Austin · West Lake · Austin Energy
West Lake
This is our latest solar project in Texas, designed to meet the needs of local homeowners. It showcases our most up-to-date installation practices and equipment choices. Explore this project to see how we approach system design, workmanship, and long-term reliability.
Kathie Millen · August 11, 2026
13.8 kW
System size, DC
40.5 kWh
Battery capacity
9.91¢/kWh
Value of Solar credit
Project photos
February 26, 2026
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View Project Specifications
| Component | Specification | Code or standard | Why it is here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar array13.8 kW DC | |||
| Modules | REC Alpha Pure-R, 430 W, 32 modules | UL 61730 | Lead-free cells and a 25-year product warranty, so the panel warranty outlasts the roof underlayment beneath it. |
| Racking | IronRidge XR10 rail on L-foot attachments, 48 in spans | UL 2703 | XR10 carries the span this roof plane needed without adding a third rail run, which keeps the number of roof penetrations down. |
| Flashing | IronRidge FlashFoot2, one per attachment | IRC R905.2.8 | Every penetration gets a flashed mount rather than a sealant-only bracket. Sealant is the first thing to fail in Texas heat. |
| Electrical and interconnection200 A service | |||
| Microinverters | Enphase IQ8M, one per module | UL 1741 SA, IEEE 1547 | Per-module conversion means one shaded or failed panel does not drag down a whole string, and it keeps DC off the roof. |
| Rapid shutdown | Module-level, initiated at the AC disconnect | NEC 690.12 | Required so a fire crew can de-energise the array from the ground. |
| Interconnection | Load-side breaker into the existing 200 A panel | NEC 705.12(B) | The panel had the busbar headroom for a load-side tie, which avoided a service upgrade and the Austin Energy wait that comes with one. |
| Battery storage40.5 kWh | |||
| Batteries | Tesla Powerwall 2, 13.5 kWh AC, 3 units | UL 9540 | AC-coupled, so the batteries sit downstream of the microinverters and the array keeps producing during an outage. |
| Backup gateway | Tesla Backup Gateway 2, whole-home backup | UL 1741 | Handles the grid disconnect on an outage. Whole-home rather than a critical-loads subpanel because 40.5 kWh carries this house overnight. |
IRC 2021, as adopted by the City of Austin · IFC 2021 · NEC 2020, adopted statewide.
What they asked, and what we told them
What they asked
Do I need a new roof before panels?
What we told them
Yes. Yours had 4 years left, so we re-roofed first. That added $14k and six weeks before solar could start.