Financing
Four ways to pay for it. We model all four and tell you which one wins.
Cash, commercial PACE, a power purchase agreement, or a lease. Very different consequences for your capital, your balance sheet and who keeps the tax benefits. We are not tied to a lender, so the recommendation is about your building, not our margin.
| Cash purchase | Commercial PACE (C-PACE) | Power purchase agreement (PPA) | Lease | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital required from you | All of it, up front | None up front | None | None or minimal |
| Who owns the system | You | You | The PPA provider | The lessor until buyout |
| Who keeps the tax credit and depreciation | You | You | The provider (priced into your rate) | The lessor (priced into payments) |
| How you pay | Once | A line on the property tax bill, up to 20–30 years | A fixed price per kWh for 15–25 years | A fixed monthly payment |
| Balance-sheet treatment | Owned asset | Assessment on the property; typically transfers on sale | Operating expense | Depends on structure — capital or operating |
| Best when | You have the capital and the tax appetite to use the credit | You want ownership without capital and the building will hold the assessment | You want zero capital and zero operating responsibility | You want ownership eventually with predictable payments |
| Watch out for | Tying up capital; you need enough tax liability to use the credit | Lender consent on the mortgage; not available in every state or county | You give up the incentives; check escalators and buyout terms | Residual and buyout pricing; who carries maintenance |
General characteristics; terms vary by provider, state and property. Not financial or tax advice.
Why independence is the whole point
An installer who offers a PPA will recommend a PPA. A lender who writes C-PACE will recommend C-PACE. Neither is wrong, exactly; they are just answering a different question from the one you asked.
We run all four structures against your actual load, tariff, tax position and hold period, and show you the ten-year and twenty-five-year cash picture side by side. Sometimes cash wins by a mile. Sometimes the tax credit is worth more to a PPA provider than it is to you, and giving it up is the right call. The point is that you see the comparison before you sign anything.
