Consulting & Inspections

Each situation is different and we want to present the right option for what you need to do. Many consults for education and advice are free in broad terms. Deeper analysis with reporting and documented plans, engineering reviews etc can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. 

Inspection services may be as simple as a service call and a follow up with the information you required, or we may end up doing more significant documented reporting, legal paperwork, emergency repairs while on site, or coordinate with other companies as needed on your behalf. A simple visual inspection or a more deep disassembly & close inspection may be required.  It’s understandable how this could be a few hundred to several thousands of dollars. 

We will consult with you for free in advance and make it as clear as possible before proceeding, including providing you with a budgetary estimate with terms, or an all-in invoice in advance where appropriate.

Whether its a home, workshop, multi-unit residential complex or commercial building we can discuss your goals and priorities, go through the plans, advise on equipment, pre-wiring options, and certain material choices… We can have a great free consult talking about the basics you can pass on to your builder to make your life easier with solar and other needs or we can pre-design and ready everything for permits in advance and spec all the equipment for your electrical so that you can ensure the service and other main wiring will be ready to do what you want the first time.

By planning well, we empower you to get a cleaner (and therefore cheaper/faster) result from your builder the first time without worrying about upcharges, questions etc.  

Going deeper into green building practices that you could incorporate into your project may add significant value beyond solar and electrical, even resulting in new structural design, heating/cooling elements, insulation and airflow technologies etc.

Education and training for staff on solar value and benefits, construction planning you can put forward to all builds using proper equipment specifications and wiring methods making solar cheaper down the road, pre-designed solar packages for your specific plan sets with pricing you can rely on as a good guide when passing to customers, and other general best practices that are easy to follow and understand regarding construction methods, roofing/exterior materials, and the consequences of certain common builder decisions.

Depending on the situation an inspection  will be tailored to your needs according to the type and depth of inspection requested after a good chat with us to understand your situation and expectations.  A few elements that are commonly included:

• • • Removal of selected equipment to thoroughly document work performed underneath 
    • Analysis and digital modeling of the system for comparison of performance to initial promises.
    • Photo documentation of electrical connections, installation methods, penetrations and anchoring methods, etc
    • Voltage and Amperage measurements as needed
    • Thermal photography/video as needed
    • Drone Inspection Options
    • Video documentation of certain conditions requiring movement to demonstrate and explanation of what we found.
    • Report structured with photos and explanations, including good, neutral, bad, and terrible findings
    • Detailed and fully costed estimate for correction of various conditions found, according to severity, along with documented advice on whether to proceed with repairs on an item by item basis where appropriate. 
    • Verification of legal credentials of entity responsible for the solar installation in the first place where possible to confirm or infer whether competent, certified professionals were used.
    • Assessment and analysis of the quality of the installations workmanship, appropriateness of equipment chosen, and options for improvement where applicable.
    • Value assessment, in real dollars to establish the original and current market value of the solar installation 

Here’s a draft:

What makes SolarNinjas qualified to provide expert third-party advice?

The short answer is that there is no one in this province with a deeper, more hands-on history in this industry than Michael and the SolarNinjas team.

Michael is a founding figure in Alberta’s solar industry with over 15 years of direct, ground-level experience — not as an observer, but as an active participant in shaping the industry itself. He has served on advisory panels that guided provincial legislation and government rebate programs, contributed to the challenging and evolution of electrical codes and jurisdictional legal practices, and helped formulate the inspection standards now used by the largest municipalities in the province. He has worked directly with utilities to shape microgrid approval processes and standards, and continues to push for improvement in those practices today.

SolarNinjas has never had a failed project. That’s not a marketing claim — it’s a track record built over a decade and a half of work in a technically demanding, heavily regulated field.

Beyond the technical, Michael brings a lifetime of parallel experience in engineering, business, and public advocacy. He has spent decades involved in politics, local and international charity work, and initiatives covered by media at every level. When customers, contractors, or industry partners have found themselves in distress — including legal conflicts with contractors — SolarNinjas has a history of stepping in, understanding the situation, and digging in where warranted.

Michael is widely recognized as an industry-leading expert across multiple disciplines, and SolarNinjas operates from a core belief that supporting and improving the industry as a whole is not optional — even when it’s uncomfortable. Our reputation is built on strict ethics, radical transparency, and a long record of advocacy that puts people before politics.

When you need truly independent expert advice, that kind of background isn’t just valuable. It’s irreplaceable.