Find Your Best Program in 60 Seconds
Answer 6 quick questions and our advisor will analyze your situation across all four programs — and explain exactly why one fits better than the others.
Solenetec Advisor
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Analyzing your situation…
Comparing programs across 8 financial and lifestyle factors
The Four Programs — Explained in Detail
Even without the 30% personal tax credit, these programs make solar + battery more accessible and financially compelling than ever.
Propel Prepaid PPA
A third-party ownership structure that leverages the IRA's domestic content provisions to deliver a 40% Investment Tax Credit — 10 points higher than the standard residential credit ever was.
Energy-as-a-Service
Pay only for the energy you use. No capital outlay, no maintenance headaches. The provider owns and operates the system — you simply pay a predictable monthly service fee.
Virtual Power Plant
Turn your battery into a revenue-generating asset. Earn upfront rebates up to $500/kWh plus $0.10/kWh performance incentives by participating in grid dispatch programs.
Sunrun Flex™
The first solar + storage subscription designed to adapt to your life. Rollover credits, flex pricing, and built-in grid services — the biggest financial innovation in solar since the PPA was invented in 2007.
Propel — Prepaid PPA
40% Tax CreditA SolSource & TriBeam platform · Powered by Enphase hardware · Financed via Concert Finance
What is a Prepaid PPA?
A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is a contract where a third-party company owns your solar system and sells the electricity to you. In a prepaid PPA, you pay the full contract value upfront — eliminating the annual rate escalators that make traditional leases unattractive. Because the system is owned by a corporation, it qualifies for corporate-level federal tax credits that individual homeowners can no longer access after the 2025 expiration. According to pv magazine (March 2026), the Propel platform from SolSource & TriBeam integrates a TPO structure directly with a point-of-sale loan system, so homeowners can fund the upfront payment through a TriBeam-originated loan — all as a single transaction.
40% Investment Tax Credit
The standard corporate ITC is 30%, but Enphase hardware — as the exclusive microinverter and battery provider — meets the IRA's domestic manufacturing requirements, adding a 10% domestic content bonus and lifting the total credit to 40%. This benefit is priced directly into your prepaid agreement. System design and proposals are handled through Solargraf for precision sizing.
Enphase Care — Zero O&M Risk
Operations and maintenance are handled entirely through Enphase Care. If something breaks, it's the provider's problem, not yours. This eliminates a major anxiety point that comes with direct ownership — especially for fixed-income homeowners.
Year 6 Purchase Option
Starting in year 6, you can purchase the system outright. By then, the primary depreciation and tax credit benefits have been fully realized by the TPO — and you can transition to full ownership, capturing 100% of the asset's value going forward.
No Price Escalators
Traditional solar leases typically include 2.9%+ annual price increases that erode your savings over time and create problems when selling your home. Propel's prepaid structure locks your cost from day one — no surprises.
Who is Propel Best For?
Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS)
Zero UpfrontFrom CapEx to OpEx — pay for energy delivered, not hardware owned
The EaaS Model Explained
Energy-as-a-Service converts your energy infrastructure from a one-time capital purchase into a predictable monthly operating expense — the same shift that happened in software (SaaS) and cloud computing. The provider deploys, owns, and operates the hardware. You pay only for energy delivered or a fixed service fee. If the system underperforms, the provider's revenue is directly impacted — aligning their incentives perfectly with yours.
Traditional Model (CapEx)
- Large upfront cost ($25,000–$45,000+)
- Homeowner bears all maintenance risk
- No federal tax credit post-2025
- Technology obsolescence risk over 25+ years
- Warranty claims are your responsibility to navigate
EaaS Model (OpEx)
- Zero upfront capital required
- Provider assumes all operational risk
- Tax credits captured at provider level — priced into service
- Access to latest hardware without obsolescence risk
- Professionally managed for maximum output
Things to Consider with EaaS
Virtual Power Plants (VPP)
Earn $0.10/kWhYour battery becomes a grid asset — and the grid pays you for it
What is a Virtual Power Plant?
A VPP is a cloud-coordinated network of thousands of home batteries, solar systems, and smart chargers that collectively act as a single power plant. When the grid faces peak demand — typically 4–9 PM on weekdays — the network discharges stored energy simultaneously, stabilizing the grid without firing up expensive, polluting peaker plants. As a participant, your battery does the work automatically and you get paid for every kilowatt-hour dispatched.
How it Works — Day in the Life
Solar starts charging your battery
System prioritizes self-consumption first, then charges battery to 100%.
DERMS prepares for dispatch
The grid operator signals the VPP software that peak demand is incoming.
Dispatch window opens (4–9 PM)
Your battery automatically discharges 50% capacity. Home is powered first; surplus exports to the grid. You earn $0.10/kWh dispatched.
Window closes, battery recharges overnight
Off-peak rates apply. Battery tops up for tomorrow's cycle.
San Diego Community Power (SDCP) — Live Rates
| Customer Type | New Solar + Battery | Existing Solar + Battery |
|---|---|---|
| Market Rate | $350/kWh | $250/kWh |
| CARE / FERA / Communities of Concern | $500/kWh | $350/kWh |
| Performance Incentive (all customers) | $0.10/kWh dispatched | |
Requires discharge of 50% battery capacity during 4–9 PM weekday window. Customer must be an SDCP residential customer. Battery must charge from on-site solar only (no grid charging). Cannot be enrolled in ELRP or DSGS programs simultaneously. System must be installed at a single-family home at the address receiving SDCP service.
