20 Sites AI Reads Before Recommending a Solar Installer (2026 Data)

When we asked ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Google AI Mode for the best solar installer in 26 US cities on 7 and 8 October 2026, energysage.com was cited in 106 of the 130 answers (81.5%), and every single answer cited at least one of the 20 sites on this list. Those 20 sites accounted for 74.1% of all 661 site citations we recorded. If you want an AI to recommend your solar company, these are the pages it reads first, and most of them are city-level "best solar companies in {city}" lists that you can get onto, claim or influence.

TL;DR

• In our October 2026 test of 130 AI answers across 26 US cities, energysage.com was cited in 81.5% of answers, including all 26 Perplexity answers and all 26 Claude answers.
• The 20 most cited sites made up 74.1% of the 661 site citations across 139 different domains, and all 130 answers cited at least one of them.
• The AIs read local best-of pages: 87.6% of the EnergySage URLs they cited and 96.8% of the ConsumerAffairs URLs were city-level "best solar companies" pages for the city in the question.
• Four of the top 20 sites (Google, ServiceAgent, Forbes Home and TrustAnalytica) use Google review data in their installer rankings, and at least one of the four was cited in 52.3% of answers.
• Each AI has its own favorite sources: Claude cited Yelp in 76.9% of its answers, Gemini cited Reddit in 80.8%, and Google AI Mode cited Google's own business listings in 80.8%.

This post is a companion to the Orkkid AI Recommendation Study, which covers who the AIs named. Here we look at the other half of every answer: the sources. For each site we show how often the five AIs cited it, which page they actually pulled from, and what we confirmed about how a solar company gets listed there. A note on who is writing: Orkkid is an SEO and GEO agency that sells services to solar companies, so we have a commercial interest in this topic. None of the sites below paid us or were asked to comment, and every number comes from our own dataset.

The 20 sites at a glance

We counted a site once per answer, merged subdomains (request.angi.com and angi.com count as angi.com), and recorded which engines cited it. "City-level pages" is the share of that site's cited URLs that named the city we asked about.

By type, solar review and quote sites supplied 32.7% of everything the AIs cited, best-of lists 15.8%, media and publishers 14.8%, and solar companies' own websites 9.3%. The mix changes sharply by engine, which is why the per-engine view below matters more than the overall ranking.

1. energysage.com

Cited in 106 of 130 answers (81.5%), by all five engines, in all 26 cities. ChatGPT cited it in 25 of 26 answers, Perplexity and Claude in all 26, Gemini in 23, and Google AI Mode in 6.

What the AIs read: 121 of the 129 EnergySage URLs were pages in its local-data/solar-companies section, titled like "Best Solar Companies in Denver, CO: 2026 Trusted Local Installers". The AIs then repeated EnergySage's own labels. EnergySage was named in the text of 103 answers, and 23 answers tied an installer to an EnergySage "Elite" tier, as Claude did in Austin: "It was awarded 2026 EnergySage Local Installer of the Year for Texas, and it has a 5.0 rating across 70 reviews on EnergySage."

How the site works: The Denver page we checked says the ranking comes from installers on the EnergySage Marketplace, scored on results with real customers, ratings and reviews, and responsiveness, in four tiers (Approved, Advanced, Elite and Elite+). Installers that do not meet the Approved criteria cannot join. EnergySage's installer page lists the minimum requirements: more than two years of solar PV installation experience, being licensed and insured for solar PV, a reputation for good service and quality installations, and quality equipment at a good value.

What to do: If you meet those requirements and are not on the marketplace, apply. If you are already listed, the tier is the lever, because it is what the AIs quote. Answer quote requests quickly, ask marketplace customers for reviews, and keep your profile current. No other single site on this list reaches as many answers.

2. consumeraffairs.com

Cited in 60 answers (46.2%), in all 26 cities. Perplexity cited it in all 26 of its answers and Claude in 23; ChatGPT (6) and Gemini (5) used it far less. Google AI Mode never cited it.

What the AIs read: 60 of 62 cited URLs were city guides such as "3 Best Solar Companies in Denver of 2026". These pages name three picks, so the AIs tend to repeat those picks word for word. ChatGPT in Denver wrote: "ConsumerAffairs named Freedom Solar Power its top Denver solar company based on verified customer reviews, equipment options, and overall value."

