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Russian (RU) Sarah Li-Cain, AFC
Wed, Apr 16, 2025, 4:45 AM 4 min read
Kira Traore says she was paying exactly zero dollars in electricity bills for her home in New Jersey — until late last year when the self-sustaining solar power system broke down.
The timing couldn't have been worse — the company that the family purchased the system from had just filed for bankruptcy, according to CBS New York.
Despite still paying for the financing on the system — which cost $54,907.69 to install — the family got nowhere trying to get somebody to fix it. Meanwhile, they had to pay the local utility company for electricity.
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“Who is looking out for the consumer here?” Kira, frustrated by the situation, exclaimed to the local broadcaster in a story published April 1.
Her husband, Sidi Traore, who was also at a loss, added: “I’m powerless.”
In the end, the story came to a satisfactory conclusion. Here’s what happened, along with tips on what you can do in similar situations.
The family signed a contract with a company called SunPower three years ago to set up a solar system. Everything was hunky-dory, Kira says, until this past December when the system’s batteries malfunctioned, followed by the metering system.
“So, the panels are still producing electricity, but it’s not letting our electric company know that,” Kira explained.
Kira says she couldn’t get a response from SunPower about fixing her system. The company had filed for bankruptcy only months earlier.
CBS New York says it tracked down a contractor who installed systems for SunPower. He explained fixing the batteries would require tech support from the company — indicating customers might be out of luck if they experience problems going forward.
But the broadcaster didn’t stop there. CBS New York reports it contacted Complete Solar, the company that purchased much of SunPower’s assets, and they sent a technician to help Kira. Within two hours, she says, the solar system was back up and running.
Complete Solar explained to CBS New York there’s a bug in SunPower’s software that causes the batteries to lock up and the system must be rebooted periodically. Complete Solar is considering a service to help customers with this issue.
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