Independent solar advisors · Lexington, Kentucky
Center For Solar is a fee-only consulting firm. We review proposals, model the economics, check how existing systems perform, run fair bids and handle the paperwork for homes, businesses and farms across Kentucky. We don't sell panels and we don't install them, so our only job is getting your numbers right.
Kentucky solar, late 2026
Three shifts make independent analysis more valuable now than at any point in the last decade.
The federal residential clean energy credit (Section 25D) ended for systems paid for after December 31, 2025. Payback periods quoted before then were built on a subsidy that no longer exists for homeowners who buy.
So: any proposal that still leans on old assumptions deserves a second look before you sign.
New net-metering customers of LG&E, KU, Kentucky Power and Duke Energy Kentucky are credited for exported energy at rates below what they pay for electricity, and LG&E and KU rates went up again in 2026.
So: how much solar you use at home or at work now matters more than how big the system is.
With the homeowner credit gone, more offers arrive as leases, where a third party owns the system and you pay a monthly amount that usually rises every year. In some states the same pitch comes as a power purchase agreement priced per kWh.
So: escalators, buyouts and, in Kentucky, how a system you don't own qualifies for net metering all need answers in writing.
A compass only works when nothing nearby is pulling the needle. We keep the magnets — commissions, referral fees, equipment margins — out of the room.
Our independence
Most "free" solar advice is paid for by someone who profits when you buy. We are paid only by our clients, with a flat fee agreed before work starts, so a smaller system, a better contract or a decision to wait are all answers we are glad to give.
What we do
From a single homeowner's quote to a manufacturer's emissions inventory, every service is analytical, administrative or advisory, never sales.
Early, independent advice on whether solar fits your property, your utility's tariff and your timeline, and on how to compare a developer's offer to lease your land.
Explore
Independent cash-flow analysis of solar and storage decisions for homes, businesses and public bodies, with every assumption written down and stress-tested.
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Independent analysis of solar production data for single systems and portfolios: expected-production baselines, gap analysis and a clear list of what to ask a technician.
Explore
Independent help buying solar: structured requests for proposals, side-by-side bid leveling, equipment research and the supply-chain documentation commercial buyers now need.
Explore
Administrative and clerical support for solar approvals: collecting information, organizing packets, tracking applications and coordinating communications among owners, installers, utilities and local offices.
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Renewable-energy adoption research, electricity emissions estimates using published methodologies, renewable usage tracking and voluntary sustainability reporting, all non-certified and plainly explained.
ExploreStart with your question
Most people arrive with one specific question. Pick yours.
Proposal Second Opinion
Ownership comparison
System Health Check
Land Lease Offer Review
Supplier questionnaires
Battery & Storage Economics
Installer RFP & Bid Leveling
Interconnection Paperwork
How it works
The same four steps whether you are one homeowner or a twelve-building school district.
Twenty minutes. We learn your situation, say honestly whether we can help and send a short document checklist.
You get the deliverables, timeline and a fixed fee in writing before any work begins. No hourly surprises.
We work from your bills, data, proposals and contracts, plus public tariffs and standard financial models.
A plain-English report with an assumptions page, a recorded walkthrough and one round of follow-up questions.
Free tools
Three calculators built on the same logic we use in client work. They run entirely in your browser, and they show their assumptions.
A good tool doesn't make the decision. It makes the decision visible.
Illustrative scenario
A KU customer in Fayette County holds a 25-year lease offer and a cash quote for the same 8.4 kW system. We rerun both, plus the installer's loan, on one consistent method.
A composite built to show our method. Figures are hypothetical.
Walk through the scenario
Twenty-five years of small payments or one large one: the shape of the path matters as much as its length.
Who we serve
Independent, fee-only help for Kentucky homeowners weighing a solar purchase, lease, or PPA, or trying to rescue a system whose installer is gone.
How we help
Fee-only solar analysis for Kentucky small businesses: demand versus energy charges, the 45 kW net metering limit, and solar on buildings you lease.
How we help
Independent feasibility, procurement, and Scope 2 support for Kentucky plants weighing on-site solar, green tariffs, and supplier sustainability requests.
How we help
Independent help for Kentucky farm families weighing on-farm solar, comparing land lease offers, and sorting out co-op rules and 2026 program changes.
How we help
Fee-only solar and sustainability analysis for Kentucky distilleries, breweries, hotels, and event venues, from steam loads and rickhouse roofs to defensible claims.
How we help
Independent solar feasibility, elective pay planning, and board-ready reporting for Kentucky churches, schools, nonprofits, and local governments.
How we helpA good energy decision is one you would still make if nobody were selling you anything.
Insights
Written to be useful rather than to sell. Every article is dated and cites where its facts come from.
Electrifying a Kentucky home? Cut the load, add the heat pump, water heater and EV, then size solar to the new load. Worked math and 2026 credit changes.
Read
14 commercial terms to compare in a Kentucky solar farm lease offer, from rent and escalators to drainage tile and decommissioning, framed for your attorney.
Read
Solar proposals assume your rates rise every year. Test that escalator against Kentucky price history, the 2026 LG&E/KU rate case and export credit risk.
ReadWhere we work
Kentucky is not one solar market. Investor-owned utilities, cooperatives and municipal systems all treat solar differently, and we research your specific tariff every time. Clients outside Kentucky work with us remotely.
Center For Solar LLC · 651 Perimeter Drive, Suite 440, Lexington, KY 40517 · (859) 487-5027
Kentucky isn't one solar market. Different utilities, co-ops, roofs and rules make different math.
FAQ
No. We do not sell equipment, install systems or accept commissions, referral fees or payments from installers, manufacturers, lenders or developers. We are paid a flat fee by the client, which is why our only incentive is getting your numbers right. Read the independence pledge.
Sometimes, and the answer is more personal than it used to be. Without the federal residential credit, payback depends heavily on your utility’s export credit, how much solar you use on site, your roof’s remaining life and the financing terms. Try the payback estimator, then let us check the inputs against your real bills and proposal.
Every engagement is quoted as a flat fee in writing after a free 20-minute fit call, before any work begins. Fees depend on scope and complexity, never on system size or what you spend on equipment. See how our fees work.
Yes. We meet clients in person across Kentucky when it helps, and work remotely with homeowners, businesses and organizations anywhere in the United States. Tariff research is done for your specific utility either way.
Next step
Tell us what you are weighing. A free 20-minute fit call is enough to know whether we can help and what it would take.