Free Solar Panels in Florida (2026): $0-Down Loans & Leases

Key takeaways

“Free” means $0 upfront, not $0 total. In Florida the cost goes into a loan or a lease payment.
Home PPAs are off the table. Florida treats selling power to your home as a utility’s job, so leases are the only zero-down contract where a company owns the panels.
No state rebate, no state credit. Florida has no personal income tax. What it gives is no sales tax on solar equipment and no property tax on the value it adds.
The federal home credit is gone for systems installed after December 31, 2025. A leasing company may still claim a business credit.
Your utility sets the payoff. FPL, Duke and Tampa Electric credit extra power kWh for kWh; city utilities and co-ops write their own rules.

About this review

Tax, net metering and utility figures were read on the sources listed at the bottom between September 29 and October 1, 2026. The lease and PPA rules, the federal credit dates and Florida Solar For All were rechecked on October 5, 2026. This guide explains offers and programs; it is not tax, legal or financial advice.

How we choose sources and correct errors: editorial process and content standards.

Why “Free Solar” Ads Are Everywhere in Florida Right Now

The timing isn’t random.

Power got more expensive at FPL. Florida regulators approved FPL’s four-year rate agreement on November 20, 2025, and new rates took effect on January 1. FPL puts a typical home bill in most of the state at $136.64 a month, and the ads are aimed at that number.

The federal credit disappeared for buyers. The 30% home credit does not cover systems installed after December 31, 2025. A company that owns the panels may still claim a business credit, so leases moved into the gap. In Florida, “free solar” always hides one of two contracts.

Zero-Down Solar in Florida: A Loan or a Lease, Never a PPA

Most states have three zero-down options: a loan, a lease, or a power purchase agreement (PPA), where a company sells you its panels’ power per kilowatt-hour (kWh, the unit on your bill). Florida has two.

What a Florida homeowner can actually sign for zero-down solar
Contract	Legal for Florida homes?	Who gets the bill credits	Federal credit in 2026
Zero-down solar loan	Yes. You buy the system with borrowed money	You, on your utility bill	None for you after December 31, 2025
Pros and cons in Florida: zero-down loan Pros You own it, so the property tax exemption keeps the added value off your assessment. Once the loan is paid off, the power costs you nothing more. Nonprofit SELF lends $5,000 to $50,000 at 8.25% to 8.75% for 7 years, with no minimum credit score. Cons No federal credit to pay down the balance in year one, so the payment is higher than in 2025. Storm repairs and inverter swaps are yours. SELF adds a 2% origination fee; dealer loans often hide fees in the price. Can fit if: the monthly payment is below what the panels save on your utility’s credit rules, not on a sales estimate.
Solar lease	Yes. Florida regulators have allowed home solar leases since 2018	You, on your utility bill; you pay the company for the equipment	The company may claim a business credit
Pros and cons in Florida: lease Pros No upfront cost and no loan approval. The company handles monitoring and most repairs. Leased equipment is also free of Florida sales tax. Cons The payment is fixed, so you pay the same through a cloudy August or a storm outage. A yearly increase (an escalator) can push it above your savings. A sale of your home has to deal with the lease. Can fit if: the first-year payment plus your remaining bill is clearly below today’s bill, escalator included.
Power purchase agreement (PPA)	Apparently not: selling power to a home makes the seller a utility under Florida rulings	Not applicable	Not applicable
Pros and cons in Florida: PPA Pros Elsewhere, you pay only for the kWh the panels make. Cons An offer priced “per kWh” is a warning sign here. Can fit if: not for a Florida home today. Get the legal basis in writing if someone offers one.

Lease or PPA? In Florida, only the lease

DSIRE’s May 2026 map marks third-party PPAs in Florida as “apparently disallowed by state or otherwise restricted by legal barriers”, citing a 1987 Public Service Commission order (Docket 860725-EU, Order 17009). Leases are different: in Order No. PSC-2018-0251-DS-EQ (May 2018), the Commission declared that Sunrun’s home solar equipment lease, as described, is not a sale of electricity and does not make Sunrun a utility.

So a Florida lease is fixed rent for equipment, and you carry the output risk. Weeks of storm clouds or a damaged array do not shrink the payment. Ask what the lease says about storm damage and repair times.

What about the federal credit a lease company claims?

Lease pitches cite a 30% business credit under Section 48E. Whether a system qualifies depends on the company and project, and IRS Notice 2025-42 ends it for solar switched on after December 31, 2027, unless construction began by July 4, 2026. Ask whether your price depends on it. For loan rates and lifetime cost, see our solar financing guide.

What Florida Gives You Either Way: Two Tax Breaks

Florida pays nothing toward your panels. It takes two taxes off them instead:

Sales tax. Solar systems and parts are exempt from the 6% state sales tax, bought or leased. On $10,000 of equipment that is $600 not charged. Labor is not equipment, so do not apply the rate to the whole quote.
Property tax. For systems installed on or after January 1, 2013, the value solar adds to your home is left out of its assessed value. Nothing to file.

What the property tax break is worth depends on your county’s tax rate and the appraiser’s value, so ignore any flat yearly figure in a quote. Full details: Florida solar incentives.

FPL, Duke, Tampa Electric or a Co-op: The Same Pitch, Different Math

Net metering means each kWh you send to the grid cancels one you buy later. The Public Service Commission’s Rule 25-6.065 requires it only of the four investor-owned utilities. City utilities and co-ops set their own terms.