How the site works: The methodology on the Denver guide weights reviews, ratings and testimonials from verified customers on ConsumerAffairs at 40%, warranties at 20%, equipment selection at 20% and financing options at 20%, and says it prefers companies with a longer time in business. The three Denver picks were Freedom Solar Power, Blue Raven Solar and Sunrun.

What to do: A regional installer is unlikely to win one of three city slots quickly. What you can do is build a verified review base on ConsumerAffairs, since that is 40% of the score, and make sure your warranty terms and financing options are published clearly on your own site so they can be compared.

3. ecowatch.com

Cited in 35 answers (26.9%), in all 26 cities, almost entirely by Perplexity (25 answers). Gemini cited it 8 times and Claude twice.

What the AIs read: Every cited URL sat under solar/best-companies/, mostly city pages titled "15 Best Solar Companies in Austin, TX 2025 Reviews". 25 of the 32 titled EcoWatch citations still carried "2025" in the title, so the AIs were happy to use a ranking that was a year old. Perplexity usually quoted EcoWatch's star rating: "EcoWatch identifies it as Seattle's leading local solar company with a 5.00-star rating, though verify the number and recency of reviews before choosing it."

How the site works: The Austin page says its experts rated each company on reputation in the industry, customer reviews, services, warranty coverage and financing. The page carries an advertiser disclosure saying compensation from advertisers may affect how and where products appear, and also states its rankings are never affected by revenue or partnerships. Each listing shows an EcoWatch rating, service tags and a note when there is "limited information available on website".

What to do: EcoWatch scores what it can find, so make it easy to find: services, warranty terms, financing options and service area should be plainly stated on your website. That same groundwork feeds most of the editorial lists below.

4. reddit.com

Cited in 35 answers (26.9%) in 24 cities, by Gemini (21), ChatGPT (10) and Google AI Mode (4). Perplexity and Claude never cited Reddit.

What the AIs read: 21 of the 49 Reddit URLs were r/solar threads; the rest came from city subreddits such as r/Austin, r/sandiego and r/triangle, with titles like "Recommendations for home solar installers". ChatGPT was candid about why it used them: "Reddit isn't a perfect source, but it's useful for seeing what local homeowners are actually considering." (ChatGPT, San Diego)

How the site works: Threads are written by homeowners, and the AIs cite the thread when a company is named in it repeatedly. We could not verify individual subreddit rules for this post, so check each community's rules before posting anything as a business.

What to do: The durable win is customers who mention you by name when a neighbor asks. Keep an eye on threads in your city subreddit and r/solar, answer technical questions openly as yourself, and never post fake recommendations. A thread that names you three times is the kind of page Gemini cites.

5. serviceagent.ai

Cited in 34 answers (26.2%) in 24 cities, mostly by Perplexity (22) and Claude (10).

What the AIs read: City and state directory pages titled like "Solar in Denver, Colorado: 19 Top Pros Ranked (2026)". 43 of the 54 URLs named the city in the question. Perplexity quoted the scores directly: "ServiceAgent lists it as its Austin top pick, with an 8.6/10 score and 640 reviews averaging 5.0 stars."

How the site works: ServiceAgent is a software company that sells AI tools to service businesses and publishes a free directory. Its methodology page says rankings start from every active Google Business Profile in the city and combine a Bayesian-adjusted Google rating (60%) with a Trust Score (40%). The Trust Score rewards complete contact details, review volume and owner verification; the Denver page says claimed listings get a 3-point bump on that score. It states that it does not sell ranking positions.

What to do: Claim your listing, then make sure your Google Business Profile is complete (phone, website, address, hours, photos, categories). Everything this directory knows about you comes from Google, so the work you do on your profile pays here too.

6. expertise.com

Cited in 32 answers (24.6%) in 18 cities, by Perplexity (14), Claude (11), ChatGPT (5) and Gemini (2).

What the AIs read: City lists titled "N Best {City} Solar Companies", with between 4 and 14 companies per list. The AIs often repeat the detail Expertise.com writes about each pick, as Claude did in Salt Lake City: "Expertise.com also lists it first, noting it's a Certified B Corporation that handles residential and commercial projects and was co-founded by a NABCEP-certified solar PV installer."

