Ways to payComparison
How Can You Pay for Solar in the UAE?
Most customers buy their solar system outright and own it, and its savings, from day one. Here is how each way to pay works, and the questions to ask.
By Basheer Ansari, Managing Director & Co-Founder
6 min readLast reviewed
The short answer
Most customers buy the system outright and own it, and its savings, from day one, so this guide spends most of its time there. There are three other ways to pay: a power purchase agreement (PPA), lease-to-own, and finance through your own bank. PPA and lease-to-own are arranged per project; terms depend on the system and eligibility. Ask us.
- Day one: when the system and its savings are yours, if you buy outright.
On this page6 sections
- Day one: when the system and its savings are yours, if you buy outright.
Ways to pay
There are four ways to pay for a Solar Oasis system:
- Buy outright (most customers): Buy the system outright and own it, and its savings, from day one.
- Power purchase agreement (PPA): Pay for the solar power the system produces instead of buying the system.
- Lease-to-own: Fixed monthly payments over an agreed term, and the system becomes yours at the end.
- Your own bank: Prefer to finance through your own bank? We prepare the documents your bank asks for.
PPA and lease-to-own are arranged per project; terms depend on the system and eligibility. Ask us.
- CapEx
- Capital expenditure: paying for an asset you then own. Buying solar outright is a CapEx purchase.
Why do most customers buy outright?
Buy the system outright and own it, and its savings, from day one. Most of our customers pay this way, for reasons you can check for yourself:
- The whole saving is yours. Every kilowatt-hour the system makes is one you don't buy from the grid, and no one else takes a share of it.
- The system is yours. The panels, inverter and mounting belong to you from the day they are installed, with no agreement with a third party running alongside them.
- The price is fixed before you start. On a survey-confirmed proposal, the price on your proposal is the price you pay: utility approvals included; municipality fees and NOCs paid by the owner.
- The decision is simple. One price, set against the saving on your own bill, at your own tariff.
- You choose who looks after it. Look after it yourself, or take a maintenance plan with us.
Buying outright is the simplest way to own solar: one price, and the saving on every bill after that is yours.
Before you buy, ask any installer:
- Is the price all-in, and what does it include?
- Which panels, inverter and mounting does the proposal name?
- What does the system save on my own bill, at my tariff?
- What do the makers' warranties cover?
- Who looks after the system after handover, and what does that cost?
To see your own numbers, the calculator on our pricing page shows your own savings from your bill, and how systems are priced in each emirate. For the costs emirate by emirate, read solar costs in the UAE.
- Buy outright: day one, yours; over the term, yours; at the end, yours. Buy the system outright and own it, and its savings, from day one.
- Your own bank: day one, yours, repaying your bank; over the term, yours, repaying your bank; at the end, yours. Yours from day one; the loan is agreed with your bank, and we prepare the documents it asks for.
- Lease-to-own: day one, paying towards it; over the term, paying towards it; at the end, yours. Fixed monthly payments over an agreed term, and the system becomes yours at the end.
- PPA: day one, paying for the power; over the term, paying for the power; at the end, per project. Pay for the solar power the system produces instead of buying the system.
Words only: no term, rate or amount is published for any way to pay. PPA and lease-to-own are arranged per project; terms depend on the system and eligibility. Ask us.
How does a power purchase agreement (PPA) work?
Pay for the solar power the system produces instead of buying the system.
In a PPA you don't own the system on your roof: the provider does. You pay for the electricity it produces, at a rate the agreement sets, and the agreement says who looks after the system and what happens when it ends.
Who it tends to suit: sites that would rather pay for power than own equipment, such as a business that keeps its capital for its own operations: see solar for commercial and industrial sites.
Questions to ask about any PPA:
- What is the rate for each kWh, and can it change during the agreement?
- How long does the agreement run?
- Who maintains, cleans and insures the system?
- What happens at the end: can you buy the system, renew the agreement, or have it removed?
- What happens if you sell the property or move out?
PPA and lease-to-own are arranged per project; terms depend on the system and eligibility. Ask us.
- PPA
- Power purchase agreement: you pay for the power a solar system produces, not for the system itself.
How does lease-to-own work?
Fixed monthly payments over an agreed term, and the system becomes yours at the end.
During the term you use the system and the power it makes; at the end of the term, the system is yours.
Who it tends to suit: homes and businesses that want to own the system in the end, with the cost spread over the term.
Questions to ask about any lease-to-own offer:
- What do the payments add up to over the whole term, set against the price of buying outright?
- Can you pay off the balance early, and how?
- Who maintains the system during the term?
- What happens if you sell the property before the end?
PPA and lease-to-own are arranged per project; terms depend on the system and eligibility. Ask us.
- Lease-to-own
- Fixed payments over an agreed term, after which the system passes to you.
Can you finance solar through your own bank?
Prefer to finance through your own bank? We prepare the documents your bank asks for.
A loan from your own bank pays for the system, so you buy it outright and own it from day one; you then repay the bank on the terms you agree with it. The bank decides whether to lend, and on what terms.
Who it tends to suit: owners who want everything buying outright gives them, and who already bank where they would like to borrow.
Questions to ask your bank:
- Does it lend for solar or for home and building improvements?
- What rate and term does it offer, and are there fees?
- Which documents does it need from you, and which from the installer?
How do the four compare?
Buy outright
- Ownership
- Yours from day one
- Upfront payment
- You pay the system price
- Who maintains it
- You, or a maintenance plan
- Who it suits
- Owners who want the whole saving
PPA
- Ownership
- You pay for the power, not the system
- Upfront payment
- Per project
- Who maintains it
- Per project
- Who it suits
- Sites that would rather pay for power than own equipment
Lease-to-own
- Ownership
- Yours at the end of the term
- Upfront payment
- Per project
- Who maintains it
- Per project
- Who it suits
- Owners who want the system in the end, with the cost spread
Your own bank
- Ownership
- Yours from day one
- Upfront payment
- Agreed with your bank
- Who maintains it
- You, or a maintenance plan
- Who it suits
- Owners who want to buy with a loan from their own bank
Keep reading
- How Does Shams Dubai Approval Work, Step by Step?Every step of DEWA's Shams Dubai process, from eligibility and NOCs to net metering, timelines and costs, explained in plain English.
Step by stepApprovals and rules6 min readReviewed
- What Does Solar Cost in Each Emirate?We work out the savings maths from the tariffs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates, and show what it means for your villa or business in 2026.
CostsCosts and incentives5 min readReviewed
- Do Solar Panels Work in UAE Heat and Dust?How 45°C heat, dust and humidity really affect solar output in the UAE, and the engineering that keeps systems producing year after year.
ExplainerEquipment5 min readReviewed
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