2026 Buyer's Guide
Best solar dealer programs for sales organizations
If you want to sell residential solar without running installs in-house, these are the leading programs: compared across financing, materials, installer networks, and back-office support.
What is a solar dealer program?
A solar dealer program lets a sales organization close residential solar deals while a fulfillment partner handles everything after the sale: financing, materials, installation, design, permitting, and project management. The best programs handle all five pillars; some only cover one or two.
In 2026, the leading programs for sales-first organizations are Seamless Home (multi-lender financing + Direct Pay materials + full back-office), Powur (all-in-one virtual-EPC platform), Sunrun (largest TPO platform, subcontractor install channel), SunPower's dealer program (brand-led, now owned by Complete Solaria and carrying a going-concern disclosure, see the caveat below), and Palmetto / LightReach (TPO-focused financing). Each fits a different priority set. The comparison table and breakdown below will help you match program to your business model.
One caveat specific to 2026: this list is shorter than it was. Freedom Forever, the second-largest U.S. residential installer in 2025, filed for Chapter 11 in April 2026, and at the end of July its sale process collapsed and it moved to convert to a Chapter 7 liquidation, so it is not a program you can join. The original SunPower wound down in Chapter 11 in 2024 and the brand now belongs to a different company, one whose management and independent auditor both flagged substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern in an SEC filing dated August 4, 2026, and which ended Q2 2026 with $4.0 million in cash. It has not filed for bankruptcy and its dealer program is still operating, but it is no longer a low-risk default. Counterparty stability belongs on your evaluation checklist alongside financing and margin. See our sourced 2026 market-status breakdown for the detail.
Solar dealer programs compared (2026)
Five programs across four factors that determine whether a dealer program will scale with your business.
| Factor | Seamless HomeBest for financing flexibility + materials | PowurBest for: all-in-one branded EPC platform | SunrunBest for: large, well-capitalised TPO counterparty, but a contracting partner channel | SunPower (Complete Solaria)Brand-driven close, but see the going-concern warning | Palmetto / LightReachBest for: TPO-focused financing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financing | Multi-lender: GoodLeap, Sunlight Financial, LightReach, EnFin, Concert Finance, Solrite + sell-on-paper | Powur-controlled products; limited lender optionality | Third-party ownership led, 94% of Q2 2026 customer additions were subscriptions (lease/PPA) | Dealer-program financing under the rebuilt SunPower | TPO (lease/PPA) via LightReach, financing first |
| Materials | Direct Pay, $0 upfront working capital | Not a core differentiator; EPC-focused | Procured by Sunrun or by the installing subcontractor, depending on partner type | Managed under the SunPower brand | Not a core offering |
| Installer network | Vetted network; deals auto-routed at close | Powur's own installer network | Partner channel, solar integrators and installation partners install as subcontractors | Non-installing dealer network acquired from the original SunPower in 2024 | Partner installer network; coverage varies |
| Back-office | Design, permitting, engineering, funding uploads, milestone PM | Full virtual-EPC platform; integrated tools | Sunrun owns the customer agreement, the asset and the servicing relationship | Dealer program plus brand-led marketing support | Limited relative to full-EPC platforms |
Program breakdowns
Seamless Home
Best for financing flexibility + materials
Strengths
- ✓Multi-lender: TPO + loans + sell-on-paper
- ✓$0 working capital via Direct Pay
- ✓Full back-office handled in-house
- ✓SubcontractorHub CRM for project visibility
Limitations
- , Residential solar focus (not commercial/utility)
- , Network coverage concentrated in key markets
Powur
Best for: all-in-one branded EPC platform
Strengths
- ✓All-in-one branded platform
- ✓Single integrated experience for new reps
- ✓Established in the market
Limitations
- , Financing lock-in
- , Network coverage gaps in some markets
- , Margin compression at scale
Sunrun
Best for: large, well-capitalised TPO counterparty, but a contracting partner channel
Strengths
- ✓Largest residential TPO platform in the U.S. 1,034,738 subscribers as of June 30, 2026, up 10% year over year
- ✓Established subcontractor/partner channel
- ✓Balance sheet depth relative to peers, $1.1B total cash and ~$1.5B of asset-level financing raised in 2026 year to date
- ✓Record 74% storage attachment rate in Q2 2026
Limitations
- , Little room for a loan or cash pitch
- , You originate into Sunrun's paper
- , Sunrun keeps the customer relationship
- , Partner channel is contracting: Q2 2026 subscriber additions fell 31% year over year
- , FY26 Cash Generation guidance cut to $200-375M on August 5, 2026, attributed in part to “reduced affiliate channel volumes”
SunPower (Complete Solaria)
Brand-driven close, but see the going-concern warning
Strengths
- ✓Consumer brand recognition still converts
- ✓Non-installing dealer program survived the 2024 sale and is still operating
- ✓Record residential transactional bookings reported for Q2 2026
- ✓Not in bankruptcy; still listed on Nasdaq
Limitations
- , ⚠️ Substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosed by management and carried in auditor BDO USA's explanatory paragraph (SEC prospectus, Aug 4, 2026)
- , Ended Q2 2026 with $4.0M cash against its own $10M minimum target
- , Q2 2026 revenue fell $16.8M sequentially to $56.0M; $18.1M GAAP operating loss
- , Not the pre-2024 SunPower, the original company wound down in Chapter 11
- , Diligence as a distressed counterparty and read the latest EDGAR filings first
Palmetto / LightReach
Best for: TPO-focused financing
Strengths
- ✓Streamlined TPO product
- ✓LightReach has a broad credit band
- ✓Good for $0-down-focused markets
Limitations
- , Not a full fulfillment alternative (financing only)
- , No materials procurement
- , Install network varies by market
How to choose a solar dealer program
The right dealer program depends on your business model, deal volume, and where you want control vs. convenience. Here's how to think through the five criteria:
New to the industry? Start with our step-by-step guide on how to become a solar dealer before comparing programs. Or see what the Seamless Home solar dealer program includes.