How the site works: Expertise.com's selection process describes five steps: finding every provider in the area from public databases and referrals, checking licenses and accreditations, analyzing review data (how many sites review you, your average score and how much your ratings swing), assessing services and experience, and calling each company as a mystery shopper. It says a provider may choose to advertise on the page once it has passed the selection.

What to do: Treat every inbound call as a possible mystery shop, since that is the last step. Keep licenses and certifications such as NABCEP visible on your site, and keep reviews steady across several platforms, since review volatility counts against you.

7. homeadvisor.com

Cited in 24 answers (18.5%) in 21 cities, by Perplexity in 20 of its 26 answers. ChatGPT cited it 3 times and Gemini once.

What the AIs read: City pro lists titled "Top-Rated Solar Panel Installations Experts in {City}". ChatGPT used them for review snapshots: "HomeAdvisor lists Solar Energy Management at 5.0 from 17 reviews and One-Up Solar Contractor at 4.6 from 128 reviews for Miami-area solar services."

How the site works: HomeAdvisor's pro page describes a lead program: you tell it what you do and where, it delivers prospects, and you control your budget and lead preferences.

What to do: This is a paid lead channel first and an AI source second. If you already buy HomeAdvisor leads, collect reviews there, because the rating is what Perplexity and ChatGPT repeat. If you do not, weigh the lead cost on its own merits before signing up for AI reasons alone.

8. todayshomeowner.com

Cited in 21 answers (16.2%) in 15 cities, by Perplexity (10), Claude (7) and Gemini (4).

What the AIs read: A mix of city lists ("10 Best Solar Companies in Austin, TX") and state roundups ("5 Best Solar Companies in Colorado"). Claude quoted its editorial notes, for example in Raleigh: "Today's Homeowner credits it with outstanding customer service and stellar warranty coverage at below-average prices."

How the site works: The Austin list we checked showed "Last Updated: February 25, 2025", carried a disclosure that the site receives compensation from some featured companies, which may affect where and how they appear, and routed "Get Quote" clicks to partners. Each listing showed address, phone, website and service tags.

What to do: These lists pull your name, address, phone and services from public sources, so consistent business details everywhere online matter here. If the list for your city is stale, the AIs will still read it, so a correct, complete listing is worth checking.

9. yelp.com

Cited in 21 answers (16.2%) in 20 cities, almost all by Claude (20 of its 26 answers). Perplexity cited Yelp once; ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode never did.

What the AIs read: All 29 Yelp URLs were search or category result pages such as "TOP 10 BEST Solar Companies in Denver, CO". None was an individual business page. Claude read the ratings straight off the results: "It is locally owned, established in 2001, and holds a 5.0 rating on Yelp from 33 reviews." (Claude, Seattle). It also flagged weak ones, so a thin Yelp profile can count against you.

How the site works: Yelp for Business says it is free to be on Yelp and walks you through claiming your free page; ads and upgrade packages are optional paid products.

What to do: Claim your free page, fill in categories ("Solar Installation" is the category Yelp uses in these result URLs), add photos and hours, and point some happy customers there. Because Claude reads the city results page, where you sit in Yelp's own search for your city is what matters.

10. google.com (Google's own business listings)

Cited in 21 answers (16.2%) in 21 cities, only by Google AI Mode. It was AI Mode's main source: 345 of its 379 citations (91.0%) were links to Google's own business listings.

What the AIs read: Every one of those 345 links pointed to a Google business card, titled with the business name. In the answer, each pick appears with its Google rating and review count, a category and Call, Directions and Website buttons. Google AI Mode also had the highest share of picks inside the Google Maps top 20 of any engine (53.6%).

How the site works: Google's own guide to improving local ranking says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, that more reviews and positive ratings can help, and that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. It recommends verifying your profile, keeping information complete, responding to reviews and adding photos.

What to do: Verify and complete your Google Business Profile, then grow your review count steadily. This one profile also feeds ServiceAgent, Forbes Home and TrustAnalytica on this list. A Google review link in every post-install email is the simplest way to keep reviews coming, and our Google reviews benchmark by city shows how many you need to compete.

