Business funding for solar installers
Solar installers buy panels, inverters and racking up front, then often wait months for utility interconnection approval, permitting, and incentive or rebate payments before the job is fully paid out. That gap is longer and less predictable than most trades face, and it lands hardest on installers scaling up crew size to keep pace with new sales.
- One application, several lenders
- No credit pull to see your options
- No fee to you, ever
Common funding needs
- Buying panels, inverters and racking ahead of a scheduled install
- Covering payroll while waiting on utility interconnection approval
- Bridging the gap until a rebate or incentive payment is released
- Financing lifts, cranes or specialty installation equipment
- Adding a crew to keep pace with a growing sales pipeline
- Covering costs on a delayed permitting or inspection process
What usually fits
Products that usually fit
- Line of credit for equipment purchases and payroll during interconnection and rebate delays.
- Working capital for a fast need tied to a specific delayed job.
- Equipment financing for lifts, cranes and specialty tools.
- Term loan for scaling crew size to match a growing sales pipeline.
Compare term loans, lines of credit, cash advances and equipment financing side by side →
Illustrative example
A worked example
An installer draws $30,000 on a line of credit to buy panels and inverters for a project awaiting utility interconnection, expected to take about 3 months to clear. At an illustrative 10–20% a year, that costs roughly $750–$1,500 for the period.
A crane rental buyout financed for $24,000 over 4 years at an illustrative 8–18% a year runs about $586–$705 per month, or $28,124–$33,840 in total.
Illustrative example only, not an offer or a quote. Rates, fees and terms are set by each lender and depend on your business. Fees are not included unless stated.
Underwriting
What lenders look at
- How long interconnection and permitting typically take in your service territory
- Installer certifications and any manufacturer partnerships
- Monthly deposits and how installs completed line up with payments received
- Backlog of jobs awaiting rebate, incentive or interconnection sign-off
- Equipment financed elsewhere and existing debt
- Owner credit and time in business
Honestly
Who this is not for
- A new installer with no completed, paid-out jobs yet to show a lender
- Scaling crew size faster than the sales pipeline and installation capacity can actually support
- Borrowing against a rebate or incentive that has not yet been formally approved
If borrowing does not make sense, we will say so.
Are you a match?
Lender network minimums
Close but not quite there? Apply anyway and we will tell you honestly what is possible.
*Best available terms from lenders in our network. Every lender sets its own criteria; approval, amount and funding time are decided by the lender and not guaranteed.
| Time in business | 1 year+ |
|---|---|
| Monthly bank deposits | $20,000+ |
| Credit score | 500+ |
| Bank account | Business |
| Fee to you | $0 |
| Credit pull to start | None |
FAQ
Solar installers funding questions
Why does solar financing focus so much on interconnection timing?
Because that wait, often months long and outside your control, is usually the biggest gap between paying for panels and getting paid for the job. Lenders who work with solar installers plan around it.
Can you factor an invoice waiting on a rebate payment?
Some lenders will advance against an approved rebate close to payout; very few will advance against one still under review, since the amount and timing can still change.
Do you finance cranes or lifts, or only panels and inverters?
Equipment financing covers cranes, lifts and specialty installation tools too, not just the panels themselves.
Does a growing backlog of unpaid, completed jobs hurt our approval odds?
It can if it looks like uncollected receivables piling up. Showing the jobs are simply waiting on a known process, like interconnection, helps a lender understand the gap.
Guides
Guides for solar installers
Related
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Where we work: all US states · all Canadian provinces
See your options
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