Solar Process
Step 1: Deal Submission (Your responsibility)
You make the sale
You set the expectations with the customer
You do all the things that make a clean deal
After you submit contact the Freedom Advantage team to help take the project the rest of the way.
💡 Learn about Freedom Forever "Lightspeed" Portal . Go to the dropdown menu "Freedom Portal"
💡 Learn to sell Cash and Loan sales. Watch the training videos in dropdown menu "Cash & Loan Sales"
💡 Learn to sell PPA & Lease sales. Watch the training videos in dropdown menu "PPA & Lease"
Step 2: Site Audit (Freedom responsibility)
This is a review of a home to check the electrical, and make sure solar is a good fit. Pictures will be taken of MPU, attic, roof, and a review of roof with measurements will be completed to finalize the solar placement.
As of November 2024: 5.8 Day average time to complete Site Survey
Step 3: Project Review & Planning (Freedom Engineers)
The projects "Scope of Work" is created. Engineers use site survey data and proposal inputs to create plans for the custom solar panel setup. These plans follow state, local, and company rules, mainly based on the National Electric Code (NEC) that most states are required to adhere to.
Projects will only move forward to the SOW Confirm stage if:
1. The project is deemed buildable by Freedom Forever
2. Projects can be built to contract and;
3. Projects are sold at the appropriate baselines.
Projects that do not meet these requirements will move to the Holding stage with tickets detailing the issue(s) that must be resolved to move forward.
Step 4: Scope of Work Approval (Your Responsibility)
The "Scope of Work" is sent to Sales for approval. Sales has 24 hours to approve or deny.
Your Responsibilities during this Stage: During SOW Confirm, the Sales Representative is expected to reach out to the homeowner to confirm the design, equipment, and other prep work such as roof work that is to be completed. Sales Representatives are expected to approve or deny the SOW within 24 hours of it being presented. See the SOW workflow
SOW Confirm Auto Approval: Means that a project’s SOW is automatically approved without being presented to the sales representative for confirmation. SOWs will be auto-approved unless there are:
Changes in net PPW greater than $.20/W between SOW version
(the SOW initially created post-sale by Freedom’s team) and version
(the SOW created by Freedom’s team after Project Review)
Significant module changes
SOW contingencies, including change orders, or
Other potential scenarios where the system being presented for confirmation has changed materially vs what was sold.
You can request changes on an auto-approved SOW within 24 hours of the SOW being published.
Manual SOW Confirm in SOW Confirm stage, Freedom Forever presents a buildable installation plan to the Sales Representative for review and approval.
If no action is taken by the Sales Representative within 24 hours of the SOW being presented, the project will be moved forward to the Plans stage.
See information on denying a project when changes are needed.
Get Help On Your Project
Scope of Work Support Team
The Scope of Work Team is here to help go through things with you and create tickets for your projects. They want to give you information quickly so you can make changes to your project, solve issues, or reject parts of the work. This helps things get done faster.
Learn More: Scope of Work Support
Post-Sale Project Support Team
You can use Freedom Advantage team to help work through tickets and roadblocks. Find your assigned support person to help.
Step 5: Plans (Freedom responsibility)
Design team creates a planset and engineering stamps are sent out.
Step 6: Permits (Freedom submits to AHJ/city/town)
Freedom will give the city the Plans and Designs they made after checking the place during the audit. They'll also get permits to show everyone that the solar panels follow the rules. Interconnection team submits to utility for approval.
Step 7: Installation Review (Freedom responsibility)
Before putting things in place, there will be a last check to make sure all approvals and permits are in place. After this, the project moves to the "Install" stage, where the actual installation happens. Scheduling happens with the homeowner.
Step 8: Installation (Freedom responsibility)
Once all the planning, designing, and permissions are done, it's time to put in the solar system. Installing it is simple and won't disrupt the homeowners daily life much. Most of the work happens outside of the home, and it usually takes about a day or two to finish.
Step 9: Inspection Review (Freedom responsibility)
The setup is ready for a final check, and the inspection date is set.
Step 10: Inspection (Freedom requests from AHJ)
Once the solar panels are put in, they need to be checked. Depending on where you live and the rules, different types of checks might be needed. Usually, there's an electrical check, and sometimes a building check. These checks make sure the solar system follows the rules. The inspectors look at the plans, permits, and sometimes installation pictures and documents to make sure everything's right. Just a heads up: in some places, these checks might not be needed.
Step 11: PTO (Freedom requests from Utility Provider)
PTO (Permission to Operate) is a document that says the solar system can start working with the power company. During this step, the power company checks the plans, permits, inspection papers, and sometimes installation documents. After looking at everything, they'll either say "yes" and give PTO or explain why not.
Step 12: System activation (Freedom sends to Customer)
After Freedom gets the "Permission to Operate" signal from the power company for the customer, they send a text message and an email to the customer. These messages explain how to turn on the solar system and give a link to download an app for monitoring the system.