11. trustanalytica.org

Cited in 17 answers (13.1%) in 14 cities, by Perplexity (10), Claude (6) and Gemini (1).

What the AIs read: City pages titled "Top Solar Panel Companies in {City} (2026)". The AIs repeated its rating and review numbers: "TrustAnalytica shows it with a 4.9 rating from 100 reviews." (Claude, Dallas)

How the site works: The methodology on the Dallas page says it ranks companies on rating, number of reviews and whether the profile is claimed, using Google reviews, its own reviews and other sources. It says profile verification is free and may improve ranking, and that some companies are listed through their registration with its paid software services.

What to do: Verify your free profile. As with ServiceAgent, your Google rating and review count drive most of what this page shows.

12. bbb.org

Cited in 15 answers (11.5%) in 13 cities, by Perplexity (8) and ChatGPT (7).

What the AIs read: City category pages, and 5 of the 8 BBB pages ChatGPT cited were "BBB Accredited Solar Energy Contractors near {City}" lists. BBB also shows up in the advice the AIs give: 33 answers (25.4%) told homeowners to check BBB, mostly Claude (19) and ChatGPT (11). ChatGPT added a fair caveat in Denver: "accreditation itself is not the same as a recommendation."

How the site works: BBB's accreditation page says accredited businesses pay annual dues, are listed as BBB Accredited Businesses and agree to BBB's standards. The site also offers a separate option to get your business listed.

What to do: At minimum, check your BBB profile for accuracy and answer any complaints there, because Claude and ChatGPT keep telling homeowners to look. Accreditation is a paid decision; ChatGPT pulled its BBB lists from the accredited filter in 5 of its 8 BBB citations, so it does put you on the pages ChatGPT reads.

13. cnet.com

Cited in 14 answers (10.8%) in 12 cities, mostly by Gemini (11). Perplexity cited it 3 times.

What the AIs read: City guides ("Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Dallas") and state guides ("Texas solar panels"). Only one answer mentioned CNET by name, so Gemini used it as background more than as a quoted authority.

How the site works: The Dallas guide says its main picks come from CNET's national best solar companies list, scored on equipment, warranties and customer service. Its local installers were chosen in a less rigorous way: they offered something notable, were well regarded by online reviewers, or were among the few installers CNET could find information on. Local entries cited BBB ratings and Google reviews.

What to do: For the local section, being findable is most of the battle. Publish your equipment brands, warranty terms and battery offering on your site, and keep your BBB and Google ratings healthy, since those are the details the local entries mention.

14. forbes.com

Cited in 10 answers (7.7%) in 10 cities, by Gemini (5), Perplexity (4) and Claude (1).

What the AIs read: Forbes Home city lists ("Best Solar Companies In Denver, CO") and state roundups. The AIs mostly borrowed the rating: "Forbes also lists it with a 4.7 rating." (Claude, Raleigh)

How the site works: The methodology on the Denver list scores customer experience: the ratio of low to high star ratings in Google reviews (35%), response time (25%), the ratio of complaints to reviews (25%) and hours of operation (10%). The page says Forbes earns commissions from partner links and that commissions do not affect its evaluations.

What to do: This ranking is built from your Google reviews and how fast you respond. Answer every review, resolve complaints publicly and keep your hours accurate on your profile.

15. solarreviews.com

Cited in 10 answers (7.7%) in 9 cities, by Google AI Mode (4), Perplexity (3), Gemini (2) and ChatGPT (1). It matters more in Google's AI Overviews, as the comparison below shows.

What the AIs read: City and state ranking pages titled "Best Solar Companies in Houston, TX (2026 Top Solar Installers)". Google AI Mode used it to back up a pick's reputation, citing SolarReviews alongside individual pro listings.

How the site works: SolarReviews' ranking explainer describes an expert rating across 13 categories, including years in business, background and litigation checks, licensing, profitability, consumer reviews, equipment brands and loan options, ending in a tier from Elite to Poor. The site footer has a "For Installers" registration link.

What to do: Register and claim your profile, then collect reviews there. Because the rating also scores equipment brands, licensing and years in business, keep those facts consistent between your SolarReviews profile and your website.

