4.4
Installs high-quality Maxeon panels
Outstanding customer support
Best-in-class warranty lasts 40 years
3.7
Affordable prices
Excellent selection of panels and services
Locations in 22 states
4.3
No payments needed for 18 months
Provides in-house financing
Offers top brands like LG and Trina
3.9
Highly rated customer service
Provides 24/7 panel monitoring
Solid A+ rating with the BBB
What Are the Best Solar Companies in Ohio?
What Should You Look for When Choosing a Solar Installer in Ohio?
Before I discuss specific solar installation companies, I want to cover a few universal things you should look for from every solar company.
Reputation. Unfortunately, there are a lot of low-quality solar companies looking to make a quick buck on the increasing popularity of renewable energy. Make sure any company you’re considering has a good rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has mostly positive customer reviews across multiple review sites online.
Permits and Certifications. Look for companies that are accredited by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). I also recommend looking for solar installers that use in-house teams of licensed electricians and techs since it’s usually much easier to coordinate with them than it is with third-party installers.
Solar Warranty. One of the most important parts of choosing a solar installer is looking for one that offers a solid warranty. Solar panels are long-term investments, so it’s essential that you purchase equipment from a company that will service your panels, microinverters, and other solar equipment if something goes wrong. Look for companies that offer at least 25 years of coverage for equipment, 10 years of workmanship coverage, and a 25-year power production guarantee.
Compare Ohio’s Top-Rated Solar Providers
Company | Our Rating | Superlative | Availability | Panels |
 | Highest Quality Panels | All 50 states | SunPower Panels, made with Maxeon Solar Cells. | |
 | Best Financing Options | 22 states | Numerous brands, including Trina and Canadian Solar | |
 | Best Customer Service | 11 states | Numerous tier-one brands, monocrystalline only | |
 | Most Widely Available | All 50 states | Qcells | |
 | Best Customization Options | 9 states | Qcells | |
 | Best Protection Against Damage | 19 states | LG and LONGi | |
 | Best Product Selection | 10 states | Numerous brands including Panasonic, LONGi, &LG. |
SunPower
4.4
Our Rating
SunPower is a national solar company and one of the best installers available in Ohio. The company installs the highest efficiency solar panels available on the residential market and backs them with an outstanding warranty. SunPower has been in business for more than 30 years and is one of the most well-respected companies in the solar industry.
SunPower installs solar panels made by Maxeon, its manufacturing sister company. Maxeon’s panels have the highest efficiency ratings of any solar panels made for residential use. Its newest Maxeon 7 photovoltaic panels have a staggering 22.7% rating, which is a big upgrade over the next most efficient panel.
In addition to installing high-quality panels, SunPower also offers excellent customer service and a top-notch warranty. The company has high ratings on Google Reviews and other solar review websites, and most of its existing customers have nothing but good things to say about the company.
SunPower’s solar panel installations are typically performed by in-house teams, which means you don’t have to worry about keeping track of a third-party installer. The company also has several locations and certified dealers throughout Ohio, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a SunPower distributor near you.
My least favorite thing about SunPower is how expensive it is. SunPower’s Maxeon panels cost about $3.30 per watt, which is quite a bit higher than the Ohio state average of $2.56 per watt. While that is a big difference, I think that it’s worth paying extra for top-of-the-line technology.
The other downside to going with SunPower is that the company doesn’t offer any brands besides SunPower and Maxeon. If you’re looking to customize your solar power system and choose from many brands, SunPower isn’t the company for you.
One of the drawbacks of choosing SunPower is that it only installs Maxeon panels and SunPower-brand equipment. With that said, SunPower’s equipment is some of the best in the business, so it’s not a big deal that you don’t get to customize your system. SunPower carries all of the products and provides all of the services you need to build a high-quality solar system with all the bells and whistles, like solar batteries and an electric vehicle (EV) charging station.
Here’s a quick rundown of the solar products and services SunPower offers:
- Maxeon solar panels
- SunVault solar battery storage
- Wallbox Pulsar EV charging station
- MySunPower solar monitoring app
SunPower accepts cash purchases, solar loans, solar leases, and power purchase agreements (PPAs). Cash purchases and solar loans have higher up-front costs but lead to panel ownership, so they’re better investments in the long run. Leases and PPAs have low or no initial costs but don’t save you as much money overall.
