What detail solar does

Detail Solar LLC is a family-owned solar installation company founded in 2014 by Paul Zimmer, Sr. and headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina. The company serves residential and commercial customers across the Upstate South Carolina region — including Greenville, Greer, Spartanburg, Simpsonville, and Anderson — and has cumulatively helped more than 2,182 homes adopt solar. Detail Solar was the second company in South Carolina to achieve NABCEP certification for its installation crew, and it operates an in-house labor model with no subcontractors.

The company's core offerings include rooftop solar design and installation, system repair, detach-and-reset services for homeowners needing roof work, and a Solar Guardian maintenance subscription program with three pricing tiers ($300–$995/year). Detail Solar maintains installer partnerships with major OEMs including Enphase, SolarEdge, SMA, Panasonic, Tesla, Qcells, and LG, enabling multi-brand servicing and participation in federally incentivized commercial projects via Buy America Act–compliant components. Notable commercial work includes a 988 kW installation at Furman University, a project at Faith Christian Academy, and an out-of-area deployment in Yap, Micronesia.

Detail Solar's business model combines one-time installation revenue from residential rooftops and selective commercial contracts with a growing recurring-revenue stream from its Solar Guardian subscription and ancillary services such as EV charger installation and battery storage. The firm emphasizes NABCEP-certified labor and backs its installations with a 25-year workmanship guarantee. Its orphaned-system servicing capability — taking over maintenance for arrays originally installed by competitors — functions as a low-cost customer-acquisition channel that converts rival installed bases into Detail Solar service customers.

Name

detail solar

Legal name

Detail Solar LLC

Website

https://detailsolar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Detail Solar is a family-owned solar installer founded in 2014 in Greenville, South Carolina. The company designs, installs, and maintains residential and commercial solar systems across Upstate South Carolina using an NABCEP-certified in-house crew, and offers a recurring maintenance subscription.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar Installation and Maintenance Services

NAICS

Residential Building Construction (2361)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700), Electrical Work (1731)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System) (EUAMABAB)

Keywords

• Residential solar installation
• Commercial solar systems
• Solar maintenance services
• Battery storage installation
• Solar panel repair

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Solar system installation: One-time installation revenue from residential and commercial solar systems. Includes new installations, system upgrades, battery storage additions, and EV charger installations. Revenue realized at project completion following consultation, design, permitting, and installation phases.
2. Solar Guardian maintenance plans: Annual subscription plans for ongoing maintenance including inspections, panel cleaning, and monitoring. Three tiers: Guardian Basic ($300/year), Guardian Plus ($550/year), Guardian Elite ($995/year). Auto-renewing subscriptions providing recurring revenue.
3. Repair and troubleshooting services: One-time service revenue for diagnosing and fixing underperforming systems, storm damage repairs, inverter failures, and component replacements. Also covers orphaned systems from other installers.
4. Detach & Reset services: Specialized service for removing solar panels before roof work and reinstalling afterward. Includes inspection and cleaning during the process.
5. Panel cleaning services: Professional panel cleaning using manufacturer-approved methods to restore production lost to pollen, dust, and debris buildup. Offered as standalone service and included in maintenance plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Detail Solar is a family-owned solar contractor that designs, installs, repairs, and maintains residential and commercial photovoltaic (PV) systems and battery storage solutions across Upstate South Carolina. Installations are executed exclusively by an in-house NABCEP-certified crew with no subcontractors, backed by a 25-year workmanship guarantee, and supported by tiered Solar Guardian maintenance subscriptions and specialized services such as Detach & Reset and orphaned-system repair.

Product overview

Detail Solar offers a comprehensive solar services portfolio centered on residential and commercial solar installation, performed exclusively by in-house NABCEP-certified crews. The core offering includes new system installations (residential roof-mount and off-grid, plus commercial ground-mount, flat roof, and carport arrays) backed by a 25-year workmanship guarantee. The product line extends through add-on services including Solar Guardian maintenance plans (tiered Basic, Plus, and Elite tiers), Detach & Reset for roof replacement projects, Orphaned System Service for systems from defunct installers, and EV charging/battery storage installation (Tesla Powerwall, Enphase IQ Battery). The company partners with major equipment manufacturers including Enphase, SolarEdge, SMA, Panasonic, Tesla, Qcells, and LG.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Solar Guardian: Annual maintenance program offering system inspections, panel cleaning, and monitoring for residential solar systems.

