update to 1/31/25 review..... I heard from Mark of Mother Nature Solar the very day I wrote my review. I am happy to report I have now received compensation for lost solar production. For this, I have changed my rating to three stars. read more

Mark's a stand up guy and ended up sending his guy multiple times to try to fix a problem that is probably unique to my house. I think it has something to do with my main panel and probably not with any of his work or Enphase's products. read more

41 panels! Zeroed out power bills. By far the lowest price. Top notch service. A great install. We had some issues with the overeager and unclear inspector. Mark reimbursed us for missed credits from PGE. Then the modifications the inspector demanded led to a failure. Again, Mark reimbursed us for missed PGE credits. I never even asked for credit. I've never seen a more respectful, capable, top-notch outfit. Never. Did I mention that his price was lower than the competition? read more

I work with people who know the solar business rather well, and one very bright colleague told me that she looked at the cost per kilowatt installed for all solar vendors while California had their rebate plan, and Mother Nature Solar was by far the least expensive. She referred them to another colleague of mine, and he had Mark install a relatively small system for a remarkably low price per kilowatt. That he installed with premium panels and did the work in a couple of days was even better. I noticed after the bid that they were located in Martinez, where I'm in Redwood City, but that didn't seem to matter. So The Wife and I decided to pull the trigger and get a decent sized system installed with panels and microinverters that were rated in the top 3 by other solar companies. We had to pay an initial deposit, and as the install date approached we had to pay for the materials. I never actually had the chance to meet Mark, but Melvin and Bee did a fine job. They showed up on a Saturday at 10:00, installed the panels and left by 4:30 that evening with a running system (I must note that my house was very well configured for the system I bought, very few mods were needed). The layout of the panels was optimized to the roof design, I can tell because the power output of each panel is uniform. Mark took care of the PG&E initiation, permits, and other paperwork, made that a snap. I would note that a lease option is not possible, but if you're clever you should be able to get a home improvement loan as the system will add value to the house (the 10 year warranty for the work and 25 year warranty for the panels also helps that justification). Awesome work, it's good to know you can get a high quality system installed without paying for frivolous and annoying marketing. I'm hoping that my very clever colleague will use them for her system when she finally gets her roof fixed. read more

Great low cost, high quality solar installation. I couldn't be happier with the owner (very easy to communicate with, extremely patient, very detail-oriented and eager to do the job the right way), the crew (great guys who do a great and thorough job, yet completed the job in under 3 days), the system (all equipment functions great, never any issues) and best of all the price (way lower than any quote I have seen for a fully owned system!) When I met with Mark, the owner, he was very friendly, down to earth, eager to understand exactly what I was looking for and willing to work closely with me on specific details. For instance, I mentioned that we'd like to maximize our roof space, but that would mean having to utilize part of our eastward facing roof. I mentioned a neighbors house that had a similar situation and had the panels raised and on a tilt to get them to be more southward facing. He checked out the orientation and agreed that it was a great, and doable solution. We agreed on a 5.75kW system, covering three different sections of my roof. He got the quote to me in a few days, and let me know the time-table which was very reasonable. All equipment was ordered and delivered within a few weeks. The installation started promptly after all materials were delivered. It only took his crew 3 days to complete the installation. I've had the system installed for over 6-months now, and never had anything to worry about. I've even been able to get in touch with the owner quickly via text whenever I had a question about anything. Very professional owner and crew. I feel very excited to be saving tons of money on my electric bill over the next 20+ years! read more

Mark Davis and Mother Nature Solar installed 42 solar panels on our roof and did a great job. Some of the people selling/bidding on solar are sketchy but Mark is smart, honest, good to work with and he knows solar inside out. We got several bids and Mark was very substantially lower than our other bids -- and for more panels (meaning more electricity). The work was on time and his crew cleaned up the area well when they finished. Then Mark worked with us to make sure we were registered with PG&E, and that we had the monitoring for the system working well. Mark responded immediately to any question or concern. I wish everyone we do business with was as decent and sincere as Mark, and as good at what they do. Our highest recommendation! Frankly, no need to look elsewhere. After our experience with solar, my conclusion is, why work with a national company that will take a healthy % of the job cost and turn around and hire a local installation crew that will likely be nowhere near as good as Mark's regular crew? read more

