May 18, 2024 Nate, the new owner came out yesterday (5/17/24) and did warrantee work (promised by the previous slick owner, Rick), testing and replacing a breaker and several bad, shoddy original electrical connections, and seemed happy to educate me a bit on solar and the accompanying electrical. Our system was continually shutting down. Time will tell, of course, but my sense now is that Nate will do his best to keep the system running properly. And if anybody is wondering about the 4 stars: I seldom give 5 or 1 star reviews (below is a rare exception). Things, seems to me, can almost always be a little better or worse; and I don't want to be classed with so many who give 5 stars and excitedly say, "I haven't opened the box yet, but it looks really good!" And to defend my earlier 1 star: what possible good is there in a $25K investment that returns zero? Written May 14, 2024 (the following 1 star review, it turns out, is almost entirely a complaint against the previous owner, Rick, who now appears to me, to be a slick shyster with shoddy workmanship. I was mad and frustrated when I wrote the following, but believe there is no exaggeration there. ) If you enjoy 12 hour per day manual monitoring, manual resetting, missed appointment service calls, little or no phone response, apologies with no action, and then fighting for the promised warranty service, by all means go with APS Solar. For the first three years, the system worked as promised and expected. The fourth year, the system began to shut down, continues to shut down for what seems unknown reasons. I suspect that new installations take high precedent over warranty promises. Additionally there is no automatic notification of the shutdowns, so constant manual monitoring is required... unless you don't mind the $1500 true-up like we had to pay. As you might imagine, we find APS business practice completely unacceptable, frustrating even infuriating. read more

APS Solar changed hands a couple years ago and then went out of business. They are no longer in operation. The owner is a 27 year old kid in Dubai and they hired crew from the valley and got rid of us, the long time install crew without even formal layoff paperwork. I've now been informed by both of the electrical supply houses in Sonora that APS stiffed them both for thousands of dollars each. I'm sad to see a business that I worked at fail due to incompetent new management. For any former customers seeing repairs or service to their APS installed solar systems please feel free to reach out. The equipment has manufacturers warranties and I'm very comfortable diagnosing and repairing our systems. read more

We had a frustrating experience with Alternative Power Solutions, Inc. (APS Solar) in Sonora, owned (currently or formerly) by Rick Burkhard. Nate and Hayden came out for an estimate to install backup batteries and suggested we apply for the SGIP program to subsidize the cost. We found an amazing company to help with the application, and after months of effort, we secured approval and notified APS. That's when things fell apart. Communication from APS became sporadic at best. Nate and Hayden would occasionally respond with vague promises to start the installation "as soon as they finished their current project." The receptionist, Ashley, seemed unaware of any delays and repeatedly assured us we were on the schedule--but nothing ever progressed. Despite our $32,000 contract, APS showed little interest in following through. We made dozens of attempts to connect, but were met with excuses, silence, or--shockingly--hung up on when they realized who was calling. Because of the lack of connection with APS Solar, the batteries approved by PG&E's SGIP program were discontinued. We went out of our way to secure these batteries through the inventory department. Guess what! Nate and Hayden ordered the batteries--and then continued their ghosting behavior. Did they get them for someone else? It's baffling why APS would ghost us after a signed contract, especially for such a significant project. Whether it's a lack of expertise or poor internal management, something is clearly wrong. After reading similar reviews about their ghosting behavior (unfortunately, after signing our contract), it's clear this isn't an isolated incident. read more

First of all, the original owner of APS Solar sold his company to (I have no idea) I just know they are a couple of yahoos! You would think when you spend $30,000 on a system with a company, if they sold their business, they would have the "COURTESY" to inform their customers! An e mail, a post card, something??!! But not Rick Burkhard, he just sold the company & from my understanding left the state. Now we have issues with our system & the 2 men that are running APS Solar won't return calls & when they finally do, a couple of months later, they come assess the issue & tell you what they can do to fix it & just NEVER EVER get back to you! I would highly suggest if you are interested in purchasing a Solar System DO NOT GO WITH OR EVEN CALL APS! TAKE IT FROM US, YOU WILL BE SORRY!!! read more

WARNING: Sorry to say this company is in trouble. No longer bonded (bond cancelled 2/1/25) and their contractor's license is suspended. Now they are under investigation by the California State Licensing Board. They ghosted us also, and have not repaid our deposit despite promising to do so (in writing and verablly over the phone) back in October 2024. Buyer beware. read more

Rick came back and problems resolved. He set up Blue Tooth monitoring and called Sunny Boy inverter company to resolve issues. Starting over after disagreements. Will look into getting additional panels on the west side of roof. read more

Rick and his crew installed a solar system on my home a bit over 2 years ago. Rick was really thorough about explaining the sizing of the system, helping to explain the different types of inverters and working with my budget. Any questions I've had he's been prompt about answering them. If I thought the system needed servicing, he'd come out right away and check it out for me. I've been more than happy with this company and have recommended them to other people. They are the best! read more

Rick and his team are the most honest and hard working team you could ever want to use for your solar project. I quoted with two other companies and was the most comfortable with the value and the ethics that Rick and him team demonstrated. I recommend them 1000% I am very happy with the quality of the system and all the work done. Great team !!! read more