5-Year Claw-back Schedule
Leaving the program early requires repaying a portion of your upfront rebate:
Your Home Always Comes First — Manual Override Available
During a grid outage or declared emergency, the system automatically switches to Resilience Mode — stopping VPP dispatch and redirecting the battery to power your home's essential loads. You can also trigger a manual override at any time via the Enphase app, ensuring your energy security is never compromised by grid participation.
Sunrun Flex™
Launched May 2025The first solar + storage solution designed to adapt as your energy life changes
The Biggest Innovation in Solar Financing Since 2007
Sunrun describes Flex as the first significant financial innovation in the solar industry in nearly two decades — since Sunrun itself introduced the residential Power Purchase Agreement in 2007. Traditional solar systems are sized to match a household's current energy use, which means they're often undersized the moment you buy an EV, add a family member, or upgrade an appliance. Flex is designed around that reality: it comes sized above your current baseline so it grows with you, while keeping your monthly payment predictable.
Rollover Credits — An Industry First
When you use less energy than your baseline in a given month, you earn Sunrun Rollover Credits — the first offering of its kind in the solar industry. Those credits bank up and apply automatically when you exceed your baseline (think: a hot August or a road trip topped off at home). You always know your exact cost per kWh.
Predictable Monthly Minimum
Customers pay a fixed monthly minimum. When monthly usage exceeds the pre-solar baseline, additional electricity is billed at a locked-in "Flex Rate" — so you always know the worst-case cost. No surprises, no retroactive true-ups.
Premium Storage Included
Every Flex subscription comes with premium battery storage providing full-home backup during outages. The battery also helps avoid peak utility rates by powering the home from stored solar in the evening — and Flex customers are automatically enrolled in Sunrun's grid services (VPP) programs where available.
Full Performance Guarantee
Sunrun bundles 24/7 monitoring, free maintenance and repairs, a solar performance guarantee, and a battery health guarantee. The "Flex Guarantee" specifically ensures customers will never pay Sunrun more than the panels actually produce annually — removing the performance risk entirely from the consumer.
Why This Matters for EV Owners and Growing Households
Research shows households that go solar typically increase their energy consumption by about 15% within the first year — and that jumps even further when an EV enters the garage. Traditional solar systems sized at installation day become undersized almost immediately. Flex is architecturally designed for this reality: sized above your current baseline so the system grows with you, not against you. Grid services enrollment also means your battery earns performance payments automatically.
Compare All Ownership Models
Every situation is different. Here's how the four paths stack up across the factors that matter most.
| Criteria | Direct Ownership | Propel Prepaid PPA | Energy-as-a-Service | Sunrun Flex™ | VPP Add-on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Tax Credit | Expired (0%) | 40% via IRA/Domestic | Captured by Provider | Captured by Sunrun | N/A (add-on) |
| Upfront Cost | High / via loan | Covered by Concert Finance | Zero | Zero / Low monthly | Rebate paid to you |
| Maintenance | Homeowner | Enphase Care / TPO | Provider Managed | Sunrun 24/7 + Guarantee | Manufacturer |
| Price Stability | Fixed loan payment | Fixed — no escalators | Performance-based | Fixed min + locked Flex Rate | Grid rate dependent |
| Designed For Growth? | Size at install only | Size at install only | Provider flexibility | ✓ Sized above baseline for EV / life changes | — |
| Grid Services / VPP | Optional / DIY | Optional | Optional | Auto-enrolled where available | Core feature |
| Long-term ROI | Highest (post-payoff) | High (esp. w/ Year 6 buy) | Lower — provider retains upside | Moderate — plus rollover credits | + $0.10/kWh earnings |
| Best For | High income, long-term owners seeking max equity | Fixed-income, tax-limited, or liquidity-conscious homeowners | Zero-hassle; commercial-leaning clients | EV owners, growing families, renters of energy who value flexibility | San Diego battery owners on SDCP |
The 1.4 kW Gap — Why Battery Storage is Now Essential
One of the most important technical nuances in modern solar + EV setups: the ISO 15118-2 standard mandates that AC chargers cannot deliver less than 6A (approximately 1.4 kW) to a vehicle. On cloudy days or in winter, your solar array may produce well below this threshold.
Without Battery Storage
When solar drops below 1.4 kW, the EV charger cannot sustain a charge from solar alone and automatically pulls from the grid — even while the sun is shining. This eliminates most of the "green charging" benefit and the associated ROI.
With Enphase IQ Battery
The battery bridges the 1.4 kW gap during intermittent solar production, keeping the charger fed with clean on-site energy. The Enphase IQ EV Charger 2 also phase-shifts between 1-phase and 3-phase charging to capture every available watt — whether it's a bright summer day or a cloudy winter afternoon.
This is why Solenetec always designs solar + battery + EV charging as an integrated system, not three separate purchases.
Not Sure Which Program Fits You?
Every homeowner's tax situation, liquidity, and long-term plans are different. A 30-minute conversation with a Solenetec advisor will map the right program to your specific situation — at no cost or obligation.