Solar in Michigan starts on the roof and in the weather, not on a drawing from the sky. Snow covers modules for long stretches on low slopes and in the snow belts. Lake cloud keeps some shores gray while other counties stay clearer. A layout that looks fine in July still has to stay attached when ice slides. If the roof is tired, the covering is the first conversation.
Mounts and flashing have to live through freeze and thaw. A penetration that is quiet in summer can wet the deck in an ice-dam winter. Ask who answers for a leak at a mount, and what happens to the array when the roof is replaced later. Someone should stand on the roof. A sky photo has not seen a soft deck or an aging electrical service.
Modules and inverters should be named as specific gear. String equipment and module-level electronics behave differently when one corner sits under snow. You should know who you call when an inverter goes quiet. A cottage that stays dark all winter is a different use from a year-round house. Say which you have, and say whether you want the equipment in your name.
Permits and the utility permission to operate are part of the job. Ask who files both, and what changes if a different layout is required. Northern roofs also wait on snow and a short safe season. Winter output will not look like June output on a Michigan roof, and that belongs in the talk before anything is mounted.
Say the town, the age of the roof, and whether trees shade the southern sky. Snow belt or not is the kind of fact that changes the layout. A garage roof is a different mount from the main house, and neither should be sketched until someone has stood on the deck. Call the number on this page.