There’s a new, low-cost path to owning solar — with an even bigger discount in the region’s new “Energy Communities”

The 30% federal tax credit for going solar ended for homeowners in 2025, but it never ended for businesses. That’s the opening behind the Solar States Pre-Paid Lease.

Here’s the idea. A qualified business owns the system long enough to claim the credit homeowners no longer can — and passes those savings into your price. You don’t front the credit or file for it — you simply benefit from it, as a lower price.

What sets it apart from an ordinary lease is that it’s a path to ownership. A partner holds the system for its first five years — that’s what makes the tax savings possible — and then it becomes yours: the array, the power, the savings — all of it. You’re not renting your roof for decades; you’re on a discounted route to owning your solar.

And the “lower” cost is real: it’s typically more than 24% off what a cash buyer pays, and as much as 34% in a qualifying “Energy Community.”

To compensate areas with an industrial and fossil fuel past, the federal government designates certain counties as Energy Communities. Fortunately, much of Greater Philadelphia qualifies — Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks and Chester counties among them, with more across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. That map is redrawn each year, so a home that qualifies today may not next year.

Who is the path of the Pre-Paid Lease ideal for? Anyone who wants to own their solar — and keep the long-term savings — for well under what it would normally cost. You’re a strong fit if you:

Own your home and your roof
Have a sound, sun-facing rooftop with room for panels
Want to lock in lower energy costs as utility rates keep climbing

It’s a rooftop program, so ground-mounted arrays, carports, and shared or condo roofs you don’t fully control don’t qualify. If your panels go on your own roof, you’re likely in the running.

And the process is easy. Solar States— a Certified B-Corporation that has designed and installed more than 2,000 systems across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware since 2008, with our own NABCEP-certified crews — handles the design, permitting, installation and the paperwork behind the discount.

Timing is important. Because the discount depends on your county and incentives that reset each year, the cost is likely the best you will see — and it can change.

Get a free, no-pressure quote from Solar States and find out what the Pre-Paid Lease could save on your roof, in your county!