A Propel prepaid lease lets you prepay a third-party-owned solar and battery system at roughly 25% to 40% below the cash price, then buy it out after Year 5. The trade is less control and more paperwork than a loan. Here is how it works, what it costs, and who should skip it.
A Propel prepaid lease is a prepaid, third-party-owned solar and battery agreement. You pay up front in cash or with a fixed loan, get about 25% to 40% off the cash price, and can buy the system after Year 5.
A salesperson tells you that you can get solar and a battery for about 30% less than cash. Then the paperwork arrives, and it does not say "loan," "lease," or "PPA" the way you expected. You search for "propel prepaid lease" to find out what you would actually be signing.
Here is the short version. A Propel prepaid lease is a prepaid, third-party-owned solar and battery agreement with a built-in path to ownership. The discount is real, but so are the rules around equipment, credit, and your contract.
This guide explains how a Propel prepaid lease works, what it costs in a worked example, where it is available, and the catches to check before you sign.
Propel is a prepaid third-party ownership (TPO) product from SolSource Solutions, launched in February 2026, according to Solar Power World. A third party installs and owns your solar-plus-battery system at first. You prepay a discounted amount, and you can buy the system after Year 5.
SolSource Solutions runs Propel and sells it through more than 180 independent installers, per Solar Power World's June 2026 report. Greentech Renewables handles national distribution, and Enphase is the exclusive supplier of microinverters and batteries. Financing comes through the Concert Finance program, originated by TriBeam Financial.
The name varies because the legal form varies by state. Solar.com's August 2026 guide says the agreement can be an energy services agreement (ESA), a prepaid lease, or a prepaid PPA. In every version, you are paying for decades of solar power up front, not buying hardware on day one.
The structure is easier to follow in four stages. Each stage changes who owns what, and who pays whom.
For the first five years, the owner holds title to your system and handles monitoring and support. That ownership is the whole point. It lets the owner claim a federal commercial tax credit that you cannot claim yourself as a homeowner.
The homeowner credit ended at the end of 2025, according to Solar.com. Businesses can still claim the Section 48E commercial credit through 2027. The Propel owner claims it, then passes part of the value to you as a lower price. Solar.com cites discounts of 25% to 40% versus a cash purchase, with adders for domestic content and energy-community projects.
You prepay at installation. If you do not want to write a check, you can finance the prepayment with a fixed-payment loan through Concert Finance, with no escalators and no dealer fees, per SolSource. That loan is a separate obligation, and it is the part that feels most like a normal loan.
After Year 5, you have the option to take ownership. Solar.com says the first transfer option comes after Year 5. pv magazine USA words it as a purchase option starting in the sixth year of operation. Those likely describe the same window, so confirm the exact date and the buyout formula in your contract.
This is an illustration, not a quote. Assume a solar-plus-battery system with a $40,000 cash price. Every line below uses an 8.99% APR over 25 years, the standard Propel loan rate published by Solar-Advisors, so the numbers compare cleanly.
At 30% off, you save $12,000 on the price and about $100 per month on the payment. That gap is the entire value of the program. A weaker discount on a system that is too large can still cost you money, so size the system to your real usage first. Our solar calculator gives you a starting point.
With cash, you pay the full price and own the system on day one. With a standard solar loan, you also own it from the start, but you pay interest on the full price. With the prepaid structure, you pay less up front and the owner holds title for five years. You give up early ownership, and you gain the discount.
That tradeoff is why every comparison should use the same loan terms on every line. If a quote compares a discounted prepayment against a cash price that already includes dealer fees, the savings will look bigger than they are. Ask each installer to show both numbers on one page.
Propel is not open to every home, every installer, or every state. Three limits matter most.
Solar-Advisors, an installer-affiliated referral site, reports a 660 minimum FICO score for a Propel prepaid lease with the Concert Finance loan. If you pay the prepayment in cash, the credit requirement may not apply the same way, so ask your installer which path your quote assumes.
Because the owner claims a commercial credit, the system must follow federal foreign-entity-of-concern rules. In practice, that means an approved-vendor list. Propel systems use Enphase microinverters and batteries with approved solar panels, so you do not get unlimited equipment choice.
Solar.com's August 2026 guide lists ten states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Texas. Of the states US Power serves, that includes California, Texas, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. In California, SolSource expanded Propel in July 2026 to LADWP and 16 other utility districts, per NA Clean Energy. Eligibility is still checked by address and utility.
For many California homeowners, a Propel prepaid lease makes sense when a battery is part of the plan. NEM 3.0 pays very little for exported solar, and peak rates on most plans run from 4 to 9 PM, exactly when panels fade. Paying for production up front means you lean less on export credits to make the math work.
Read are batteries worth it for solar in California and our guide to the best SCE rate plan for solar owners before you size storage.
A Propel prepaid lease is not automatically cheaper than every option, though. NRG Clean Power's April 2026 guide notes it is not always cheaper than cash, a loan, or a well-priced ownership proposal. If you are weighing it against Participate Energy or Maxwell Power, our Propel vs Participate vs Maxwell Power comparison puts the three side by side.
The discount gets the attention. The contract details decide whether it works for you.
Ask for the exact buyout formula, the earliest date, and who sets fair market value. A "$0 buyout" from a sales rep is not a contract term. Solar.com says to compare the Year 5 market-value terms across providers before choosing.
Solar.com warns that some lenders discovered they were not in first position and demanded full payment. If you finance, get written confirmation that your lender knows about the prepaid structure and accepts its lien position. Our financing options page explains how the paths differ.
A Propel loan and any filing on the equipment must be assumed, paid off, or cleared at a home sale, per Solar-Advisors. Tell your agent and title company early. Our guide to buying a house with solar panels shows what buyers ask about.
Bring this short list to every proposal meeting:
A Propel prepaid lease is a poor fit if you may sell within five years, want to own your equipment from day one, or need unlimited hardware choice. It also fits less well if your credit falls below the cutoff and you cannot pay the prepayment in cash. Solar.com says it suits homeowners who plan to stay six or more years and want fixed payments with no escalators.
For a monthly lease from a national installer instead, our comparison of Axia by Qcells vs Sunrun shows how that structure differs. Our list of 5 hidden costs that can affect your California solar savings covers what quotes often leave out.
A Propel prepaid lease can cut your upfront cost by roughly 25% to 40%, but only if the system is sized to what you actually use. US Power is a CSLB-licensed company with 200+ five-star Google reviews. Every consultation starts with a real 12-month bill analysis, and most systems reach permission to operate in 3-4 weeks. If you want to see what a Propel prepaid lease would look like on your roof and your bills, book your free 12-month bill analysis.
Know the buyout before you prepay, not after.
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