Solar Project Financing Guide
CAPEX · PPA · Lease · PACE · Bonds (2026)

Underestimating the cost of non-production time. Every week delay between CAPEX signing and commissioning = 1/52 of first-year revenue lost (never recovered). For a $1M project generating $200K/yr, that's ~$4K per week. Rushing equipment selection or cutting corners on EPC contract terms to save 1% CAPEX often loses 3-5x that in delays. Budget 10-15% more contingency + pick proven suppliers.

LCOE = (Total Lifetime Cost) ÷ (Total Lifetime Energy) ÷ Discount factor. Total lifetime cost = CAPEX + sum of OPEX over project life, discounted. Total lifetime energy = Year-1 output × (1 - degradation)^t summed. Use our free ROI calculator which computes LCOE automatically once you enter system size, location, and CAPEX.

CAPEX (buy outright) when: you have cash or cheap debt; want maximum long-term savings; plan to own the property 10+ years; in a market with valuable tax incentives. PPA when: zero CAPEX is mandatory; you want instant guaranteed savings without capital outlay; you need off-balance-sheet treatment; you don't want O&M responsibility. For most C&I buyers with capital, CAPEX produces better 25-year NPV by 30-50%.

Significantly. Modules are typically 25-35% of total CAPEX. A $0.02/W savings on modules (e.g. JUSTSOLAR factory-direct vs Tier-1 distributor) on a 1 MW project = $20K CAPEX saved. At 20% IRR baseline, that's equivalent to adding ~1.2 percentage points to IRR. Over 25 years, compounds to $50-80K NPV improvement. Hence the rationale for sourcing modules direct from factory vs branded distributors.

Yes — this is called equipment finance or trade finance, common for larger orders. Structure: 30% deposit + 70% financed over 3-12 months via your trade bank. JUSTSOLAR accepts L/C (Letter of Credit) from most major international banks for 5+ container orders (approximately $500K+), effectively giving you 60-180 days payment terms via the L/C mechanism. Ask Frank for L/C-compatible pricing quotes.

For project-financed utility-scale (20+ MW): (a) BNEF Tier-1 module (currently ~30 brands qualify), (b) 25+30 year warranty backed by manufacturer, (c) PPA with creditworthy offtaker, (d) bankable EPC contractor with performance guarantees. JUSTSOLAR is Tier-1 adjacent — we can supply as sub-supplier under a Tier-1 branded module wrap for bankability if needed. For C&I and distributed generation (under 20 MW), we supply directly without the bankability constraint.