Financing flexibility
If you're closing homeowners across a range of credit profiles and financial situations, you need TPO, loans, and a fallback (sell-on-paper). Single-lender programs lose deals. Ask every program: how many lenders, and which products are available?
Installer network coverage
Network reliability in your specific markets matters more than headline coverage. Ask for coverage confirmation in your target zip codes, not just national claims.
Materials procurement and working capital
At 20+ deals/month, materials working capital becomes a real constraint. Ask: does the program require you to front material costs, and if so, how long before you're reimbursed?
Back-office depth
Design, permitting, engineering, and funding-portal uploads are time-consuming and error-prone if done in-house. A program that handles all of this internally keeps your team focused on selling.
Margin structure
Platform fees, lender dealer fees, and install costs all affect your per-deal margin. Model out the economics at your current deal volume and at 2x, some programs that look attractive at low volume compress significantly at scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a solar dealer program?+
A solar dealer program lets a sales organization or independent rep sell residential solar systems while a fulfillment partner handles installation, financing, materials, permitting, and project management. The sales org closes the homeowner; the dealer program delivers the system. Programs vary significantly in how much they control. Some are all-in-one platforms (Powur), others are lender-agnostic back-end partners (Seamless Home), and others are large installers or TPO providers with a dealer channel (Sunrun, SunPower).
What's the difference between a solar dealer program and a virtual EPC?+
A virtual EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) handles the full fulfillment stack: financing, procurement, design, permitting, engineering, and install coordination. A dealer program is a broader category. Some dealer programs are true virtual EPCs (Powur, Seamless Home), while others primarily provide an install network or a financing product. When evaluating a program, ask whether it handles all five pillars: financing, materials, installer network, back-office (design/permitting/engineering), and project management.
Which solar dealer program is best for financing flexibility?+
Seamless Home is the strongest for multi-lender flexibility. Its panel includes GoodLeap, Sunlight Financial, LightReach, EnFin, Concert Finance, and Solrite, covering TPO products, solar loans across multiple credit tiers, and sell-on-our-paper, all through one workflow. Most other dealer programs have a fixed or controlled financing menu. Multi-lender access also matters more than it used to: after the Mosaic and Sunnova bankruptcies in 2025, a program tied to a single funding source is a concentration risk.
Which program is best for sales orgs without working capital?+
Seamless Home's Direct Pay is the only major program that explicitly addresses the working-capital problem: materials are procured and delivered without requiring upfront payment from the sales org. Other programs, Powur, Sunrun, SunPower, handle materials internally or through the installing subcontractor, but the sales org's exposure to capital timing varies by contract structure.
Can I build my own solar sales business using a dealer program?+
Yes. The entire premise of a dealer program is to let you build a sales-first business without the overhead of installation, permitting, or materials procurement. The best programs, like Seamless Home, are designed to scale with your deal volume without requiring proportional growth in your operating infrastructure.
What should I compare when choosing a solar dealer program?+
Five criteria: (1) Financing flexibility, single vs. multi-lender, which products (TPO, loans, paper); (2) Installer network coverage and reliability in your target markets; (3) Materials procurement, does it eliminate working capital exposure? (4) Back-office depth: design, permitting, engineering, PM handled or self-managed? (5) Margin structure: what does the program cost, and how does it affect per-deal margin?
Keep comparing
Seamless Home solar dealer program
How the dealer program works: financing, materials, and installation for sales-first orgs.
Learn more →Seamless Home vs. Powur
A head-to-head on financing, materials, and margin for solar sales organizations.
Learn more →How to become a solar dealer
Start selling solar without a crew, a warehouse, or working capital.
Learn more →Find out if Seamless Home is the right fit
Get in touch and we'll walk through how Seamless Home compares to what you're running now: financing, materials, back-office, and margin.
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