Our Frequently Asked Questions about Solar, Answered by Experts
When you start learning about solar panels, there can be so much information to sort through. Where do you start? Maybe you’ve just searched “solar installers near me” and ended up here, and if so, welcome!
While each solar array is unique and customized to your home by All Energy Solar, the questions people ask before deciding to go solar are usually pretty similar. We recently did a Q & A about solar on Instagram and were able to get our team of experts from one of the Best Solar Companies in Minnesota to answer some of the most common questions about solar. Below is a summary of those questions and answers, but if you want to watch the videos instead, visit our Instagram page and click our “FAQs” Highlight on our profile!
- How does solar work?
Keeping it simple: Sun hits your solar panel and generates electricity, that electricity gets fed into your home or business typically through a sub panel or service panel. You now have TWO sources of electricity, and one is from the power plant on your property! The solar panels are now your primary source of power and the utility provides any power that the system doesn’t provide. – Michael Allen, CEO
- Do I need a battery for my solar array?
You don’t need a battery backup for your solar array to work. However, if the grid goes down and you don’t have a battery, your panels will shut down. So if you want to take advantage of your array when the power is out, you will need a battery. There are also many other benefits to having a battery backup, you can use stored energy to power your home at night so you aren’t using the electric grid. You can also use your battery to reduce the amount of power you consume during times of heavy load on the grid. – Brian Allen, President
- What is happening with the solar tax credit?
It is an interesting time in the industry and a lot of people are talking about tax credits and what has been changing. In 2025 we saw the federal residential solar tax credit come to an end. But this year and next year, we do still have the ability to utilize the federal commercial solar tax credit for projects. Either for individual businesses that want to do a solar project for themselves, or we can utilize that credit at All Energy Solar and pass those savings on to residential customers so they can still do solar and benefit from some of that incentive that is still available today. – Michael Thalhimer, Director of Commercial Sales
- What are the average savings with solar panels?
The savings vary! No two projects are the same but our solar consultants will analyze your electric bill and assess your property to build you a custom project estimate with your energy savings. As summers get warmer, and the electric grid works harder and harder to try to keep us cool, we have seen electric bill costs continue to go up, and that can give you a stronger return on your solar investment. – Samuel Wood, Partner Development Representative
- Can I finance my solar project?
Yes! There are three main ways to pay for your solar project. Cash purchase, a traditional financing option, or, our newest opportunity, EnergyLock. It is a prepaid lease model where we take the commercial tax credit and pass them through to you, a residential homeowner, for the most cost-effective way to go solar in 2026. – Jane Shayer, Marketing Manager
- Is net metering going away for solar?
It is in some parts of the country. Net metering is a great benefit to a solar customer because it allows you to not only enjoy the energy you produce yourself, but you can also send your excess energy you don’t need back to the grid for full compensation. However, we have seen net metering policies start to roll back in different parts of the country. Fortunately in most of the markets that All Energy Solar operates in, this is still a benefit our customers can enjoy, but it may not be around for much longer so we encourage you to reach out today to connect with us and we can show you how much value you can get from net metering. – Michael Thalhimer, Director of Commercial Sales
- Do I need a new roof before I get solar panels?
There are two major factors you need to think about with your roof when it comes to solar: How old your roof is and what condition it is in. When roofs get 15 years or older, you really want to start looking at that condition. Things like, have you had previous issues, are there cracks or missing shingles, or massive granule loss. Anything like that would be a strong indicator that you need a new roof. – Peter Dosher, Director of Safety and Roofing
- Do I need to worry about hail or snow with my panels?
When it comes to hail it is pretty uncommon for panels to be shattered by hail. They are very durable and even when they are shattered they do still maintain production. We do recommend that if you do experience a hail storm that you get an inspection, which is a service we offer. It is good to check on the panels and the condition of your rooftop. (Note: We can see from our monitoring software if your panel has been shattered prior to an in-person inspection, but it can still be good to check.)
When it comes to snow, our general rule is if you can’t see the panels, the panels can’t see the sun! So this will end up affecting your production when they are covered. (Note: Oftentimes after a couple days of above freezing temperatures the snow will slide off of the panels.) If the snow is continuously covering your panels and you would like it removed or want to remove it yourself, please first reach out to us to make a plan for your panels to avoid damaging them. – Emma Shrewsbury, Lead Service Case Coordinator
- I have a steep roof, where can I put solar panels?
We can install on steep roofs, we can do flat roofs, we can put it on your garage, we can put it on a ground mount. We can also do unique style roofs like barrel roofs, we pretty much can customize to your site depending on what you need! – David Phan-Nguyen, Residential Design Team
- What maintenance do solar panels need?
Typically solar arrays won’t need much maintenance, if any. However it is really important to be consistently checking your monitoring portal. We typically recommend checking maybe 1-2x a month and if you notice any irregularities on your monitoring, just let our service team know and we can review it – Emma Shrewsbury, Lead Service Case Coordinator
- Do I need permits to have solar panels?
Yes, you usually need a couple of permits for going solar or adding battery storage or both! Our team will handle that on the project management side and keep you up to date as they go through the permitting process to get those for you. Give us a call, getting a quote is free, and we would be happy to work with you! – Riley Curran, Project Manager
