Project video: Solar and Tesla battery system in rural Kentucky

By lightwavesolar | Published June 18, 2020

The Culwells chose LightWave Solar to install solar panels and Tesla Powerwall batteries. Now, they power most of their home with solar, and even their Tesla car!

Hear Jan Culwell’s solar story in our video.

This article was posted in Case Studies, News & Events, Lightwave Blog and tagged LightWave Solar, battery backup, Kentucky Solar, Battery Storage, Solar Plus Storage, Tesla Powerwall, Grid Independence. Bookmark the permalink. Follow comments with the RSS feed for this post. Both comments and trackbacks are closed.

The project was a little slow getting started but that was because LightWave Solar is one busy company. Once rolling, the workers showed upon time, worked hard, created little disruption, and entertained curious home owners.It has been exciting watching our energy use for over 2 months now. This has been the darkest time of the year... a month either side of the Winter Solstice. Since going live, our total consumption off the grid is only half to two thirds or any one month of the previous winter. This thanks to lots of cloudy, rainy and even snowy days mixed with some absolutely gorgeous sunny days, but short.We survived a 5 hour power outage. I wouldn't have noticed except my mother-in-law called to say the power was out at her house. We cooked dinner and watched TV while the furnace kept us warn. If it hadn't been for COVID we would have invited over the neighbors.I have high hopes for summer production. Given that TVA won't pay much for our energy, I am not expecting to make it rich. We had pretty low energy costs before installing so it will take 78 years to make back our investment. But I wanted to have the solar power. It's fun to say I have 2 Teslas (batteries). Going solar just felt like the right thing to do for the environment and the future.

Anne Child

18:16 02 Feb 21

The team at Lightwave Solar delivered a great product and went beyond my expectations to make sure I was happy with the solution delivered.

Thomas Ratliff

16:38 01 Nov 20

The CEO down to the installation crew was very professional, and addressed all our questions and concerns. We couldn’t be happier with our system!

Jameson Cotter

16:55 10 Sep 20

Thomas & Thiago TH

22:40 07 Aug 20

Excellent, turn-key solution for solar panels. They were very responsive to my emails.

Matthew Lipton

20:46 22 Jun 20

Lightwave Solar installed a 10 kw system on my building in Lebanon. The installation crew was very professional and completed the install in a morning. Lightwave handled all the permitting and negotiations with TVA/MTEMC. I now have an app on my phone that tells me how much power my panels are generating since they were installed.

Peter Schulert

16:58 22 Jun 20

The folks at LightWave Solar are awesome. They were patient and very responsive to my long list of questions prior to signing the contract. After signing the contract, they kept me updated on progress and walked me through steps that required my input on the permitting process. They made me aware of the current step and the next step so I knew what to expect. The installation crew was knowledgeable, efficient, friendly, and went overboard to make sure the installation met my needs. The accounting folks were also great to interact with. Every aspect of my solar purchase went smoothly thanks to the great people at LightWave....from the initial sales, business office, and installation crews--all of them make customer service a PRIORITY.

Mike Woodside

14:00 21 Jun 20

The staff was incredibly friendly and knowledgable. in addition to keeping the area clean , we are very happy with the work and the price.

Denis Savouray

19:37 10 Dec 19

We had a great experience with Lightwave. They installed an add on system of 5kW along with a Tesla Powerwall battery. From the initial presentation to the final project completion, they all worked together and everyone on their team seemed truly happy to be engaged in this new industry. They are true professionals and I was glad we selected them. In addition to having a high tech back up system for my home, I am now off grid about 30% of the time. Amazing.

Quentin Humberd

11:06 06 Dec 19

Wonderful experience from beginning discussions to project completion. On time, on budget and a pleasure to work with these folks

David Goodridge

19:50 31 Oct 19

LightWave provided excellent service from design through applications through installation. We are very happy with the performance of the system.

Michael Dennis

01:20 04 Aug 19

LightWave Solar, LLC installed a 10 kW Array for us and did an excellent job! They completed the Array installation on time and with in budget.

Brian Nothnagle

18:49 23 Jul 19

Light Wave Solar is terrific. All their people were great to work with, knowledgeable and on- the- ball. They were everything i could have asked for and i couldn't be happier with the system they installed. So far it is working just as i hoped!

Jeanie Stephenson

23:00 26 Nov 18

I needed LightWave's help after a wind storm caused a tree to fall on my house. The tree destroyed ten solar panels on my roof. LightWave's technicians visited me to assess the damage and plan repairs. LightWave's project manager took over from that point. After the design was complete and approved, the installation crew completed the job in a single day. Every LightWave representative was pleasant and professional. I would recommend them to anyone who needs their services.

