after a rainstorm. The system was not producing. Solarwind came out and found there was a leak in a junction box which shorted out the system.
Every time it rained thereafter, the system would go down. Solarwind came out a couple times to do the repair, but then ceased responding to our calls. We found that the system would usually come back on its own a day or so after a rain (junction box dried out?), so we gave up attempting to get Solarwind to come out for a permanent repair.
In August 2018, we noticed that the solar system was producing significantly less energy than the previous months. From August 1-6, production didn’t even begin until noon. On August 8, 2018 I contacted Solarwind to inform them of this, and they sent someone out to look at it. However, the problem of poor production continued.
I called Solarwind the next week for an update, reached voicemail, and received no response. Called again the last week of August 2018, as well as the first week of September, spoke to the receptionist, was promised a return call, but received no response back.
Sent a text on September 20, 2018, reminding them that I had contacted them several times over the past two months, but had not received a response back. Received a call back indicating they would be there September 24th. Their September 24th fix was to bypass something, which they thought should resolve the issue.
The problem wasn’t resolved. There was no production prior to noon on September 28, 2018 (had rained previous day), and total production after it started was pitiful (2.24kWh).
Starting September 28, 2018 I started sending occasional texts to Solarwind, giving them current day production updates. Even on sunny days, production was but a fraction of what it should be.
I sent texts 9/28/18, 10/01/18, 10/12/18, 10/13/18, 10/21/18, and 10/22/18 – each time giving them the current day production updates. I received no response back to any of these texts.
After we contacted an attorney, SolarWind Energy came out to our home in November 2018, and blamed our poor production on a tree which they said was blocking production. We hired an outside consultant who determined the issue was some squirrels which had damaged the wiring in our solar system. Solarwind Energy agreed to do the repair, but they didn’t complete the repairs until June 2019 (10 months after they were initially contacted about the issue. We were not reimbursed for lost service during this time.
The solar system worked fine for four months, and we started having issues again in October 2019. After several requests SolarWind Energy came out to look at our system and indicated the issue was with the Fronius inverter, and shut the system completely down until they received a replacement. They have not yet (as of 1/2/20) done the repair - 68 days without production and without reimbursement of our costs.
SUMMARY
After receiving their payment for the system ($29,000), Solarwind Energy Systems has been unwilling to provide timely follow-up service/support, resulting in our system only performing as promised for 9 of the 30 months since it has been installed.
CLICK HERE to view records comparing production for the months since installation, showing the diminishing production. In June 2018 & July 2018 we regularly saw daily production in mid 30kWh up to 40kWh. In September 2018 we were lucky to get 20kWh and 10kWh in October 2018. Although it is reasonable to expect less production in Sep/Oct than in Jun/Jul, we anticipated that it would be close to the April production of @ 30 kWh per day, and so we have been told by an expert in the field (solar panel distributor CES of West Columbia).
Our solar system has only provided full production for 9 of the 30 months since it has been installed.
Glenn Oster, Lexington SC
Glenn.Oster@gmail.com