COMMERCIAL SOLAR
Commercial solar financing and PPAs.
Compare ownership, PPAs, contract terms, incentives, and operating responsibility without hiding the tradeoffs.
OWN OR BUY POWER
The financing choice changes who owns the risk
A direct-purchase project gives the building owner the equipment and its benefits, along with responsibility for capital, tax treatment, and long-term operation. Under a solar power purchase agreement, a third party generally owns and operates the system while the host buys the electricity under a contract.
The cheapest-looking rate is not enough to choose between them. We compare price changes, term, roof obligations, maintenance, insurance, equipment replacement, renewable energy certificate ownership, sale or refinance terms, default, and what happens when the agreement ends.
READ THE CONTRACT
Commercial solar financing questions to answer
- Who owns the equipment, energy, and environmental attributes
- Who claims available tax benefits and incentives
- Power price, escalation, term, and early-exit rules
- Maintenance, insurance, performance, and equipment-replacement duties
- Roof repair, building sale, refinancing, and access rights
- End-of-term purchase, renewal, removal, and site-restoration terms
INCENTIVES
Verify the rules before putting them in the model
Federal, state, utility, and local programs can change eligibility, timing, labor, ownership, and filing requirements. We check current official sources for the site and project before using an incentive in the proposal. The broader energy incentives guide explains the screening process; no expired program belongs in the payback.
OPERATING CONTROL
Know who fixes the system and who sees the data
Third-party ownership can move maintenance responsibility away from the building owner, but the contract has to define response, reporting, access, and performance. Direct owners need their own solar O&M plan. Either way, operating duties should be named before signatures, not after the first outage.
QUESTIONS
Straight answers.
What is a commercial solar PPA?
It is a contract in which a third party generally owns and operates the solar system and the site host buys the electricity it produces under agreed terms.
Is a PPA always cheaper than owning solar?
No. The answer depends on capital, tax position, contract price and escalation, operating responsibility, site risk, and the value of ownership over time.
Can you guarantee a tax credit or rebate?
No. Eligibility must be verified against current official rules and the project's facts, then confirmed with the owner's tax and legal advisers where appropriate.
GET STARTED
Compare the deal, not just the payment.
Send the site, load, ownership goals, and any proposal already received. We will compare the technical project and the contract obligations together.