By Krysten Brenlla
For years, solar roofs and panels have taken over homes across the Sunshine State for several reasons, such as incentives, Florida sales and property tax exemptions, environmental benefits, federal solar tax credits, and cost efficiency. The entire state averages at least 4.75 peak sun hours per day, which can make going solar a no-brainer for homeowners in Florida, especially with inflation and rising utility costs.
In Florida, more than 100,000 homeowners have installed rooftop solar, which makes up about 1 percent of all electric customers in the state. However, despite Florida being one of the best states for solar panel energy, what many Floridians do not know is that their home may not be equipped for rooftop solar installation, according to Florida’s Department of Energy.
If you are one of those homeowners with older roofs, or if you have received an exorbitant quote to install rooftop solar panels, a local startup might have the solution for you.
“When I was first looking to install solar into my house back in 2016, my roof was too old,” said Aleksandr Bernhard, founder and CEO of Pavilion Solar. “We installed a new roof, which was quite expensive. With Florida building codes being so strict, the last thing we wanted to do was add holes in our new roof for the solar panels. I started looking for other options that didn’t involve rooftop solar, but there weren’t many available that were up to Florida building code – that’s when the idea for Pavilion Solar came to life.”
Bernhard, a third-time startup founder and board chair for the Village of Biscayne Park Sustainability and Resilience Advisory Board, was not a stranger to the needs of homeowners in South Florida. After many conversations, and extensive market research, Bernhard decided that a new product was needed for homeowners to increase their solar energy usage in South Florida.
One of the only solar canopies on the market that is built to Florida building code, Pavilion Solar offers modern and sleek-looking solar carports and pergolas for homeowners who either can’t install rooftop solar, or just don’t want to.
“We’re not the first to bring solar canopies to market, but most of the canopies that are available are industrial looking – they’re not the most attractive, and it’s not something homeowners want in their house,” Bernhard continued. “Our goal was to make it look good, but above everything, build it to meet Florida building code requirements.”
The product, dubbed the Pavilion Solar EnPod, can be used as a solar carport or pergola. It can be accessorized with speakers, fans, and movie screens; is built with U.S. sourced aluminum; and is engineered to Florida Building Code in High Velocity Hurricane Zones. The design was engineered in partnership with Florida engineers, and is built to withstand 175 miles-per-hour wind gusts – more than a Category 5 hurricane, which consists of storms with sustained winds of at least 157 miles-per-hour.
“The engineering for the EnPod is both traditional and unique,” Bernhard said. “We work with a company that allows us to do a casting with 3D printing of the mold, which dramatically reduces the turnaround time and cost of goods when compared to the traditional, welded assembly.”
In addition to creating a quality product that adheres to Florida’s strict codes and needs, Bernhard says that his goal was to make the EnPod affordable and accessible for those who want to switch over to renewable energy. The EnPod, with the federal tax credit, will cost about $20,000 installed, and could save the average American home about 75% of their electric bill, according to Pavilion Solar’s website.
“Apart from the clear and quantifiable benefits of increasing access to solar energy, we also want to make sure this accessibility includes marginalized communities who rarely have access to solar,” Bernhard said. “We want to make sure our products are a service to the community, which is why we are partnering with Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida to explore pilot programs with local, underserved communities to deploy a pilot EnPod in a multi-family complex in Miami with Section 8 housing.”
Additionally, Bernhard and his team at Pavilion Solar were recently selected as semifinalists in the American-Made Solar Prize. The startup is one of only 20 companies in the United States, and the only one from Florida, to emerge as a semifinalist.
Bernhard and his team hope to have the EnPod in the market and installed across South Florida homes within the next six or seven months, with a limited production for their first run. Customers can already pre-order the EnPod on their website with a refundable, $100 deposit.
“To balance beauty with manufacturability and affordability, innovation is key,” Bernhard said. “I had no interest in the ordinary; what I wanted to create was the extraordinary.”
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