Solar in Austin sits on strong sun, live-oak shade, and roofs that have to be sound before an array goes down. Central lots lose the afternoon to canopies that a street photo will not explain. Newer roofs toward the edge of town may have a cleaner south slope and still hide a baked deck. A soft deck and a lazy flashing detail will leak in the first gully-washer whether or not a module ever takes a bruise.
Ask for a visit on the roof, not a layout from the air. Direction, shade at midafternoon, and the condition of the deck decide whether the slope is a candidate. Attachment and flashing have to match asphalt, metal, or tile. Stucco and stone sidewalls are common leak points if a penetration is caulked instead of flashed. Equipment has to survive attic heat or a wall that bakes. Ask where the inverter sits and how you will know a string went quiet.
The electrical service and the path to interconnection are part of the same conversation. Ask whether the panel can take the connection, who files the building permit, and who files with the utility. The system should stay off until permission to operate is real. Ask who lifts the array when the roof is due, including after a limb drop from an oak, which is a more Austin way to lose a slope than a hurricane wind. Get the module and inverter models named.
Freeze weather is not a production story, but it is a roof story. Limbs fail, and a ceiling stain that morning may be plumbing, so do not let an array proposal explain a thaw leak. Shade from a protected oak is not something to erase for a cleaner drawing. Say if you will not remove that tree. An honest layout works around it or says the slope is wrong. Aerial pictures miss that argument entirely.
Have the address, the roof age and type, and which slopes sit under oaks. Mention a soft deck, a recent limb, or a hail mark if you have one. Ask for a site visit about structure, shade, equipment heat, and permission to operate. Keep the talk on the roof and the gear. Call the number on this page.