There is a surprising truth about the affordability of solar panels that few people understand: despite all the headlines, solar has never been more affordable.
It’s easy to see why people might think otherwise. If you’ve been following the news about cuts to solar incentives — and to just about anything perceived as “green” — you might reasonably assume that the marketplace has turned against solar. You might also think it’s best to wait a few years on your solar plans and see what the next administration brings.
But from where I sit, the reality is almost exactly the opposite. Despite the political climate, there has never been a better time to go solar.
In 2025 the rules around solar incentives changed, and the industry did what it always does — it adapted, fast. The momentum moved toward third-party ownership: models where a company owns the panels on your roof and you either buy the clean power they make or lease the system on your way to owning it. These aren’t a fallback. They’ve produced two of the strongest offers we’ve ever been able to put in front of a homeowner.
The 0% lease. You pay a fixed rate for your solar power that sits below what the utility charges — and, unlike most leases, it never goes up. Your savings start the first month, and they widen every time the utility raises its rates.
The pre-paid lease — discounted ownership. You go solar at a significant discount to the cash price — we’re currently seeing systems discounted up to 34% off — and the system becomes yours: after five years, you own it outright. It’s full ownership, made more affordable by the incentives in place today.
Why do these often beat what people got a couple of years ago? Utility rates have climbed, so the gap you’re saving against is wider. A 0% lease outperforms the escalating leases many signed years back — those payments keep creeping up; ours holds flat. And discounted ownership gets you to the finish line — owning your system — for less than it used to cost.
Could a new administration or new policies bring back something different down the road? Sure, maybe. But you don’t have to bet on a maybe — because right now, this environment is producing some of the best offers we’ve ever seen. The strongest deal isn’t somewhere out ahead of you. It’s here.
That’s the whole story, and it’s a good one: the technology keeps improving, adoption keeps climbing, and the offers on the table right now are excellent. Solar isn’t retreating — it’s still on its way up, and it’s a great time to get on board.
Curious what it looks like for your home? Get a straight quote at solar-states.com/start.
Micah Gold-Markel is the founder of Solar States, a Philadelphia-based solar and storage installer.