How Florida utilities credit the power a solar home sends out
Your utility	Credit for extra power	What you still pay
FPLMost of the state	kWh for kWh, carried forward up to 12 months; leftovers paid once a year at a lower rate	$30 a month minimum bill
Duke Energy FloridaCentral and north Florida	Same state rule as FPL	$30 a month minimum bill
Tampa Electric and FPUTampa Bay; Florida Public Utilities areas	Same state rule as FPL	Check your tariff’s minimum charges
OUCOrlando and St. Cloud	New solar homes get full retail credit through October 31, 2026; from November 1, 2026, the fuel rate plus 0.7 cents per kWh	Standard OUC charges
Lakeland ElectricCity utility	Solar Price Plan required for solar homes	A $5.77 per kW demand charge
JEA, other city utilities and co-ops	Set locally	Ask in writing

We could not read JEA’s current credit rate on its own tariff. In Jacksonville, ask JEA for it in writing before you trust an estimate.

The Tier 1 size line

Under the state rule, a system rated 10 kW or less is Tier 1: no application fee, no liability insurance. Above it, utilities may charge a fee and require insurance of up to $1 million. About 11.76 kW of panels reaches the line; a typical 11.09 kW system stays under it.

Is There a Free Program for Low-Income Florida Homes?

Not one you can apply to today. Two things come close:

Florida Solar For All

A coalition of three nonprofits (the Solar and Energy Loan Fund, Solar United Neighbors and The Nature Conservancy in Florida) won $156 million from EPA to help low-income households go solar. EPA ended Solar for All grants in August 2025; in September 2026 federal courts ruled that unlawful, and EPA was weighing an appeal as of October 1. On October 5, 2026 the coalition’s site still showed only a waitlist sign-up and no open application.

FPL SolarTogether low-income pricing

A subscription to a share of FPL’s solar plants, not rooftop panels. Standard subscribers pay $6.76 per kW a month and earn about 3.6 cents per kWh. Households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level pay $5.57 per kW and get a $6.27 per kW credit, so the credit is larger than the charge from the start. FPL says space is limited and adds people to a waitlist when it is full (checked October 5, 2026).

When Zero-Down Solar Is Not the Right Move

Your roof needs replacing. Do it first; moving panels later costs extra. Ask your insurer about roof age too.
Your bill is already low. With the $30 a month minimum bill, a small bill leaves little for a lease or loan payment to beat.
You plan to sell soon. The buyer has to take over the lease or you buy it out.
You are on a city utility or co-op and the quote uses FPL numbers.
Someone offers a Florida PPA. Find out what you are really signing first.

Six Questions Before You Sign a Florida “Free Solar” Offer

Is this a loan or a lease?
Get the word in writing. If the price is per kWh, ask how that is legal for a Florida home.
What will I pay in year 10 and year 20?
Get the payment with any escalator applied, next to the cash price. Compare with what solar costs in Florida.
Which utility’s credit rules did you use?
FPL, Duke and Tampa Electric follow the state rule. OUC, JEA, Lakeland and co-ops do not.
Does the price depend on a federal credit?
Buyers get none in 2026. Lease companies may lose theirs for projects switched on after December 31, 2027.
What happens after a hurricane, and when I sell?
Read the storm damage, repair time, transfer and buyout terms. See solar lease exit options.
Who installs it, and under which license?
Florida solar installers need a state solar (CVC) or electrical (EC) contractor license. Look up the number at myfloridalicense.com.

Pause if a seller calls it a state program, promises a 2026 tax credit for you, or pushes you to sign today.

Read the solar scam warning signs and compare bidders in our Florida solar companies guide.

Put a Florida Loan and Lease Side by Side

Ask each installer for the cash price, the loan payment and the lease payment with its escalator, built on your utility’s rules.

Enter your ZIP code to compare Florida loan and lease quotes

This is a commercial quote request, not an application for Florida Solar For All, SolarTogether or any utility program. Availability depends on your ZIP code and home.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you really get free solar panels in Florida?

Not literally. “Free” means nothing upfront: you pay through a loan or a fixed lease payment.

Can I get zero-down solar in Florida?

Yes, with a solar loan or a lease. Home PPAs are apparently not allowed in Florida, so a zero-down offer where someone else owns the panels should be a lease with a fixed payment. Compare it with the cash price and a loan.

Is it better to buy or lease solar panels in Florida?

Buying usually wins long term: you own the system and stop paying once the loan ends. A lease needs no loan and the company handles repairs, but the payment stays fixed in bad weather and can rise.

Who qualifies for zero-down solar in Florida?

Homeowners with a sound, sunny roof, approved by the lender or leasing company. Each sets its own credit rules; nonprofit SELF has no minimum credit score. Renters cannot sign for rooftop panels but can ask about utility solar subscriptions.

Will the state of Florida pay for solar panels?

No. Florida offers no rebate or grant, and with no personal income tax there is no state tax credit. It exempts solar equipment from sales tax and leaves the added value out of your property tax assessment.

Is there a Solar for All program in Florida?

A nonprofit coalition holds a federal grant for low-income homes, but no application was open on October 5, 2026; its site offers a waitlist. No door-to-door seller can sign you up.

Sources and review

Checked between September 29 and October 5, 2026. Tariffs and tax rules change; the official source always wins.

Read our editorial standards.

Are Solar Panels Free in Florida? What Zero-Down Actually Means (2026)

Why “Free Solar” Ads Are Everywhere in Florida Right Now