Frequently Asked Questions

Solarize Greater Philadelphia is a citywide program to help Philadelphia’s home and business owners go solar. The Philadelphia Energy Authority negotiated consumer protections with our vetted installation partners. PEA reviews and approves all solar modules, inverters, batteries, and other equipment that installers offer as part of Solarize Greater Philadelphia to ensure it is of the highest quality. PEA has performed a thorough review of our installers’ licenses, insurance coverage, and financials. PEA also requires that our Solarize Greater Philadelphia installers offer a minimum 10-year workmanship warranty for all installations.

The Solarize Philly program is expanding to the five-county region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties) in addition to serving Philadelphia. 

When sunlight hits the solar panels, they produce clean, renewable electricity that powers your home or business. If your system produces more energy than you need on a given day, that energy flows out of your property and onto the electric grid. Visit the Pennsylvania Utility Commission to learn more. 

All systems in Philadelphia are grid-tied. Without a battery, your power will turn off during an outage for safety reasons. To keep power during an outage, you must have a battery backup system or a specialized inverter that allows for safe disconnection from the grid. 

If you’d like to consider it at another time, you can also add battery storage to an existing solar PV system. 

To learn more, check out Solar United Neighbor’s Battery Storage Guide for Homeowners. 

Your installer will do a free assessment of your site to find out whether it has enough sun exposure to be a good fit for solar. The ideal roof for a solar installation is unshaded, in good condition and, preferably, it will have been resurfaced or replaced within the last 5 years and/or and have an expected life of 10 or more years with minimal maintenance. The Solarize Greater Philadelphia program requires installers to inspect roofs and discourages solar installation if the roof is not in good condition. Customers with older roofs can move forward, but contractors must make customers aware of any concerns they find in writing. It is possible to remove panels if roof repairs are needed, at a cost, but it is best to have any needed work done before the solar is installed.

If you have a flat roof, your installer will install a ballasted system, which is a type of mount that uses the weight of the panels or additional weight to hold down the system, instead of drilling into your roof. 

Some roofs are not suitable for solar due to roof obstructions, roof type, age, or other structural factors. If your roof isn’t a good fit for solar, you may be able to install a ground-mount system or carport instead. Ask you installer if this is an option you’d like to consider!

The cost of solar varies widely based on your roof size and sun exposure. Homeowners and businesses have many different options to pay for solar.

Ownership

Your installer will provide at least one financing option. Many homeowners consider a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit. You are also free to secure your own financing to pay for the solar installation. In most cases, we have found that the monthly loan payment is equal to or less than the monthly savings on your PECO bill, so your energy savings are offsetting your loan payment. 

If you purchase or finance your system and it is installed by December 31, 2025, you may be eligible for a Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for 30% of the total cost of your installation. Our installers will do their best to install your system in time for you to take advantage of this credit, but at this time, they cannot guarantee the installation will be completed in time. Your installer will provide you with a free quote specific to your property and will provide you with materials so you can apply for the ITC, if applicable. 

Lease or Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)

Another option is a lease or “power purchase agreement” (PPA). A PPA is a financial arrangement where a homeowner agrees to purchase electricity generated by a solar panel system installed on their property, owned and maintained by a third-party company, for a fixed period, typically 15-25 years.

Our installer partners offer lease or PPA options that can help you go solar with $0 upfront cost. The lease or PPA provider will own and maintain the solar panels, and you will benefit from savings by receiving clean energy generated by the solar PV system. The lease or PPA provider will retain the 30% Investment Tax Credit and Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs).

PEA and PGCC do not endorse or have relationships with any financing or lease/PPA providers, except Capital Good Fund. 

PEA and PGCC have partnered with Capital Good Fund, a nonprofit, certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), to pilot Pennsylvania Bright, which offers a consumer-friendly lease accessible to Low and Moderate Income (LMI) homeowners (up to a household income of $165,000). There is no upfront cost; they use an alternative underwriting approach, and monitoring and maintenance are included. All Solarize Greater Philadelphia installer partners offer this option.

Solar can reduce your overall utility costs. Our installer partners can help you determine whether solar makes sense for you through financing, lease, or PPA options. 

The favorable terms of Capital Good Fund’s Pennsylvania Bright lease may be a good option for you. Additionally, our installer partners offer other solar leases and power purchase agreements (PPAs) with no upfront cost and monitoring & maintenance included. These other financing providers are not official partners with PEA or PGCC and have minimum credit score requirements.

PECO’s Customer Assistance Program (CAP) is a program to make electric bills affordable for qualifying customers. Each person’s situation varies, but going solar may affect CAP eligibility.  Solar only makes financial sense for CAP customers if the anticipated net savings from solar is higher than the CAP subsidy amount.

Your installer will provide a proposal that shows how much you can expect to save. The solar energy produced will flow into your home or business, and any extra electricity will flow out onto the electricity grid. PECO will credit your bill for this excess production through a process known as “net metering.” When your solar array is not producing (e.g. at night), your house will consume electricity from the grid, and your bill credits will be applied toward the cost of this grid-based power. PECO will pay out any credit balance each May. 

For information on how solar billing works if you switch to PECO’s Time of Use Pricing, please refer to PECO’s Solar Net Metering Time of Use Q&A.

Solarize partner installers are required to use equipment that meets quality and safety certifications. Solar panels must be Tier-1 rated and all other equipment, including inverters, racking, and batteries, must be UL-certified.

Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) are performance-based incentives that create economic value from solar generation. Each megawatt-hour of electricity generated by your solar system equals 1 SREC from the state. A typical home in Philadelphia generates 3-5 SRECs annually. For lease or PPA projects, the provider will own and maintain the solar panels, and keep all SRECs. You will benefit from savings by using the clean energy generated by the solar PV system.

Once you have signed the contract, your installer will apply for a permit from your local municipality to start the interconnection process with your electricity provider. The timeline for this process varies, but is typically within 30-60 days. From there, the company will install the solar array on your roof, which takes 1-3 days. Finally, the installer will submit for final interconnection approval from your electricity provider, which will allow them to replace your existing meter with a bi-directional one, at which point they can flip the switch and turn on your solar array!

One of the former Solarize Philly installer partners, PosiGen, declared bankruptcy in November 2025. PosiGen’s projects are now owned by Renewbrook and servicing is being provided by Omnidian and Sunstrong. PosiGen customers should have received information about their specific projects.

PEA and PGCC ran a Request for Qualification (RFQ) process to bring new residential solar developers into the program in 2025. Learn more about our previous Solarize Greater Philadelphia RFQ process. Note that the program design is subject to change. We usually run an RFQ every two years. Sign up to be notified when we open the RFQ again.

Commercial solar developers can email info@pasolarcenter.org to learn how to be added to the RFP procurement list for G.E.T. Solar projects.