Propel Prepaid Solar: How It Works and How It Stacks Up in 2026

If you’re exploring solar in 2026, you may come across a financing product called Propel. This is one of several prepaid solar and battery products that have emerged since the 25D residential solar tax credit was terminated at the end of 2025.

While homeowners can no longer directly claim a federal solar tax credit, businesses can, at least through the end of 2027. And through Prepaid Solar products like Propel, homeowners can benefit from that business-claimed tax credit as an upfront discount to their solar costs.

Here’s how Propel works, how it compares to other Prepaid Solar products, and who is best suited for this option.

What Propel actually is

Propel is a prepaid third-party ownership (TPO) product revealed by Greentech Renewables and financed through its Concert Finance arm. In plain terms:

• A developer installs and owns your solar-plus-battery system at first.
• You prepay a discounted amount, either in cash or financed through a loan with fixed payments.
• The owner claims the 48E commercial clean electricity credit (plus any adders) and passes that value to you as a discount.
• After year five, you have the option to take ownership.

Greentech says the 48E credit plus domestic content (10%) and energy community (10%) adders can produce discounts of 25% to 40% compared to a cash purchase. For background on why those discounts exist now, see how prepaid solar compares with the old homeowner tax-credit model. That’s the number that matters. You’re not claiming the tax credit on your own return anymore, you’re getting it baked into a lower price.

This isn’t a new idea. It’s a revived one. Prepaid leases were common in the early 2010s, when homeowners made one large upfront payment instead of 25 years of monthly bills. They faded as solar prices plummeted, and the economics of buying solar made sense for many homeowners. Today, with the consumer-claimed tax credit gone, prepaid solar products like Propel are taking center stage.

How Propel compares to HDM and other prepaid products

Propel isn’t the only Prepaid Solar option. It’s one of several products built on the same skeleton, and understanding that skeleton makes every version easier to judge.

Take HDM Renewable Finance, now known as Maxwell Power. We covered the HDM Prepaid Solar PPA in detail, and the two products are pretty similar in structure to other third-party-owned solar agreements, with a few key differences:

• Tax credit discount: HDM typically offers a standard 30% discount; Propel can often access tax credit adders and offers up to 35%
• Ownership transfer: Propel offers the first transfer option after year 5; HDM offers it after year 6
• Agreement structure: Propel is structured as an Energy Services Agreement (ESA), prepaid lease, or prepaid PPA depending on the state; HDM is structured as a Prepaid PPA.

Anecdotally, solar.com customers have found the “buyout cost” language in Propel’s agreement to be clearer than other prepaid agreements. That matters because the financing structure you choose affects what flexibility you have later.

Solar.com’s Advice: Don’t get lost comparing brand names. Compare the four numbers that actually move your wallet: the discount off a cash purchase, the monthly payment if you finance, the year you can take ownership, and the buyout cost at that point.

Where is Propel available?

As of summer 2026, Propel is available in 10 states, and we expect this list to grow by the end of 2026.

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Massachusetts
• Maine
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Texas

Who Propel suits, and who should think twice

Good fit if you:

• Want a big discount now without claiming any tax credit yourself.
• Plan to stay in your home six or more years.
• Want fixed, predictable payments and no rate escalators.

Probably not your move if you:

• Might sell within five years.
• Insist on owning your gear from day one.
• Want unlimited equipment choice. Because the owner claims 48E, systems must follow Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) rules, which limit you to an approved-vendor list. That can affect which solar panels and battery pairings are available.

Two cautions we stand behind. First, if you finance the prepayment, get it in writing that your lender knows about the prepaid structure and accepts their lien position. We’ve seen lenders discover they weren’t in first position and demand payment in full. Second, if a discount looks too good to be true, it probably is. Some providers take aggressive tax positions, and you don’t want your roof tangled up in someone else’s litigation.

The move that protects you

Prepaid solar solves a problem: how to keep the tax credit’s value in the deal structure when you can no longer claim it directly as a homeowner. Propel, HDM, and their cousins all do that. The right one depends on your utility, your roof, and your timeline. If you are still weighing monthly-payment versus prepaid options, compare them against other solar and battery financing paths before you sign.

Want to see your prepaid solar price? Get started with solar.com and explore custom options for your home.