16. angi.com

Cited in 8 answers (6.2%) in 8 cities, mostly by Google AI Mode (5). Perplexity cited it twice and Claude once.

What the AIs read: Two very different page types. Perplexity and Claude cited city lists such as "Top 10 Best Solar panel pros in Raleigh, NC". Google AI Mode linked to Angi quote-request forms tied to a specific pro, and it did the same with individual Thumbtack pro pages (Thumbtack was the next site on our list, in 5 answers).

How the site works: The Raleigh list we checked showed each company with an Angi status badge, years in business, free estimate and warranty tags, and a Request Quote button.

What to do: If you already work with Angi or Thumbtack, complete the profile fully, because Google AI Mode links to the individual pro page. If you do not, these two sites reached only a handful of answers, so they belong low on the list.

17. solartribune.com

Cited in 7 answers (5.4%) in 7 cities, only by Gemini. No answer named Solar Tribune in its text, so it worked purely as a background source.

What the AIs read: City directory pages under your-home/solar-companies/, for example Austin, Los Angeles, Houston and Miami.

How the site works: The Austin page we checked lists companies with cost per watt, warranty and review counts where available, includes a sponsored offer, offers a company account sign-in, and carries a disclaimer that it cannot independently verify every piece of data it publishes.

What to do: Check whether your company appears and whether the details are right. A wrong phone number or outdated service list here can end up in a Gemini answer.

18. ecogenamerica.com

Cited in 7 answers (5.4%) in 6 cities, by Claude (5) and Perplexity (2).

What the AIs read: City guides such as "Best Solar Companies in Houston, TX (2026 Verified)". Claude named it as a ranking source: "EcoGen ranks it first as the local anchor, with a Miami office and published solar, electrical and roofing licences." Our domain rules grouped EcoGen with solar company websites, but the site describes itself as independent solar research that may earn fees for connecting homeowners with installers.

How the site works: The Houston guide lists its sources with access dates, including the state license register and license disclosures published by the installers themselves.

What to do: Publish your license numbers and credentials on your own site. This guide quoted installer-stated license disclosures directly, and so did the AI answers that cited it.

19. thisoldhouse.com

Cited in 7 answers (5.4%) in 6 cities, by Perplexity (3), Claude (3) and Gemini (1).

What the AIs read: State guides only ("Best Solar Companies in Massachusetts (2026)"), none at city level, cited for Orlando, Albuquerque, Boston, Baltimore, Minneapolis and Honolulu.

How the site works: The Massachusetts guide says its pick is based on reputation, average cost, warranties, weather adaptability, service options and fit with state rules. It carries an advertiser disclosure and routes estimate requests to a lead partner.

What to do: National companies dominate these state lists. A regional installer's best route is the local companies section, which depends on the same public facts as the other editorial lists: clear warranties, services and reviews.

20. nrgcleanpower.com

Cited in 6 answers (4.6%) in 2 cities, by Perplexity, Gemini and Claude (2 each). It is the only installer's own website in the top 20.

What the AIs read: NRG Clean Power's own "Best Solar Companies in Los Angeles (2026 Edition)" and San Diego guides, plus its Los Angeles County location page. The LA guide lists license numbers, a ranking method and a comparison table, and names NRG Clean Power among the LA-based picks. The AIs used it, and Claude also noticed the self-placement: "NRG Clean Power's list is on its own blog and places itself at #1." (Claude, Los Angeles)

What to do: An installer's own content can become an AI source, and it worked here because the page carried checkable facts. If you publish a local guide, make the method and data verifiable and expect the AIs to point out when you rank yourself first. Honest local guides, cost pages and checklists are also what Google's AI Overviews cite from installer sites, as our AI Overviews study found.

What changes in Google's AI Overviews

We also checked 60 homeowner solar searches on Google, such as "solar panel cost" and "how to choose a solar installer". 52 showed an AI Overview. Seven sites appear in both top-20 lists, and EnergySage leads both. The difference is in the question: AI assistants asked for a recommendation read local best-of lists, while AI Overviews on informational searches lean on video, forums and guides.