Mike Wiedemer

18:41 25 Oct 18

The whole team at LightWave Solar did an all-around excellent job! They showed up on time as expected and communicated everything very clearly on what I can expect to see and happen. They were all very professional and courteous throughout the entire process. I am already seeing MUCH lower electric bills. Thanks again to everyone at LightWave Solar, I greatly appreciated your services.

Nick Mielnik

18:41 22 Oct 18

The entire team at LightWave Solar went above and beyond to ensure that our solar install was done on time, on budget, and to our satisfaction. Professional in every way. I can't get over how seamlessly they have integrated everything to our 1960 built home. Very well done. An added bonus is their handling of the necessary licenses, myriad forms and paperwork and approvals from local power company and TVA. These guys deserve 10 stars!

Shawn Kries

18:12 16 May 18

Great service and solar products. Professional installation and technical support. Installation quality outstanding.

Dan Larsen

13:56 22 Feb 18

Very happy with our 50KW solar panel array commercial system. Lightwave was extremely easy to work with.

Mark Fournier

13:19 08 Feb 18

We installed a 10 KW solar panel array on the roof of our home this past fall. The process required coordination between us (the customer), the local electric company (Nashville Electric Service) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). While this may seem daunting, it turns out that apart from signing a few routine documents, the process requires little to no effort on the part of the customer: Lightwave Solar takes care of all the details. Their attention to those details was impressive, which meant the whole operation was smooth, professional and basically worry free. The physical installation itself is a marvel of craftsmanship and technology. Lightwave Solar fully earns their five star rating and I recommend them without reservation.

David James

06:07 22 Jan 18

Expert system design and expert install. Couldn’t be happier. Installed grid-tied roof-mounted 30kw system on rural lodge. Very happy with results on electric bill.

Greg Gough

02:27 20 Jan 18

i loved working with lightwave and would highly recommend them to any small business owner!!

Lance Brock

20:46 19 Jan 18

LightWave Solar provided excellent service and completed in the time frame and with the price promised. I'm happy to recommend them to others, and have.

John Harkey

18:43 06 Nov 17

My first month's savings was over $100. This is in spite of shorter fall days, cloudy days, and rain. The shortest day of the year is in late December. Its best performance will be in the spring and summer. I am very pleased with it.

Gerald Dooley

18:26 27 Oct 17

Lightwave's staff was professional and responded to all of my concerns. Installation was a breeze and their followup after the system was installed has been rapid. I highly recommend LightWave for any solar project.

Rebecca Paschal

17:54 24 Oct 17

stephen mallett

20:35 12 Jul 17

Bernadette Pawela

21:04 10 Jun 17

Lightwave solar was a pleasure to work with. They were professional, thorough and prompt.

Jessica Schwieger

11:00 09 May 17

The Lightwave Solar team was easy to work with, responsive and reliable. They considered several alternative layouts before settling on the best configuration for our situation. We are please to have 10 KW of solar panels, which covers most and at times, all, our energy usage for a month. Thanks!

Diane Scher

18:29 14 Jan 17

Jennifer Tinch

15:17 12 Jan 17

The process to get started is the most involved but once the installation is approved by your local power company, you're ready to go. It took about a month from approval to turning the system on. There were hiccups but the team at LightWave handled them all quickly and professionally. Everyone who came to our home for installation and commissioning was extremely professional and neat. The jobsite was cleaned up each day which I appreciated. They also gave us an estimate of solar generation based on month and for the first month they were spot on! I would highly recommend if you're looking for a solar system to consider this company.

Beth Vriesman

20:44 02 Jan 17

Lightwave has done two installations for us, and they were on time, on budget, and gave us systems that are generating well for us with no problems. They're the very best in this region.

Cynthia Holzapfel

17:33 28 Dec 16

Early in 2016 our family broke ground in building our new home. We knew we wanted solar and we had reached out to the companies in the area and selected Lightwave solar. From the beginning, they made it as easy as turning the key. From applications for the solar program all the way to getting things secured with our future electric company. After moving into our home, the installers were out and finalized our system bringing everything online. Our first full month of November we received our first bill. Two electric cars, entertaining during the holidays and getting a new home set up meant we'd used a good bit of electricity. $17 Dollars...the utility company had as a credit! This was amazing. This was an amazing investment and an equally awesome experience.If you are looking to learn more about solar, you must reach out to Lightwave Solar.

