With most of its land bordered by the Great Lakes, Michigan can pose numerous challenges for solar installers. In Detroit, the home of Strawberry Solar, the average overnight temperatures in January linger just under a frigid 18°F.

With most of its land bordered by the Great Lakes, Michigan can pose numerous challenges for solar installers. In Detroit, the home of Strawberry Solar, the average overnight temperatures in January linger just under a frigid 18°F. Joe Nagle, founder of Strawberry Solar, added that Michigan's utilities have eliminated net metering which increases the cost of solar for consumers, but solar is slowly gaining acceptance in the state. By the end of 2021, there were just 68 solar installers in all of Michigan, as compared to 952 in California, long ranked as the largest solar market in the country.

RT-MINI is Strawberry's first choice for challenging installations.

Nagle first discovered Roof Tech products in 2018. "We use RT-MINI for all our residential installations that use conventional rail mounting systems," he explained. "The MINI is ideal for steep-pitched roofs and any job where we need to install multiple arrays." The RT-MINI II is engineered to withstand wind speeds up to 180mph and up to 90 PSF of ground snow, making it a great choice for cold weather environments like Michigan.


RT-APEX proves to be an ideal fit for the founder's own home.

In December 2021, Nagle decided to try RT-APEX to install an 8kW system on his own home just north of Detroit. "It was my first time installing solar on my own home," he said, "and I wanted to be sure that a rail-less system would work. The results were great, and now we plan to use the RT-APEX on other jobs." With its self-flashing design featuring Roof Tech's AlphaSeal™ Technology, RT-APEX eliminates the need for caulking and provides a flexible, durable seal that is impermeable to moisture.


Personalized attention from Roof Tech makes a great impression.

Nagle appreciated the hands-on help he got from Roof Tech's Midwest Sales Manager Guy Wellman. "Guy has been super attentive to our needs," he said. "Last December he drove out to my home from Indiana to coach us through our first installation with RT-APEX. It was a freezing cold day, and he was there from start to finish." The results were impressive. "I love the skirt and the low profile of RT-APEX," Nagle added. He also realizes the key difference between flexible flashing and metal flashing. "With RT-APEX, you never have to pry up any shingles which can damage the roof," he said. "For us, that's the main benefit. It's clear that RT-APEX will simplify our future installation jobs."


About Strawberry Solar

Strawberry Solar was founded in 2010 by Joseph Nagle and has 15 employees with more than 20 years of combined experience in solar photovoltaic sales, design, permitting, installation, commissioning, and monitoring. Strawberry has since grown into one of Michigan's leading experts in solar design, installation, and support. Its headquarters are in Detroit's Green Garage, a sustainable coworking building shared with other environmentally conscious businesses - and Strawberry installed solar on the Green Garage. In keeping with its commitment to clean energy, Strawberry Solar maintains a commercial account with Midtown Composting to recycle all cardboard and plastic from its operations. To learn more about Strawberry Solar, visit https://www.strawberrysolar.com