YouTube is the clearest gap: it was cited in 63.5% of solar AI Overviews and in one of 130 installer recommendations. Manufacturer and national brand sites also appear only on the Overview side: enphase.com in 17.3% of Overviews and palmetto.com in 13.5%, and 21 of the 52 Overviews (40.4%) cited at least one installer's own website. So the two jobs need different content. Recommendation answers reward listings and reviews on the sites above; Overviews reward helpful guides and videos on your own channels.

How to prioritize

You cannot work on 20 sites at once. This order puts the cheapest, widest-reaching fixes first. Effort is our estimate of the time and money involved, based on what each site says about how listings work.

If you want to see which of these sources already mention your company, our AI citation checker runs the same kind of prompt for your city, and the solar company SEO guide covers the website side. For the installers the AIs actually named in each city, see the solar installers AI recommends by city.

How we got this data

On 7 and 8 October 2026 we asked five AI engines the same question in 26 US cities: "Who is the best solar installer in {City}, {State}? Give me your top picks." ChatGPT (gpt-5.5), Perplexity (sonar-pro), Gemini (gemini-3.8-flash) and Claude (claude-sonnet-5-5) ran with web search on, through the DataForSEO AI Optimization API. Google AI Mode ran through DataForSEO's AI Mode SERP endpoint with the keyword "best solar installer in {City}" and the city as location. That gave 130 answers, 26 per engine.

The cities were Denver, Austin, Phoenix, Charlotte, Seattle, Tampa, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Tucson, Boston, Newark, Baltimore, Chicago, Minneapolis and Honolulu. We also pulled the Google Maps top 20 for "solar installer" in each city (520 listings) and matched every named installer against it.

For this post we counted each cited domain once per answer (661 domain citations across 139 domains) and merged subdomains into their main domain. Share of answers is the number of answers citing a site divided by 130. Page types and city-level shares come from the cited URLs and page titles. The AI Overview comparison uses 60 homeowner solar searches checked on Google US desktop, 52 of which showed an AI Overview. Source types follow the rules used across the study.

Every "how the site works" note comes from the site's own public pages, which we fetched on 8 October 2026 and linked above. Limits: this is one run per prompt and engine, so it is a snapshot; AI answers change from run to run, and a site cited here may be skipped tomorrow. Shares for smaller sites rest on a handful of answers. The full method and the installer-level results are in the Orkkid AI Recommendation Study.

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FAQ

Which website do AI assistants cite most for solar installers?

EnergySage. In our October 2026 test it was cited in 106 of 130 answers (81.5%) across 26 US cities, including every Perplexity and Claude answer. The pages cited were EnergySage's city rankings of installers on its marketplace, and the AIs often repeated its Elite and Installer of the Year labels.

Do AI assistants use Google reviews to recommend solar companies?

They do, both directly and through other sites. Google AI Mode cited Google's own business listings in 80.8% of its answers, and three other top-20 sites (ServiceAgent, Forbes Home and TrustAnalytica) say on their own pages that their rankings use Google review data. At least one of those four sources appeared in 52.3% of all answers.

Can a solar company pay to appear on these lists?

It depends on the site. Google says there is no way to pay for better local ranking. Yelp says it is free to be listed. ServiceAgent says it does not sell ranking positions, and TrustAnalytica says verification is free. BBB accreditation carries annual dues, HomeAdvisor runs a paid lead program, and several editorial sites disclose that advertiser compensation may affect where companies appear. Check each site's disclosure before you spend.

Why do different AIs cite different sites?

Each engine searches and filters the web differently. In our data Perplexity relied heavily on best-of lists and cited 8.3 different sites per answer on average, Claude used Yelp in 76.9% of answers, Gemini used Reddit in 80.8%, and Google AI Mode drew 91.0% of its citations from Google's own business listings. A solar company needs to be on several of these sources, because no single one covers every engine.

Does my own website matter if AIs mostly cite directories?

It does. Installer websites supplied 9.3% of all citations, and one installer's own city guide made the top 20. Your site is also where editorial lists find your warranties, services and licenses. For the website side of GEO, see our generative engine optimization guide or how we work with solar companies.

How often will this data be updated?

We plan to re-run the same prompt in the same 26 cities each quarter and update this list, so the changes in which sites the AIs trust will be visible over time.