Cape Fear Solar Systems — Local services in Wilmington

My experience with Cape Fear Solar has seriously exceeded my expectations at every step. It seems anytime something happens that I can't fix myself, (car breakdown, HVAC stops working, etc.) the fix is never "call the necessary person and it gets done." There's always complications. Always a reason it's going to take longer, or cost more. I'm so happy to say that has NOT been my experience with Cape Fear Solar Systems.

As a relatively new homeowner, installing solar panels and a battery has been the single most expensive renovation we've done to our house yet. The Summer temperatures in NC keep rising, and so does the cost of electricity, so something had to be done.

After researching Solar companies, and getting the spiel (and exaggerations, and lies) from one-too-many door-to-door salesman, I called Cape Fear.

I Initially called when we bought our house in 2022, but we couldn't afford it at the time. The person I spoke with, Caleb, was my first point of contact with the company. After a few phone calls, we basically ended with "Let us know when the time is right. We'll be here." There was no pushy sales pitch, no fear mongering, and no fear of missing out ploy to rush us into something we weren't ready for. Caleb was, and continues to be, a constant professional, and someone I have enjoyed working with throughout this process.

Now that we're in a better position to move forward with solar, I called Caleb, and we picked right back up. He made the process easy. I sent him information about my monthly electricity usage, and he built me a plan custom to my needs and the space on my roof. With the proposed system, my Duke energy bill should be close to zero month after month.

Signing off on everything was smooth. Caleb sent over the documentation and we got the next steps in place quickly. The whole process from here would be broken down into three pieces. Having the Solar Panels installed on the roof and the wiring run through my attic. Having electricians come out and feed the attic wiring into the new units and battery on the side of my house and, Having final inspections and Duke Energy sign off on the battery.

Initially, my expected date to be up and running was going to be two months from my paperwork with Caleb. However, Cape Fear had installers out in two weeks.

During that time, I worked via email with Christina, the Customer Success Associate who answered my questions, tell me what the next steps were, and get any remaining paperwork filled out. Christina was kind, professional, and unbothered by the numerous questions I asked throughout the process.

The second portion of this process, Installation, was just as smooth as the first section with Caleb and Christina.

My Solar panel installers were Travis, Miguel, Brandt, and James. "Professional," here, is an understatement. These guys were not only efficient, but polite and considerate too. Travis did the wiring in my attic while the rest of the guys worked on the panels outside. They hid every wire so the final installation was as clean as possible, left no trash from packaging, and were courteous and kind not only to my wife and children, but even to my dogs when we had to take them outside. A sincere thank you to Travis and his crew.

The following week, Scott and Chris came out to do the electrical work. Now, I have neighbors who have Solar panels, and they have conduit running down the broad side of their houses; dead center and off-colored. It doesn't look great. Not only did Scott and Chris paint the conduit to match my house, they also routed it and hid it behind gutter downspouts and made sure every piece of the install was clean and minimal looking. In addition, these were two of the nicest guys I've ever had hired.

We're now awaiting final inspection and sign-off from Duke to get the battery up and running, but from the first phone calls to finished installation, Cape Fear Solar couldn't have done a better job, beginning to end. Thank you, Cape Fear!

TL:DR - Just call them and get your electricity bill...

Choice We selected Cape Fear Solar Systems for several reasons. CFSS are local, have a good reputation from neighborhood users, and sell a variety of quality manufacturers products. Our sales consultant was knowledgeable about the present state of tax incentives and opportunities to connect with Duke Energy’s solar power programs. We invested in solar for several reasons: reducing our dependance on a single power source, ready backup during hurricane season, taking advantage of available governmental and power company incentives to reduce overall cost, and reducing our power bill as a hedge against price increases.

Installation Our Cape Fear Solar Systems solar panel array and Tesla Powerwall, after three months is producing the results we expected from the computer site modeled by CFSS’s project developer. Particularly fun is the run up to Spring, with days where solar generation exceeds demand. Feels like putting money printed on the rooftop into the bank of Duke.

From initial consultation through installation and county inspection, plus a walk-through of Tesla’s software during project closeout, the entire process was smooth, professional, and feels like it was worth our investment. The installation teams were knowledgeable and efficient, carefully explaining each step of the process. They took the time to ensure worker safety by permanently attaching fittings for securing fall protection to the roof. Solar panel installation was a bit challenging on our small lot, but the roof installers were careful in placing and swinging the man lift. The wiring was neatly done, with one roof penetration, easy to inspect from the attic. The Tesla Powerwall installation was seamless. The wiring was able to accommodate an existing generator and its disconnect.