Mark did an amazing job with installing a 3.3K system for my home in fall 2015. Post service follow up was great as well. He had 2 other referrals for our community as well. Post install support was great as well read more

When I started looking into getting solar for our house, I quickly discovered that a lot of used car salesmen had moved into the solar business. Sometimes, after finishing a phone call, I wanted to take a shower. The prices given to me, were pretty consistent. Then I contacted Mother Nature Solar. Mark is very old school. No hard sale, and fabulous prices (which made me a bit suspicious, since he undercuts all the other dealers AND gives you the best inverters). So he came by with his brother to take a look, we chatted, we did the deal. Installation was done as planned. But certification took a while. Yes, as one reviewer mentioned before, communication with Mark can be a bit of a challenge, BUT we are extremely satisfied. It's been more than a year and I do not have any complaints. read more

We overpaid a bit for the first half of our solar project with another contractor but luckily we just had a few panels installed so the hit wasn't so bad. We were lucky to find Monther Nature Solar right here on Yelp. Mark had by far the best estimate out of 5 other solar companies we looked at. We had received bids as high as $38,000 and Mother Nature Solar came in under $16,000- yes $22,000 LESS! So many companies are out to rip people off, it's crazy. We were paying $150-$200 on our PG&E bill and we financed 100% through a PACE loan by HERO. Our monthly payment for the loan is less than what we were paying PG&E so we started saving money from DAY ONE! The process was smooth and there was no high pressure "buy today" sales techniques. 5 stars all the way, highly recommended Mother Nature Solar! Great warranties too! Thanks! read more

I'm really not quite sure what rating to give. It might yet drop or it might go up depending on how all this gets resolved. But my tale to date: Mother Nature Solar (MNS) is a one-man contracting company. That's why his prices are so good: they're, by far, the best in the Bay Area. But. He's a one-man show. He doesn't have an office staff. He doesn't have his own team of installers: he subcontracts the work out (to qualified people, mind). If the subs can't come in on an appointment? No installation. If it rains on your appointment? You'll have to wait until the next time he can find people. And sometimes there's just an ugly lack of communications: I have a three-story home, told him that, and then his crew didn't have the equipment to actually get up to a roof that high. I did tell him it was a high roof and I would've been happy to measure its height for him. I also had to submit an application to my HOA, which was an extremely frustrating process somewhat compounded by the fact that it took quite awhile to get the roof installation diagram I requested from him. I ended up sending in another company's initial drawings just to start the process while I awaited the formal plans. The most frustrating part has been the lack of notice for no-shows. I usually only find out when (1) nobody is on my roof and (2) I finally get through to call him and ask what's up. Getting through has ranged from 'immediately' to 'several days later'. He can only install on weekends, so I basically have to twiddle my thumbs wondering if there will be people out or not. Doing this for over a month gets old real fast. I understand that stuff happens: a call in the morning saying "I'm sorry, we can't do it this weekend but we can do it on X date" would've made this much less unpleasant and ensured that I could make appropriate plans for the day. Oh, and his voicemail is always full (but he's been pretty responsive to me via text). If you've read this much and are still thinking of him because of his honestly amazing pricing, I would insist on a site survey early on, especially if you have a home taller than 1-2 stories. For those in single-story homes, I expect the process to go a lot smoother. Timeline: 2016: July 28: Notified MNS that we selected him as a contractor. Roof plans requested. August 5: HERO financing approved August 13: Roof plans requested, MNS promises August 14 August 21: Roof plans requested, MNS promises August 22 August 25: Received roof plans. HOA application started. HERO financing paperwork goes through. August 31: MNS erred in what they submitted to HERO; resubmitted and financing formalized. September 29: HOA approval received. MNS notified and an installation date requested. October 15: Asked MNS when they were going to install, claimed 29-30 October. October 29-30: No-show. MNS claims subcontractors had a family emergency after I call them. November X: Crew shows up without the equipment to go on my roof and with the wrong wiring for the panels. Crew installs conduit and a microinverter combiner box ... I later find out they incorrectly installed it and voided the warranty when I read through the manual. December 2: MNS informs me they don't have the working capital to install my setup until after two jobs are completed. Promises to complete by the end of the year. December 15: PG&E NEM 1.0 cap reached: my minimum monthly electrical bill is now higher post-solar than if it was installed as promised. December 16: I contact HERO informing them MNS has been unresponsive. They proceed to quickly get into contact with MNS, who promises a call back "soon". No call received. December 17: MNS says they'll come out either December 19 or 20 with the proper equipment and promises to tell me exactly which date. December 20: Still a no-go. MNS offers to cancel the contract with a cash refund for my trouble or to renegotiate the price at a pretty good discount. We take the discount. 2017: March 17: Solar rails installed, but the inverters appear to be the wrong type. MNS says they're awaiting their distributor to get the right ones in. April 15: Holy cow the system is installed! And working! Just awaiting the city inspection and PG&E's approval for net energy metering. read more