Matt Posey

20:16 19 Dec 16

Lightwave Solar installed a 26kW system for us. They assisted with the application process and completed the installation without any issues. Heartily recommend them.

Martin Ing

05:50 19 Dec 16

Have used them twice to install solar panels on my house (first south facing, then later to the east as well). They were very professional and technically seem outstanding!

Stephan Russ

21:00 05 Dec 16

these people are very professsional. they installed my system quickly,and it looks great .after a year and a half my solar production is ahead of ,expections. great job!

deb sav

12:50 10 Nov 16

Solar panels area wonderful thing, They sit in the sun and convert sun light into useable electricity with virtually no maintenance, fuel or up keep. The initial cost is a little pricey, but the government will give reimburse a buyer 30% in the form of a tax credit, not a deduction a credit. As an up-side, if one invest the cost of the system into say a tax free muni-bond, he would have to earn better than 3% to beat it at the current cost of electricity, which is going to get better as the price of electricity rises in coming years. A second up-side is the knowledge that the solar energy produced contributes nothing to pollution and used no natural resources.My daughter did the research. SunPower panels are the best. LightWave Solar is their local dealer dealer here in the Nashville area. I called them. They came out recommended an appropriate system. I said do it and they did. They took care of everything, building permits, sell back agreements, engineering, installation, everything. They did what they said they would do in the time frame they predicted for the price quoted. I could not be happier with the system, price or service. SunPower panels, LightWave Solar. Do it.

Harry Pearce

16:13 27 Sep 16

They say it starts at the the top and thanks to Steve Johnson, Lightwave Solar's owner, it appears that everyone in his company understands what it takes to work at a very high level of professionalism and expertise.Every member of the Lightwave team made the process of adding on to our existing solar array, easy. Pre-install was completely without issue. They evaluated my needs, then worked with the TVA to determine the maximum system size, filed the proper forms, obtained permits, coordinated with my local utility company, and answered all my questions. They completed this part of the process early and were prepared to start my install two weeks earlier than they originally scheduled.The install crew was friendly, professional, neat and worked well with each other. In addition to tying the new panels into my existing solar system, they also tied everything together to work with my whole house, 36kW propane generator - a fairly complex process.When the install was complete, they took the time to explain how everything worked and showed me how I could access all of my solar generation statistics online.It’s rare that I feel comfortable recommending an organization without reservation, but in this instance, I can say that after three months, everything is running perfectly and I’m still very happy with every aspect of the job.

Tom Trapp

18:48 14 Sep 16

Our experience with LightWave Solar was excellent in every respect. Their people are knowledgeable and performed exactly as promised. Since going on line, the system has work better than expected. We recommend LightWave to anyone considering a solar system.

Dave Mensel

18:29 24 Jul 16

I loved my experience with LightWave Solar! From the get go they were very professional and easy to work with. Getting solar panels on my house was a bit of a process with obtaining proper agreements and permits with utilities etc, but they handled every step-from sales through installation. I was impressed by the technology they use to project over the course of the year how much sun will hit each part of the roof to help decide if and where to get panels. They also have different financial options and help navigate what's best investment for you. And there are currently major tax benefits! Feels like a smart investment mixed with a really great feeling, knowing that the power I use in my house (and to charge my electric car) are from the sun. It's pretty amazing to get my utility bill now, and depending on the month, it is either a very very small amount or they pay me. Going solar has been a great experience and I can't recommend LightWave enough for helping me to do that!

Katie Herzig

17:23 25 Jun 16

I was very impressed by the professional quality of the work performed by the LightWave Solar installer. Though there was a large capital payment required for my 28 solar panels, they're already (slowly) reimbursing me by paying 70% of my monthly electric bill.

Jim Rugh

01:09 14 Jun 16

Everyone I dealt with at Lightwave Solar was professional, and NICE. I am very pleased with the work they did, and with the 22 solar panels now in service on my roof. I would recommend this company to everyone.

Michael Williamson

20:58 13 Jun 16

LightWave Solar installed my Solar PV System that looks great and functions as planned. Great working with LightWave to understand the economic and environmental benefits. They handled all the TVA documents and Dickson Electric coordination. All done with no problems.

James Paulus

02:52 22 Apr 16

very professional firm. the sales and installation teams were well versed in their technology and seemed to take pride in their work. definitely recommend

Joe Cook

19:30 04 Apr 16

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