Ultimately, the ads for “free” solar panels are dishonest. One solar energy expert even called them “predatory and harmful.”
Many of the ads reference a “new solar stimulus program” supposedly enacted by the federal government. No program like this exists. Although the Solar Investment Tax Credit has been in place for over 15 years, the federal government has never simply given away solar panels.
Other ads claim that the government or local utilities will “pay” homeowners to install solar panels. This is not true either. Although electric companies in Colorado and other parts of the country commonly offer incentives to homeowners who go solar, the solar energy systems must meet certain requirements to qualify. The ads make no mention of these requirements, nor do they indicate that their equipment is in compliance with the standards used by local utilities.
Finally, the “free” solar panel ads also bury the fine print when it comes to the obligations customers are under after they enter into contracts with the solar companies running these ads. Solar leases and solar PPAs generally include price escalator clauses that can increase what you pay for solar with little to no warning. 