Like any major home project, we had a minor installation challenge that was communicated to us immediately and handled by the installation team promptly. CFSS’s transparency in bringing the problem to our attention and addressing it as soon as practical helped make the entire experience stress-free.

Since the installation, our system has been performing flawlessly. The Tesla Powerwall stores excess energy, which we can choose to use: at night, store for possible weather events, or provide to the grid.

Portal Cape Fear Solar Systems provides information about system performance through their web portal. While largely parroting the system performance of the Tesla app, the portal has the potential to be so much more.

Missing documents As of March 2025, the portal has a prominent section for the storage of documents. A placeholder for documents enents is promising, none the less it is disappointing that at inspection our installation drawings were in the possession of the county inspector but not in our portal account. Since portal documents can only be uploaded by CFSS, we are unable to upload our scanned copies or photos of the installation to the project repository.

The FAQ segment of the portal could also be a useful reference for questions relevant to the operation of a Tesla Powerwall with links to the relevant sections of Tesla’s site, articles of interest in the use of solar power, Duke’s programs, or any number of helpful bits. Currently this section contains a couple problem support FAQs that would be better located in the support section of the portal. With full portal implementation we would use our account to show friends and neighbors our personal experience: power generation and consumption history, contracts, incentive agreements, photographs, and system drawings.

Conclusion For those considering solar power, we highly recommend Cape Fear Solar Systems. Their professionalism, expertise, attention to safety and customer service exceeded our expectations. A little effort to the portal would complete...

We requested a meeting with Cape Fear Solar Systems after I read about the incentives available from Duke Power. Shortly thereafter, Dar Hubsch made a highly informative presentation at our home. He provided complete and honest answers to our questions. Dar is proficient in using your proprietary software programs to demonstrate how the solar system works, and the payback based on different scenarios. He was also able to show us the number of solar panels required and where they would be located to maximize the systems collection. Also supported by the drone technology! Dar explained that extra panels are needed, since we were not able to put the panels on the front side of the house due to HOA restrictions. However, at the end of Dar's presentation, we were not convinced that the payback made sense, even as we wanted to pursue solar energy for environmental reasons. Dar sent the whole presentation for us to review. He asked us to come back to him with questions. Dar also suggested that we come to the Cape Fear Solar Headquarters for a view of the physical elements of the systems as well as to review the information again. We agreed to meet. Both Vicki and I decided before the meeting that we would not purchase the system. However, as we looked at the panel construction, how the panels are attached to the roof and other construction pointers, we became more impressed with the durability, reliability and efficiency of the solar system. We then sat down with Dar and reviewed all the incentives, tax credits vs total cost of the system this time adding the Duke incentive which allows them to draw from our battery under certain conditions and how we earn credits to use instead of paying Duke for power, This moved us closer to deciding to purchase the system. The payback is slightly longer than I wish, but Dar explained one of the reasons is that we already do an excellent job of conserving energy. So, in the end, the reduction in energy costs, earned credit for power from Duke, a backup system in the event Duke loses power and our personal effort to contribute to climate control, motivated our decision to purchase the solar system.

Dar has excellent marketing and presentation skills, providing information in a clear and straightforward manner. Dar has confidence in the quality of Cape Fear Solar Systems’ products and in their service support for installation and maintenance if required. That confidence allows Dar to present the facts without a high-pressure sales pitch. He provides the information in a clear, cohesive manner and lets the customers make their decision. We next met the installation teams that came to our home to wire and install the solar panels and Tesla battery. Our lead rooftop installer, Ulysses Ramos and his crew and our electricians Gabe Wood and Tyler Duke, were all knowledgeable, courteous and professional. They are very skilled and frankly the entire process was transparent to us. Christina Zeitlen, our Customer Success Associate, kept us well informed and expertly guided us through the application, approvals and permitting processes. Our system is operational, with no problems. A real time test of our system came by way of Tropical Cyclone 8. This tropical storm delivered 9 inches of rain and had sustained winds of 38 mph and a gust of 54 mph in our Helms Port neighborhood. However, we experienced no physical damage nor any interruption in service. A strong and violent test, that our solar system withstood with no damage or loss of power. Thank you to the Cape Fear Solar Team for guiding our decision to purchase a solar system and providing the expert technicians to make it happen!

Dennis and...