Cash purchases save you more money over the course of your solar system’s lifetime than loans, leases, or PPAs. The average Ohio homeowner saves $19,272 over 25 years if they purchase their solar panels in cash. Solar loans save about $14,000, while leases and PPAs only save $5,000 and $4,000, respectively. Cash purchases and loans also lead to panel ownership, which adds to the value of your home and makes solar panels a relatively low-risk investment.
SunPower’s warranty is the best you can get in Ohio — or anywhere else, for that matter. The company backs its equipment for 40 years (on its newer line of panels) and offers a 25-year energy production guarantee. SunPower also offers a 25-year workmanship warranty, which is two and a half times longer than the industry average.
You can check out the video below to see why solar warranties are so important for protecting your system:
Blue Raven Solar
4.3
Our Rating
Blue Raven is one of the only solar installers in Ohio that has its own in-house financing program. The company’s BluePower Plus+ financing program is the best in the solar industry, offering competitive interest rates, flexible down payments, and a variety of terms for qualified customers.
Blue Raven has the best solar financing program of any solar company that operates in Ohio. While the strength of its financing program gives it a major advantage over other installers, it also has a solid brand lineup, decent warranty, and a positive reputation.
Blue Raven works with tier-one manufacturers to source its solar panels from a variety of top names like Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, QCells, Silfab, and REC, to name just a few. Its systems are also more affordable than a premium system from a company like SunPower, which opens it up as an option for a wider range of homeowners.
Another thing I like about Blue Raven is that it has a reputation for being responsive both during installations and after you become a customer. This is especially impressive for a larger company with a national presence and isn’t the norm.
My biggest gripe with Blue Raven is that the company only installs solar panels. If you’re hoping to purchase a solar system with a battery backup and an EV charger, you’re out of luck. The company specializes in rooftop solar systems on rack mounts.
I also don’t love that Blue Raven doesn’t offer leases or PPAs, but its solar financing is so good that I’m willing to mostly overlook it. Still, if you can’t qualify for a loan from Blue Raven — and don’t have enough cash to pay in full up-front — you’ll have to find a different installer that offers leases or PPAs.
As I mentioned above, you can only get solar panels from Blue Raven. Its website states that it works with many different panel manufacturers, including Canadian Solar, Trina Solar, QCells, Silfab, and REC. Its website also mentions that most of its systems use panels with efficiency ratings between 18% and 20%.
If you’re not interested in EV chargers and solar batteries, Blue Raven is an excellent option. But if you’re looking for more than a bare-bones solar panel array, you’re probably better off going with another solar installer.
This is where Blue Raven really shines.
The company’s BluePower Plus+ program is the best solar loan option available today. If you qualify for the program, you get no money down and no interest for the first 18 months. That’s a huge advantage over loans from other companies, which typically start accruing interest immediately.
Having 18 months to make a dent in your solar loan is a major benefit to choosing Blue Raven since you’ll be able to knock down the principal you owe by a considerable amount before you have to start paying interest.
I have to mention that Blue Raven doesn’t accept leases or PPAs, but with such a generous loan program, it’s not a big deal.
Blue Raven’s warranty is right in line with the solar industry’s averages. You get a 25-year product warranty, 10 years of labor coverage, and a 25-year performance guarantee. Some companies have started offering longer workmanship warranties, so I’d like to see Blue Raven increase its labor coverage to match in the future.
Tesla Energy
4.3
Our Rating
Tesla doesn’t just make electric cars; it also makes solar batteries, solar roofs, and EV charging stations. It’s also the most widely available solar installer since it uses a massive network of third-party contractors to perform its installations. That makes it easy to find a certified Tesla installer practically anywhere in Ohio.
Tesla makes some of the best solar tech for residential customers, from its workhorse Powerwall batteries to its sleek and beautiful solar roofs that resemble shingles. All of its equipment plays nicely together, and it’s all controlled by the convenient and well-designed Tesla mobile app.
Tesla’s Powerwall batteries are a staple in the solar industry. They come with a 13.5 kilowatt-hour (kWh) capacity, which is slightly larger than what you typically get from other manufacturers. That means that you can power your home for longer during blackouts, and you won’t have to pull as much from the grid overnight or on cloudy days when you’re panels aren’t producing as much energy.
Another benefit of choosing Tesla is that the company will match any price for a “sufficiently similar” solar system within 14 days of your purchase. That means that Tesla’s solar systems are always competitively priced since you can get one for the same price as any other system.
