37 solar installers ranked by CR ScoreUpdated 0 paid placements in this rankingHow we rank →
Best overall in James Island: Live Oak Energy Systems, CR Score 60/100; 4.9★ from 104 Google reviews; open 7 days a week.
Best for emergencies (open 24/7): Flowertown Solar Systems, posts 24/7 hours; ranked #17 of 37.
Most-reviewed: SunPower®, 465 Google reviews at 4.3★, the most of 37 ranked; ranked #3.
Rankings can't be bought. Contractors can't pay to change their rank or score. How we rank
37 James Island solar installers are ranked here by CR Score, from ten published factors. 2 are open 24/7, 19 open Saturdays and 6 open Sundays, based on posted hours. The median Google rating is 4.9★ across 37 rated businesses.
| Rank | Business | CR Score | Google rating | Based in | Hours | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Live Oak Energy Systems | 60 | 4.9★ (104) | Ladson, 20 mi away | Sat · Sun · Evenings | Overall |
| 2 | U.S. Renewable Power | 60 | 4.9★ (78) | Charleston, 5 mi away | Sat · Evenings | — |
| 3 | SunPower® | 59 | 4.3★ (465) | North Charleston, 16 mi away | Sat · Evenings | Most reviews |
| 4 | Boss Energy | 59 | 4.9★ (139) | Charleston, 9 mi away | — | — |
| 5 | Second Sunrise Solar | 58 | 4.9★ (53) | Charleston, 10 mi away | Sat · Evenings | — |
| 6 | EMPWR Solar | 58 | 4.4★ (268) | Charleston, 8 mi away | — | — |
| 7 | Legacy Solar Solutions | 58 | 5.0★ (33) | Charleston, 7 mi away | Sat · Evenings | — |
| 8 | SCSP Solar | 58 | 4.6★ (46) | Charleston, 5 mi away | Sat | — |
| 9 | Primitive Success Group | 57 | 5.0★ (11) | Charleston, 5 mi away | Sat · Sun · Evenings | — |
| 10 | U.S. Solar Contractors | 56 | 5.0★ (38) | Charleston, 5 mi away | — | — |
Ordered by CR Score, a 0–100 score from ten published factors. Paid placement never changes the order.
Ranked #1 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.9★ from 104 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy system service”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 5 mi away
Ranked #2 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.9★ from 78 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in North Charleston, 16 mi away
Ranked #3 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.3★ from 465 Google reviews, the most in James Island.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 9 mi away
Ranked #4 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.9★ from 139 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 10 mi away
Ranked #5 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.9★ from 53 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 8 mi away
Ranked #6 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.4★ from 268 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 7 mi away
Ranked #7 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 33 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 5 mi away
Ranked #8 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.6★ from 46 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 5 mi away
Ranked #9 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 11 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy system service”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 5 mi away
Ranked #10 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 38 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in North Charleston, 14 mi away
Ranked #11 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 26 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 2 mi away
Ranked #12 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 7 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 7 of 10 factors; credentials, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 7 mi away
Ranked #13 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.3★ from 56 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 13 mi away
Ranked #14 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.8★ from 44 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 4 mi away
Ranked #15 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 8 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 7 of 10 factors; credentials, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 9 mi away
Ranked #16 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.7★ from 19 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Summerville, 24 mi away
Ranked #17 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.6★ from 9 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 16 mi away
Ranked #18 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.4★ from 77 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 11 mi away
Ranked #19 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.4★ from 349 Google reviews.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 6 mi away
Ranked #20 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 29 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Roofing contractor”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 6 mi away
Ranked #21 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.8★ from 25 Google reviews.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in North Charleston, 14 mi away
Ranked #22 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.4★ from 7 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 7 of 10 factors; credentials, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 13 mi away
Ranked #23 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.8★ from 79 Google reviews.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Ansonia, 38 mi away
Ranked #24 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 46 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Charleston, 21 mi away
Ranked #25 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 6 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Solar energy company”.
Based on 8 of 10 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Typical prices in USD, adjusted for South Carolina with a published regional index. Each row names its basis and month.
| Job | Low | Typical | High | Basis | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar panel installation | $27,400 | $30,990 | $33,710 | Per system: about 12 kW at about $2.60 per watt, before incentives. US national range × 1.00 South Atlantic factor (2025 Cost vs. Value Report) | October 2026 |
We scored 37 James Island solar installers on ten factors, weighted as shown. A business is ranked when its trade is confirmed and it has 3 or more Google reviews or a claimed profile. A business with no Google reviews scores zero on rating, review volume and recency. Other unknown factors are left out, not counted as zero. Scores last refreshed October 22, 2026.
Paid placement never changes a rank or score. Featured businesses are paid, labelled, limited to 3 and shown above the ranking, outside it.
| Factor | Weight | Computed from | In James Island data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reputation | 25% | Google star rating, adjusted for how many reviews back it | Measured |
| Credentials | 15% | Active state license, bond and workers’ comp on file | Not yet collected |
| Review volume | 10% | Number of Google reviews, compared with the most-reviewed business on the list | Measured |
| Recency | 5% | Share of reviews from the last 12 months | Not yet collected |
| Availability | 5% | Weekly open hours, Saturday, Sunday, 24/7 or same-day | Measured |
| Trade focus | 10% | How clearly the business does this trade (its Google category and name) | Measured |
| Proximity | 5% | Based in the city scores highest, less the farther away it is | Measured |
| Claimed profile | 10% | The business has claimed its ContractorsRanked profile (free or paid earn the same) | Measured |
| Partnered | 5% | The business links to ContractorsRanked from its own website with our badge, checked periodically | Measured |
| ContractorsRanked reviews | 10% | Verified customer reviews collected by ContractorsRanked: their rating and how many there are | Measured |