Products and services

• Residential Solar Installation Complete residential solar PV design and installation for homeowners in Upstate South Carolina, including roof-mount arrays, off-grid systems, battery storage (Tesla Powerwall, Enphase IQ Battery), and EV charging integration. Sized to actual utility bills and goals via a free on-site consultation.
• Commercial Solar Installation Commercial-scale solar installation services for warehouses, agricultural operations, retail sites, offices, municipalities, and universities across Upstate SC, including ground-mount, flat roof (ballasted and attached), and carport configurations with EV charging and battery storage add-ons.
• Solar Guardian Maintenance Plans Tiered annual subscription maintenance program for residential solar systems, offering scheduled inspections, manufacturer-approved panel cleaning, ongoing system monitoring with reports, and priority rapid response. Three paid tiers priced at $300, $550, and $995 per year.
• Detach & Reset Service Specialized service for safely removing solar panels before roof replacement or repair and reinstalling them afterward, with inspection, adjustment, and cleaning included. Targets homeowners needing roof work who do not want to leave their solar array on the roof.
• Orphaned System Service Diagnosis, repair, and ongoing maintenance for solar systems installed by defunct, acquired, or exited installers. Supported across multiple brands via partnerships with SolarEdge, Panasonic, Tesla, Qcells, SMA, and LG.
• EV Charging Installation
• System Repair & Troubleshooting Diagnostic and repair services for storm damage, degraded panels, inverter failures, error codes, and underperforming solar systems, with rapid response capability and insurance-claim assistance. Covers any brand via manufacturer partnerships.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 30% efficiency loss from dirty panels in heavy buildup situations, with most homes falling in a lighter range
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Enphase EnergycoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary technology partner for commercial microinverter systems. Detail Solar uses Enphase IQ9 and IQ8 commercial microinverters for installations including Furman University's 988kW ground-mount upgrade. Enphase microinverters provide 97.5% CEC weighted efficiency, 0.05% field failure rate, and 25-year warranty. US manufacturing enables Buy America Act compliance for institutional projects.
• SolarEdgecoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment manufacturer partner for power optimizers and inverters. Partners with Detail Solar to diagnose and bring any system up to full capacity, including orphaned systems.
• PanasoniccoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment manufacturer partner for solar panels and battery storage systems. Panasonic products used in residential and commercial installations and supported for repair/maintenance.
• Tesla (Energy)coreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment partner for Tesla Powerwall and Tesla solar products including battery backup and storage systems. Supported for installation and repair services.
• QcellscoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment manufacturer partner for solar panels used in residential and commercial installations. Supported for diagnosis and repair services.
• SMAcoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment manufacturer partner for solar inverters. SMA products used in residential solar installations and supported for service and repair.
• LGcoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment manufacturer partner for solar panels and energy storage products. Supported for repair and maintenance services.
• European Development FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for 2008 solar electrification project bringing first power to outer islands of Yap, Micronesia. Detail Solar founder Paul Zimmer Sr. was part of the team that partnered with EDF to enable this humanitarian project.
• Pacific HELPSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner supporting ongoing electrification and education work in Yap, Micronesia. Pacific HELPS sustains the work that includes Faith Christian Academy and solar installations on outer islands.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Palmetto: South Carolina-based residential and commercial solar installer with a technology-enabled platform and a similar regional Southeast footprint. Palmetto is the most direct in-state competitor, competing for the same Upstate homeowner customer and overlapping on solar-battery-EV offerings.
• Trinity Solar: Large privately-held residential and commercial solar installer with multi-state East Coast operations including the Southeast. Trinity matches Detail Solar's vertically integrated in-house crew model and consultative sales motion across an overlapping regional footprint.
• Momentum Solar: Residential solar installer with a meaningful Southeast U.S. presence and direct-to-consumer sales motion. Momentum competes for the same Upstate SC homeowner and shares the premium-installer positioning that emphasizes in-house crews and long-term service relationships.
• ADT Solar: National residential solar installer operating across multiple Southeast states including South Carolina. ADT Solar competes directly for residential installs and increasingly for service/maintenance contracts on third-party systems, mirroring Detail Solar's orphaned-system play.
• Freedom Forever: Large national residential solar installer with established Southeast operations. Freedom Forever is a comparable vertically integrated installer pursuing similar in-house crew quality positioning and competes for the same homeowner segment with a broader geographic reach.
• Lumio: Regional residential solar installer focused on the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S. Lumio overlaps with Detail Solar on residential install-and-service positioning in adjacent Southeast geographies and competes for the same quality-conscious homeowner segment.

Broad incumbents

• Sunrun: Largest U.S. residential solar, battery storage, and energy services company with national operations including the Southeast. Sunrun is the broad incumbent reference point for residential solar scale, financing, and grid-services strategy and competes with Detail Solar on every Southeast homeowner lead.
• Tesla Energy: Broad incumbent in solar, battery storage (Powerwall), and EV charging with a national residential offering. Tesla Energy competes indirectly through solar roof and Powerwall demand that Detail Solar also services, and its pricing on solar-plus-storage sets a benchmark for residential attach economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/detail-solar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about detail solar