The biggest downside to going solar with Tesla is that the company contracts its installation process out to third-party companies. That makes it harder to deal with warranty claims and repairs since you have multiple contacts. It also means that the customer experience during installation varies a lot by location.
I also don’t love that Tesla doesn’t offer any brand variety. It only installs QCells solar panels. While QCells is a solid brand, I’d like to see more options now that Tesla doesn’t make its own panels anymore.
Tesla currently only installs panels from QCells. QCells solar panels offer a good balance between cost and efficiency and are performant enough to power the average Ohio home without any issues.
Tesla also offers the following additional solar products and services:
- Tesla Powerwall batteries
- Tesla EV charging station
- Solar roofs
- Tesla solar monitoring app
Tesla accepts cash, loans, leases, and PPAs, which makes it easy to find a payment option that fits your solar budget. The company’s price-matching program is also a major benefit and can help you get Tesla’s otherwise expensive products at a more affordable price.
Tesla’s solar warranty is average, covering equipment and performance for 25 years and workmanship for 10 years. I’d like to see a longer labor warranty, but 10 years is average.
YellowLite
4.2
Our Rating
Yellowlite is a smaller company than the ones I’ve covered so far, specializing in installations throughout Ohio and the rest of the Midwest. The company’s techs are experts in Ohio solar installations and can help you design a system that’s well-suited for the local climate.
As a small regional installer, Yellowlite is more responsive and hands-on than the other companies I’ve covered so far. You can expect a more personalized experience, which is ideal for people who want to feel like a valued customer and not a number on a sheet.
Yellowlite’s installers are friendly, knowledgeable, and familiar with the intricacies of designing and installing residential solar energy systems in and around Ohio. The company’s local knowledge is especially helpful for navigating Ohio’s countless solar incentive programs. Yellowlite will hold your hand throughout the installation process and help you apply for net metering with your utility company, as well as other incentive programs.
Another reason I chose Yellowlite is that the company installs high-quality panels from the industry’s top brands, so you don’t have to sacrifice your system’s quality for a more personal installation.
There are some downsides to choosing Yellowlite. First, the company doesn’t offer leases or PPAs, so you might not be able to afford one of its systems if you’re looking for low-cost financing.
Second, Yellowlite’s warranty is good but not great. The company only offers 10 years’ worth of workmanship coverage. While 10 years is the average length of workmanship coverage in the solar industry, I’d like to see a longer warranty. This is especially problematic if you live near Lake Erie, where the moisture-rich air can wreak havoc on solar panel systems.
Yellowlite has an impressive selection of panels available for its systems. The company uses panels from QCells, Canadian Solar, Silfab, Jinko Solar, and Maxeon/SunPower. Having Yellowlite install Maxeon panels gives you the best of both worlds since you get the company’s local expertise combined with Maxeon’s superior performance.
No matter which panels you choose, Yellowlite’s systems come with Enphase inverters.
Yellowlite also installs some additional solar equipment and offers a few solar monitoring options, including:
- Tesla Powerwall batteries
- MySunPower solar monitoring app
- Tesla monitoring app
- Enphase solar monitoring app
Yellowlite accepts cash purchases and solar loans but doesn’t offer leases or PPAs, which makes it harder to afford some of the more expensive panels the company offers. I recommend paying with cash or via a loan if you can afford to, but having lower-cost options is still good to have for homeowners on tighter budgets.
Yellowlite’s solar warranty is solid but unremarkable. The company’s coverage includes 25 years’ worth of protection for its systems equipment and performance and 10 years of coverage for workmanship.
Paradise Energy Solutions
4.2
Our Rating
Paradise Energy Solutions is a regional solar panel installation company that services Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron, Columbus, and many other cities across the state. It specializes in affordable solar panel systems and provides outstanding customer service and support.
Paradise Energy Solutions has local offices throughout Ohio, giving its techs an excellent working knowledge of Ohio’s solar regulations and incentive programs. The company’s local expertise is an asset during installation since your salesperson and solar project manager will be able to walk you through the process and help you make the best decisions for your home.
The company is known for being affordable, which makes it an excellent choice for people who can’t spend $25,000 or more on a premium solar installation. The tradeoff is that the company doesn’t offer some higher-quality brands like Maxeon or REC. However, it does work with Q Cells, which is one of the most popular solar panel manufacturers in the country.
