Solar finance guides
Straight answers on funding commercial solar — the routes, the tax, the costs and the questions finance directors actually ask. 37 guides and counting.
By sector
Financing solar, battery and EV charging together
How to finance solar PV, battery storage and EV charging as one project — better economics, a single facility and the right structure.
Read guide →Solar finance for SMEs under £100k
How smaller UK businesses finance solar under £100k — unsecured equipment loans from £25k, Growth Guarantee backing, and matching the term to the saving.
Read guide →Agricultural solar finance: a farm guide
How farms finance solar in 2026 — barn roofs, hire purchase to keep the allowances, and sale-and-leaseback to fund diversification.
Read guide →Finance basics
How to work out your solar cost per kWh
The one calculation that makes a purchase, a lease and a PPA comparable: cost per kilowatt-hour over the life of the system. The method, the inputs, and the traps.
Read guide →Why a domestic 0% solar deal doesn't work for a business
Consumer solar finance and commercial asset finance are different products. What changes when the borrower is a company: assessment, tax, VAT, and what 0% really means.
Read guide →What lenders look for in a solar finance application
What UK asset-finance lenders assess when funding commercial solar — accounts, covenant and project cash flows — and how to present a strong case.
Read guide →Solar finance for a new or weak-covenant business
How younger or thinner-covenant businesses can still finance solar — the Growth Guarantee Scheme, unsecured equipment loans, and what lenders weigh.
Read guide →Solar finance rates explained: what drives the cost
Solar finance rates explained — covenant, term, security and deal size set the number, and total cost of credit beats the headline rate.
Read guide →0% and no-deposit solar finance: the truth
The reality of 0% and no-deposit solar finance for businesses — where the cost really sits, and what makes financed solar pay for itself.
Read guide →Is it better to finance or buy solar with cash?
Is it better to finance or buy solar with cash? Cash gives the lowest lifetime cost; financing keeps capital working. When each route wins, modelled.
Read guide →Is it worth getting solar panels on finance?
Is it worth getting solar panels on finance? For most commercial sites, yes — when the saving beats the repayment, with the tax relief kept.
Read guide →Can You Finance Solar Panels? (UK Business Guide)
Yes. UK businesses can finance commercial solar from £25,000 via hire purchase, lease, loan or refinance. Routes, who qualifies and how approval works.
Read guide →How to finance commercial solar: step by step
A step-by-step guide to financing a commercial solar project — from modelling the system to drawdown on commissioning.
Read guide →Grants & funding
Does a grant reduce the capital allowances on solar panels?
Yes — the part of a solar project a public grant pays for does not qualify for capital allowances. How the rule works, a worked example, and what it means for finance.
Read guide →Public-sector solar finance: Salix and beyond
How UK public bodies fund solar in 2026 — what Salix does and does not offer, why PSDS has closed, and PPAs and leasing where capital is constrained.
Read guide →Funding for solar panels in Scotland
Funding routes for commercial solar in Scotland — Scottish Government low-carbon programmes, allowances and asset finance for the balance.
Read guide →Smart Export Guarantee for business solar
How the Smart Export Guarantee works for commercial solar — who keeps the export income, typical rates, and why ownership matters.
Read guide →Funding for solar panels: UK business options 2026
Funding for solar panels for UK business: the real options — capital allowances, the export tariff, regional grants and asset finance — and how they stack.
Read guide →Leasing
Is it worth buying out a solar lease?
Is it worth buying out a solar lease? When the buy-out price beats your remaining rentals, ownership wins — here is how to run the numbers.
Read guide →How much does a solar panel lease cost?
How much a solar panel lease costs in 2026: how monthly rentals are priced, the test that matters, and how leasing compares with owning.
Read guide →How to get out of a solar panel lease UK
How to get out of a solar panel lease in the UK: the settlement figure explained, what each exit route costs, the step-by-step process, and commercial leases vs rent-a-roof.
Read guide →Finance lease vs operating lease for solar
Finance lease vs operating lease for commercial solar: balance sheet, capital allowances, VAT and the 2026 FRS 102 change explained for UK FDs.
Read guide →How does a solar panel lease work?
How a solar panel lease works for UK business: who owns the system, finance vs operating lease, the tax, and your end-of-term options.
Read guide →Ownership
How much capital can you release from a solar system?
What decides how much cash a business can release from a solar system it already owns — valuation, outstanding finance, tax — and how to prepare before you ask.
Read guide →Solar sale-and-leaseback: releasing capital
How solar sale-and-leaseback and refinance release the capital tied up in a system you already own — plus the tax points to watch.
Read guide →Hire purchase vs finance lease: the difference explained
Hire purchase vs finance lease: who owns the asset, who claims capital allowances, how VAT is timed, and which route suits your business.
Read guide →Solar equipment loans for business explained
How a commercial solar equipment loan works — ownership from day one, full capital allowances, unsecured options and Growth Guarantee backing.
Read guide →PPA
Commercial solar PPA: pros and cons
Honest pros and cons of a commercial solar PPA — zero capex versus lost ownership, capital allowances and export income — and when a PPA is the right call.
Read guide →Solar PPA vs buying: which wins over 25 years
Solar PPA vs buying: a PPA needs no capital but the funder keeps the allowances and export income. Over 25 years, owning the system usually wins.
Read guide →What is a solar PPA and how does it work?
A plain-English guide to the solar Power Purchase Agreement: how it works, who owns the system, and how it compares with owning via finance.
Read guide →Tax & accounting
Does a solar PPA go on your balance sheet?
A power purchase agreement can contain a lease for accounting purposes — and under revised FRS 102 most leases are on balance sheet from January 2026. What to check.
Read guide →Balance-sheet treatment of financed solar
How financed solar appears on your balance sheet — hire purchase, loans and leases — and how the 2026 FRS 102 change affects it.
Read guide →Can I claim solar panels as a business expense?
Can you claim solar panels as a business expense? Not as revenue — it is capital, claimed via capital allowances (AIA 100% up to £1m, 50% FYA above).
Read guide →FRS 102 lease changes 2026: what FDs need to know
The revised FRS 102 lease rules from January 2026 bring most leases on balance sheet. What it means for financing commercial solar.
Read guide →Is there VAT on commercial solar panels? (2026 guide)
Yes — commercial solar is standard-rated, but VAT-registered businesses reclaim it. The 0% rate is domestic-only. How each finance route handles VAT.
Read guide →Does solar qualify for full expensing?
No — solar PV is special-rate expenditure, so full expensing does not apply. It gets the AIA at 100% up to £1m plus the 50% FYA above that.
Read guide →Solar capital allowances 2026: AIA vs 50% FYA
How capital allowances on commercial solar work in 2026 — the AIA at 100%, the 50% first-year allowance, and why solar is special-rate.
Read guide →