Roadmap preview. Solar Story is a working prototype of a feature we're building into the Solar Design Studio. Every number on screen is generated live from the example scenario below — edit it to see a different household's story. Coming to production later this year.
Your Full Solar Story
A roughly two-minute, chaptered walk-through of a homeowner's complete solar lifecycle — from the rising cost of waiting, through installation, daily life, the 25-year race against the grid, and what happens after the system is paid off. Built live from the example scenario below — edit it to see a different household's story. Every figure is an estimate, shown in kWh and dollars — never a guarantee.
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Chris's Solar Story
A 25-year look at a home in Phoenix, AZ
Step 1 · Hello
Act I
The cost of waiting
The meter never stops
Every year on the grid adds to the total.
$0 this year · rising 2.6%/yr · $0 over 25 years
Step 2 · Estimate based on the example usage and utility rate · rates vary by utility
Act II
Your system, by the numbers
Your design
Your system, soaking up the sun.
System Size
—
Panels
—
Battery
—
Finance
—
Step 3 · The design · from the example scenario below
From signature to sunshine — a typical timeline.
1
Solar Partner
Day 1
2
Sign Agreement
Day 3
3
Site Audit
Week 2
4
Installation
Week 6
5
System On
Week 10
Step 4 · The Journey · timelines vary by market, permitting office, and utility
Act III
Living with solar
Year 1 — your solar starts producing.
Production (Year 1)
0 kWh
Electricity savings vs. no solar
$0
Usage covered by solar
0 kWh
Monthly kWh produced · Year 1
Step 5 · First Year · production offsets usage at your utility rate; excess is net-metered
On an average day, your roof makes about — kWh.
☀
Sunlight
Free fuel
every day
🏠
Your home
55%
used now
▬
Battery
25%
stored
⇄
Grid
20%
exported
Illustrative split for an average day · real output swings 2–3× between winter and summer
When the grid goes down, your home stays on.
▬
A 13.5 kWh home battery keeps your essentials — fridge, lights, Wi-Fi, a few outlets — running through an outage.
⏱
That's roughly 12–24 hours of essential loads on a full charge, depending on what you run.
☀
And when the sun's up, your panels recharge the battery by day — so a multi-day outage becomes a daily cycle.
Step 7 · Resilience · essential-loads backup, not whole-home · actual runtime depends on your loads
Act IV
The 25-year race
Every year compounds — solar vs. staying on the grid.
Year 1
With Solar
✓
Monthly Energy
$0
This Year
$0
25-Year Cost Total
$0
Without Solar
↑
Monthly Bill
$0
This Year
$0
25-Year Cost Total
$0
⚠ Year 13 · Inverter replaced · −$2,000
✓ Loan paid off · payments stop
Utility rates rise 2.6%/yr · panels degrade 0.5%/yr · inverter replaced ~year 13 · estimate, not a quote
Act V
Beyond payoff
Once the loan clears, your monthly energy cost drops to just the grid shortfall.
$0/mo
Years 1–15
$0/mo
Years 16–25
The panels keep producing — your remaining cost is whatever the grid still supplies, often a fraction of a pre-solar bill.
Step 9 · Beyond Payoff · estimate · still includes fixed utility connection charges
An owned system isn't just savings — it's an asset.
Home sale price
3–4%
≈ $15,000–$20,000
on a $500,000 home — example, not a guarantee. Owned systems only; a lease or PPA can reduce this and complicate a sale.
Still producing at year 25
89%
Panels typically carry ~25-year performance warranties (often 85–87% guaranteed at year 25).
Inverters and batteries carry shorter warranties (often 10–15 years) and are usually replaced sooner.
Step 10 · The Asset · sources: Zillow; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab · varies by market
~95%
of a panel's materials can be recovered and recycled.
Glass recovered
Aluminum frame
Silicon & copper
At the end of their life, panels can be repowered to keep producing, or recycled — recycling infrastructure is still maturing, but the materials are largely recoverable.
Step 11 · Built to Last · source: industry recycling estimates, 2025
♿Reduced-motion is on, so the story won't auto-play. Use the ◀ ▶ buttons (or arrow keys) to move through each chapter at your own pace.
Scenario editor
Every number above is generated live by the engine — not a canned video. Edit any field and re-run to see a different household's story.
Honesty built in: the "With Solar" side shows the loan or lease payment explicitly, and for owners (Cash/Loan) it includes the ~$2,000 inverter replacement around year 13 — Lease/PPA skip that line because the provider owns the system. Both sides apply 0.5%/yr panel degradation; the "Without Solar" side compounds utility costs at 2.6%/yr (EIA historical average). This is what you'd tell a friend, not what a sales rep would tell a stranger.
All figures are estimates, not a quote or an offer of credit. Production is modeled at your system size × local peak-sun-hours × 365 × 0.86 derate, accurate to roughly ±10–12% where address-level data is available. Savings compare estimated solar cost against an estimated no-solar utility bill rising 2.6%/yr (EIA residential average, 2010–2024) at your utility rate; net metering credits excess production at 50% of retail and varies by state, utility, and plan. Cash and loan figures assume no federal residential tax credit — Section 25D expired December 31, 2025. Loan figures are illustrative (5.99% APR shown); Solrova is not a lender — actual financing terms come from your Solar Partner or its finance provider. Home-value figures reflect averages from Zillow and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory across many sales and apply to owned systems; they are not a prediction for your home. Warranty and recycling figures are industry typicals and vary by manufacturer. Environmental estimates use EPA eGRID 2022 (0.855 lb CO₂/kWh) and EPA GHG Equivalencies; your grid mix varies. Solrova shows savings in kWh where possible, not offset percentage.