I’ve already touched on the fact that Paradise Energy Solutions doesn’t offer premium panels, which is only a drawback if you’re looking for a high-efficiency system. The company primarily installs QCells panels, which are more than efficient enough for most Ohio homes and offer a decent tradeoff between cost and performance.
The only other thing I don’t like about Paradise Energy Solutions is that the company doesn’t offer low-cost financing options. I would love to see the company offer leases and PPAs to further its mission to be a low-cost solar installer.
Paradise Energy Solutions only installs QCells solar panels. While I do like QCells products, having a choice between different brands gives you more freedom to craft the ideal system for your home and budget.
The company also only installs solar panels and solar batteries, so you won’t be able to get an EV charging station included in your installation. It also doesn’t perform other services like energy audits and energy efficiency upgrades.
Here’s a quick look at the other products and services Paradise Energy Solutions offers:
- Tesla Powerwall batteries
- SolarEdge Home Battery
- Tesla solar monitoring app
- Enphase solar monitoring app
Paradise Energy Solutions accepts cash purchases and solar loans. The company doesn’t offer leases or PPAs, which isn’t a major drawback since its systems are relatively affordable. Still, offering leases and PPAs with no initial costs would make its products more accessible to a wider range of Ohio’s demographic.
Paradise Energy Solutions’ warranty is right in line with the solar industry’s average, offering 25 years’ worth of coverage for energy production and equipment and 10 years’ worth of workmanship coverage. Once again, I’d love to see a longer workmanship warranty, especially for customers in parts of Ohio that see above-average amounts of annual rain and snowfall.
Icon Solar Power, LLC
4.5
Our Rating
Icon Solar is a local solar provider that offers the kind of hands-on customer service and attention you’d expect from a smaller provider. The workmanship warranty isn’t the best, but the local expertise makes this company a solid contender.
Icon Solar is the installer I’d recommend most if you want to support a local company. It’s based in Milford,and it services most of the state from its main office and satellite locations.
As a small company, Icon Solar provides dedicated attention to each and every customer, which means you’ll never struggle to get in contact with a real human. Any issues that pop up with your system will be addressed in a timely manner.
Icon Solar’s employees also have years of experience working in Ohio. That means they’re not only familiar with how to properly install a system that will stand up to the region’s weather, but they’re also experts on local solar incentives. They can help you apply for smaller perks and benefit programs that a larger company might miss.
The biggest downside to Icon Solar, in my opinion, is that the workmanship warranty only lasts for five years, which is half of what most other companies include with their installation. Icon’s installation team has a lot of localized experience, so I’m pretty confident you wouldn’t run into problems, but it would still be nice to have some assurance in the form of a longer warranty.
The only other downside I see is that Icon doesn’t serve all areas throughout Ohio. It focuses on Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, Lexington, Louisville, and the surrounding suburbs, so there’s a chance your location won’t fall within the company’s service area.
Icon Solar works with a few different panel brands to give homeowners options for balancing performance and up-front costs. These include QCells, Canadian Solar, S-Energy, and SolarEdge.
I would recommend QCells or Canadian Solar if you want the best value in terms of output per dollar spent, but the panels from S-Energy and SolarEdge might be a better fit if you prefer to keep installation costs down, even if that means sacrificing panel performance.
In addition to these panel options, Icon Solar offers the following to its customers:
- Tesla Powerwalls
- Enphase IQ batteries
- Tesla solar monitoring application
- Enphase solar monitoring application
- Off-grid solar systems
Icon Solar only accepts cash purchases and solar loans, so you’ll have to find a different company if you know you want a lease or PPA. A cash purchase is still the best option, but Icon Solar partners with a few different third-party lenders in the area to help find affordable loan solutions for customers in different financial situations.
Icon Solar includes the standard 25-year warranty coverage for the panels and the panel performance with all of its systems. The only area where Icon falls short of the industry average is the workmanship warranty, which lasts for just five years. This is about half of what most other companies offer, and it’s a fifth of what national companies like SunPower and ADT Solar provide.
Palmetto Solar
4.1
Our Rating
Palmetto Solar is one of the most socially responsible solar installers doing business in Ohio. The company practices ethical sourcing of all of the equipment it installs and is committed to giving back to the solar industry as a whole. It also provides outstanding customer service, with friendly employees that are passionate about solar energy.
