Steps to Add Solar Power Your Home or Business:
You are not alone in your solar journey. In addition to this How-To section of the web site, HAREI offers additional resources to help DIYers:
Working Meetings - HAREI hosts bi-weekly online Working Meetings where prospective new members and those with active projects work with the broader group to evaluate new projects and assist with challenges in active projects. We encourage you to attend at least one to meet the team and get some up-front guidance. Working Meetings on the HAREI Calendar.
Working Google Group – Working is a searchable forum where 140+ of our members support one another with questions and answers, and general discussion. Join the HAREI Working Group.
Workshops (class size limited) – The workshops are intended to take small groups through the process up to installation. Typically, they consist of four two-hour online sessions with two instructors and six participants. The workshop schedule is on the HAREI Calendar. HAREI membership is required for workshops. Complete a Workshop registration request.
Design in OpenSolar.com and Shared Project Folders – OpenSolar is a free design system that HAREI uses for designing solar projects. If you plan to work with HAREI, we will set up a project in HAREI’s OpenSolar account for your project and set-up a project folder on HAREI's Google Drive. There are benefits to working in the HAREI account including:
Your project will be accessible to you, your Mentor and a limited number of other HAREI members for collaboration and review.
We have populated OpenSolar with top rated components. We have researched them so you don't have to.
We have built interfaces to it to support electrical design, generate supporting documents for your utility interconnect applications and generate a materials list for purchasing.
Mentors - Assigned HAREI Member who has been through the process recently.
“Solar Raisers” where you can learn by doing and talking with members who have been through the process, and later a group of volunteers will come to your location to assist in your panel installation.
Buying Power - HAREI has established discounts with major solar distributors. Members buy at these discounts and get assistance in the process.
The typical process is outlined below. We can help you work through each step; many can be done in parallel. Click on the down-arrow for a brief description of each step. Then click on each step which is a link to the details and supporting tools for that step.
Click on the title for each step to go to detailed step-by-step instructions for each part of your Solar Journey.
How to measure how much solar power you can get at your home or business, how it will offset what you pay for electricity, and what incentives are available. You will also need to determine what you will do yourself versus contract out. Your skills, time and budget will determine what you do yourself versus contract out.
Turn the measurements and goals you determine in your evaluation into a specific design you can build yourself with help from fellow HAREI members.
There's always some paperwork to do anything; this will guide you through how make it all go smoothly.
Take advantage of the HAREI group system to get discounts when buying your system components. Members can help locate the items that are generic enough to get at building supply stores.
Get the racking system installed, complete your wiring and take advantage of a HAREI all volunteer staffed “SolarRaiser” to get all of the panels installed. Then, activate/provision your system.
How to get the final approvals you need to begin generating your own electricity and get the financial incentives that make it an even better deal.
HAREI is here to HELP!
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