6 kW PV system, 24 Canadian Solar Panels with 24 Enphase micro inverters. Roof type: Spanish Tile Location: San Jose, CA After many years of solar PV system shopping, Mother Nature Solar gave me a bid I could not refuse. Mark the owner answered all my questions, and never put any pressure for the sale. He never pushed for any type of financing, Mother Nature Solar just sells you a professionally installed system at a very good price. Once I had all the info I needed we talked on the phone, again very helpful. I asked for specific size and type of system, and additional install of 240v outlet for EV in the garage. He then at my convenience visited my house to access the job and answer any other questions. His bid was so good that I upped the number of panels. There were no hidden fees, and all my concerns before and after were addressed in a quick and courteous manner. Mother Nature Solar took care of all permits and inspections, and kept me updated throughout the whole process. The install took 2 days again at my convenience, and then the city inspector visit at the city's convenience. Aesthetics were important, and Mark did a great job with the install and the blending of the conduit with my roof. All done, system up and running better than expected. This is my first Yelp review, I am mostly a lurker that values his privacy. read more

Mark installed the 325 W panel for a total of 4.55k solar power project. We got the city approval without any issues and the entire process was seamless. He is honest, straight forward pricing and no surprises!! read more

Mark and his employees did a great job on our 5.8kW install on our concrete tile roof using 21 280W Solar World Panels, M250 enphase inverters and the Enphase S Envoy. We highly recommend his company. Our system has been up and running since December 2015 and as of this review things have been working great. Unless we greatly exceed our normal electricity usage our True Up will easily be positive in our favor. Nobody came remotely close to Mother Nature Solar in price and Mother Nature Solar does not try to pressure you into anything which is nice. At some point we will be purchasing an electric vehicle so we will be calling them to expand our current install. The only thing that was remotely close to being a negative aspect was that sometimes it was difficult to get a hold of Mark. However, the end result met and exceeded expectations and I feel no need to change the rating. read more

Mark is a great guy...easy to work with...job turned out great....would use again

Awesome experience working with Mark and his team. He knew exactly how to handle our unusual stone-coated steel roof, which many of the installers I spoke with wouldn't even touch. Top quality components, great workmanship, and the best price out of 10 bids. read more

system up exactly one year (December) - thrilled !! Mark and crew was great - was dogged by sunrun ,solar city pressure tactics - Marks was same material and a fraction - got my federal 30% tax savings and 12 low monthly pg&e bills all while giving pg&e my energy friends the finger. Go Solar - Go Mother Nature read more