Palmetto Solar is one of the few companies that puts ethical concerns above generating a profit. But that’s not to say that the company isn’t profitable. In fact, Palmetto Solar is one of the largest solar installers in the country, proving that you can be both a successful business and committed to a greater cause.
Palmetto Solar is a certified B corp, which means it is independently verified to uphold environmental standards and provide a healthy work environment for its employees.
The company is known for its superb customer service and communication both throughout the installation process and after you’re already a customer.
Palmetto’s systems use QCells panels, which are extremely popular in Ohio for their good balance between price and performance. They’re not the most efficient panels on the market, but they’re good enough to offset the energy consumption of most Ohio residents.
Palmetto’s overall costs are a bit higher than other Ohio solar installers, which is a small price to pay for supporting a responsible company, in my opinion. But if you’re on a limited budget, you can get similar systems for slightly less money elsewhere.
I also don’t love that Palmetto’s workmanship warranty lasts for 10 years. It’s acceptable but not the best you can get in Ohio.
The vast majority of Palmetto Solar’s systems use QCells panels. The company also installs the following selection of solar batteries and offers the following solar services:
- Tesla Powerwall batteries
- Enphase IQ batteries
- Tesla solar monitoring
- Enphase solar monitoring
- Customized system designs
Palmetto Solar accepts all of the main financing options for solar, including cash payments, solar loans, solar leases, and PPAs. The company is rather expensive, but these options help keep its products and services accessible to most Ohio residents.
Palmetto Solar’s warranty covers its panels for 25 years, its inverters and microinverters for 12 years, and its labor for 10 years. These terms are typical throughout the solar industry but aren’t the best you’ll find. I’d like to see a 25-year comprehensive warranty that covers all equipment and a longer workmanship warranty from Palmetto.
How Much Does It Cost To Go Solar in Ohio?
How Can You Save Money With Ohio’s Best Solar Companies?
So, Which Ohio Solar Company Should You Hire?
Methodology: How We Reviewed the Best Solar Companies in Ohio
At Today’s Homeowner, we strive to bring you the most transparent, accurate information for your home improvement projects. Our solar ratings emphasize what matters most to you—a wide range of energy-efficient panels, reputable and reliable installation, and comprehensive warranties.
Our ratings are based on publicly available information about each company, secret shopping online and over the phone, customer-review analysis, and interviews with solar industry experts.
A company can earn a maximum of 100 points across six categories, converted to a 5-star scale. We researched and analyzed dozens of solar installers and developed the following formula:
- Services Offered (20 points): What does each solar provider offer as a basic service with any solar installation plan? In-house labor led to companies being ranked higher than those that contracted their labor out to third parties. Similarly, battery installation and panel monitoring were key factors that we looked for in each provider. Tesla scores well in this category since it offers top-notch batteries, high-quality EV charging stations, and its innovative solar roof, which you can’t get from any other manufacturer in Ohio.
- Warranty Period (20 points): Solar warranties can cover labor, components, or both. The length of these warranty plans is of chief importance. Companies that offer 25-year warranty coverage got our highest score in this category. SunPower scores the highest in this category since its warranty trumps anything offered by any other Ohio solar company.
- Other Offerings (20 points): Solar companies that provide secondary services are rated highly. These include obtaining permits to operate (PTO), providing financing and price matching options, and mobile performance tracking options. Blue Raven beats out the other Ohio solar installers for this category thanks to its outstanding in-house financing program.
- Company Reputation (15 points): Our main metrics for rating company reputation were Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings and complaint response rate. These are reliable indicators of quality. Many of our best providers have a 100% complaint response rate. Palmetto Solar eeks wins this section, thanks to its dedication to ethically sourcing its equipment. The company also gives back to the communities it operates in, which benefits all solar customers in Ohio.
- Customer Service (15 points): Availability via phone and online is key for modern home service providers in any niche. Those that offer both, along with clearly posted business hours and in-person estimates, are rated highly. Icon Solar gets full marks in this section for providing local expertise that you won’t get from any of the national companies that operate in Ohio.
- Availability (10 points): Companies with availability in more than 40 states received our highest score in this category. We rated providers with a more limited presence progressively lower, depending on exact reach. Tesla scores the highest out of any Ohio solar company in this category. The company’s use of third-party installers gives it a wider service area and greater accessibility throughout Ohio.
We monitor company data on an ongoing basis to keep rankings and information up to date.
