Why Lead With Carports
Carports are currently the simplest, fastest-closing value proposition in the portfolio. The pitch is easy for prospects to understand: no capital expense, a guaranteed 20% reduction in their per-kWh rate, and covered parking as a bonus. Simplicity speeds up decision-making and commission timing.
The Partnership Structure
The carport product is powered by a partnership between a lender (Eclipse) and a manufacturer (Fortified Solar, based in Michigan, made in USA). This mirrors the "Propel" structure used on the residential side. Because the lender and manufacturer work together, pricing can be offered at a flat 20% discount regardless of the utility's base rate, and the product is safe-harbored, meaning installs can continue through 2030 (potentially 2031) without worrying about the 2027 ITC deadline. If a rep is the first to introduce this product to a client, that lead is locked in; no other company offering this same program can compete for it.
Qualification Criteria — 2 Maps
Reps must check two separate government maps, in the right order, to qualify a site:
Energy Community Map (broad coverage) — check this first. This is the #1 priority Map. Being in an energy community gets the project an additional 10% tax credit adder, which directly doubles the commission paid to reps versus a non-energy-community project.
Opportunity Zone Map (more limited/piecemeal coverage) — check this second. Being in an opportunity zone affects queue position because 70% of the lender's funding must go to opportunity-zone projects; it does not affect commission. A second funding source not tied to opportunity zones is expected soon, which will make energy-community status the dominant factor going forward.
For prospecting, approach from biggest opportunity down to smallest, not the reverse (start with the Energy Community Map). Once a qualifying overlap area is identified, use Google Maps to find large, open parking lots with minimal shade.
Bottom line: Checking both boxes (energy community + opportunity zone) puts a project at the top of the funding queue and maximizes commission. Checking only one box still works and the lead should be submitted for review. Checking neither means the standard, non-safe-harbored solar products (and the existing 2027 deadline urgency) should be used instead.
Pricing & Lease Terms
Customer pays 80% of their current per-kWh rate (i.e., a flat 20% discount), starting in year one.
The lease rate increases only 1.9% annually — well below typical utility rate inflation (often 5–10%+ annually) — so the savings compound over time relative to staying on standard utility rates.
Lease term is 20 or 25 years, with a fair-market-value buyout option available starting year six (rarely advantageous, since FMV is inflated upfront to maximize the financier's tax credits).
No official minimum system size, but the financier prioritizes 200 kW+ projects; smaller systems are case-by-case.
Customization is available for wind load, snow load, panel length, and sloped or uneven lots (gravel lots and parking garage rooftops are both installable). Non-flat sites add development cost that reduces installer margin rather than increasing the price to the customer, since the 20% discount is guaranteed regardless.
Installing over an existing structure (e.g., a gas station canopy) requires removing the existing structure first, which adds significant cost; an adjacent open parking lot at the same site is usually the better target.
Best-Fit Property Types
Large, open, low-shade parking lots are the priority. Especially strong candidates include:
Auto dealerships: (added benefit: protecting inventory from hail and potentially lowering insurance costs),
Apartment/Condo communities
covered parking is a valued amenity, though condos/HOAs can typically only offset common-area usage
Hotels (Independently owned):
Nonprofits
Churches
A carport can also be paired with an existing rooftop system if the rooftop doesn't cover 100% of the property's energy needs — a quick look at the utility bill (not a full energy audit) is usually enough to confirm there's remaining usage to offset.
EV Charging & Batteries
EV chargers pair well with carports physically (chargers can be installed under the same structure) but cannot be bundled into the lease financing — the customer pays for chargers separately, either in cash or through a different funding source. Batteries can sometimes be included if they meaningfully improve project economics (typically only where demand charges are high); they are not standard. Reps should be careful with language here: it's accurate to say solar carports will lower a customer's per-kWh rate by 20%, but not that it will lower their entire bill by 20%, since demand charges and other fees aren't proportionally reduced by solar alone.
Sales Script
Reps should memorize and use this framing:
"Is there any reason you'd be opposed to installing a solar carport over your parking lot at no capital expense, saving you 20% on your current electric utility rate, and protecting against energy inflation in the process? You get covered parking out of the mix to boot."
This script was specifically called out by the team as the one sentence reps need to master for this product.
Additional Tips
Reps should sign up for utility newsletters/RSS feeds and watch for rate-increase or grid-improvement announcements, which are effective, value-adding reasons to re-engage previously hesitant prospects.
Questions on edge cases (battery pairing, demand charges, multi-owner bundling, grading limitations) should go to leadership via WhatsApp or email for case-by-case guidance.
For projects that don't qualify for the safe-harbored carport product, continue applying the previously established 2027 ITC deadline urgency and lead with standard roof- or ground-mount solar.