Solar finance guides
Straight answers on funding commercial solar — the routes, the tax, the costs and the questions finance directors actually ask. 32 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
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: what drives the cost
What determines commercial solar finance rates in 2026 — covenant, term, security and deal size — and why 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 →Solar finance vs paying cash: which wins?
Financing commercial solar versus paying cash — payback, total cost of credit, opportunity cost of capital, and when each route comes out ahead.
Read guide →Is it worth getting solar panels on finance?
When financing commercial solar is worth it in 2026 — when the saving beats the repayment, what it really costs, and how to keep the tax relief.
Read guide →Can a business finance solar panels?
How UK businesses finance commercial solar: the routes available, minimum project sizes, 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
Public-sector solar finance: Salix and beyond
How UK public bodies fund solar — Salix interest-free loans for schools, NHS and councils, plus 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: business options 2026
The real funding options for commercial solar in 2026 — 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?
When buying out a solar lease pays off — comparing the buy-out price against remaining rentals and the value of becoming the owner.
Read guide →How much does a solar panel lease cost?
What a commercial solar lease costs in 2026 — how 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)
Exiting a solar panel lease in the UK: buy-out, secondary rental and assignment for commercial leases, and how they differ from domestic rent-a-roof deals.
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 commercial solar lease work?
How a commercial solar lease works in the UK — finance vs operating lease, who owns the system, the tax, and end-of-term options.
Read guide →Ownership
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 for solar
Hire purchase vs a finance lease for commercial solar: ownership, who claims the capital allowances, VAT timing 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 ownership: the 25-year cost
Solar PPA vs owning via finance over 25 years — where the funder's margin, lost capital allowances and SEG export income quietly add up.
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
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 →Is solar a tax-deductible business expense?
Can you claim solar panels as a business expense? Why it is capital not revenue, and how capital allowances deliver the relief — by finance route.
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 →VAT on commercial solar panels explained
How VAT works on commercial solar in 2026 — reclaiming VAT on the equipment, how it differs by finance route, and why the 0% rate is domestic-only.
Read guide →Does solar qualify for full expensing?
Why solar PV does not qualify for 100% full expensing — it is special-rate expenditure — and the AIA and 50% FYA reliefs it gets instead.
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 →