How we picked
Filtered to lenders that fund solar EPC and installation contractors. Equipment financing ranked first because the install van fleet, scissor / boom lifts, and shop tooling are the bulk of any installer's borrowing need and are collateral. Inventory-bridge MCA prioritized for the 30-60 day gap between panel / inverter / battery purchase and the dealer-channel net-30/60 pay from PTO. SBA reserved for warehouse acquisition and commercial-EPC division build-out. CDFI for first-generation installers rebuilding credit. Note: 2026 tariff conditions on imported panels and cells materially shift cost-of-goods quarter to quarter; pricing risk needs to be modeled into any inventory-bridge product.
Top picks at a glance
| Lender | Best for | Amount | Speed | Min credit | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Currency Capital | Best for install vans, crew trucks, and material trucks | $10,000 – $2,000,000 | Funding in 24 – 72 hours after approval | 600+ | Apply → |
| Beacon Funding | Best for scissor lifts, boom lifts, and shop tooling | $5,000 – $1,000,000 | Funding in 1 – 5 business days | 550+ | Apply → |
| Credibly | Best fast bridge for dealer-channel pay-cycle gaps | $5K – $600K | As fast as 4 hours | 550+ | Apply → |
| Balboa Capital | Best application-only for mixed van + lift + tool packages | $5,000 – $250,000 | 1 – 3 business days | 600+ | Apply → |
| Greenbox Capital | Best for credit-recovering installers post-2024 industry shakeout (500+ credit) | $5K – $250K (MCA); other products vary | 24 – 48 hours | Flexible — accepts down to 500 on some programs | Apply → |
| Live Oak Bank | Best SBA 7(a) for warehouse acquisition or commercial-EPC division | $25,000 – $25,000,000+ | 30 – 90 days underwriting (SBA standard) | 680+ typical | Apply → |
Advertiser disclosure: Fundnode may earn referral fees from funders listed on this page when you apply through us. This does not affect editorial rankings — see our methodology.
Detailed reviews — our 6 picks
#1 · Best for install vans, crew trucks, and material trucks
Currency Capital
Max amount
$2,000,000
Cost
APR 8 – 22% (varies by equipment + credit)
Speed
Funding in 24 – 72 hours after approval
Min credit
600+
Why we picked it
Currency Capital finances the rolling stock — Ford Transit and Mercedes Sprinter install vans with rack-and-pinion roof ladder racks and material shelving ($55K-$95K), Ford F-350 and F-450 crew-cab pickups for residential install teams ($55K-$85K), and Isuzu NPR material-delivery trucks for commercial panel staging ($85K-$140K). APR 8-22% structurally beats MCA on any vehicle buy over $50K. Title held as collateral so personal guarantee is lighter than unsecured MCA. The cleanest first call when the capital need is a 3-6 install-van fleet expansion.
The strength
Equipment-specific financing with strong tech platform. Online application, fast approval. Equipment serves as collateral — lower rates than unsecured MCA equivalents. Strong industries: trucking, construction, manufacturing.
The watch-out
Equipment-only — financed funds must be used for specific equipment purchase. Equipment-as-collateral means default risks the equipment.
Qualifications
6 months
$10,000+
600+
#2 · Best for scissor lifts, boom lifts, and shop tooling
Beacon Funding
Max amount
$1,000,000
Cost
APR 8 – 25%
Speed
Funding in 1 – 5 business days
Min credit
550+
Why we picked it
Beacon funds the specialty equipment most general lenders won't touch — Genie and JLG scissor lifts and boom lifts for commercial flat-roof installs ($35K-$85K), Hilti and Milwaukee install tool kits (impact drivers, panel-handling vacuum lifters, torque tools — $8K-$25K), rooftop fall-protection and harness packages, racking and BOS inventory racks, and battery-installation lifting and dolly systems. 550+ credit acceptable. Section 179 friendly. Equipment-secured APR 10-22% structurally beats MCA on any tool buy over $10K. The right tool when standing up a commercial-EPC service line.
The strength
Equipment financing with broader industry acceptance than larger competitors. Will fund specialty equipment (food trucks, photography gear, fitness equipment, salon equipment). Lower credit threshold (550+).
The watch-out
Higher rates than bank equipment financing for prime credit. Smaller deal cap. Industry specialization can mean less depth in any single vertical.
Qualifications
12 months
$10,000+
550+
#3 · Best fast bridge for dealer-channel pay-cycle gaps
Credibly
Max amount
$600K
Cost
Factor 1.11+ (MCA)
Speed
As fast as 4 hours
Min credit
550+
Why we picked it
The residential dealer-channel funder pay cycle (Sunrun, Sunnova, SunPower, GoodLeap, Mosaic, Sunlight Financial) commonly runs net-30 to net-60 from PTO, and PTO itself is 45-120 days from contract signing. When payroll for an 8-installer crew plus a permitting / interconnection coordinator can't wait, Credibly funds in as fast as 4 hours. 550+ credit, 6+ months operating, $15K+/mo revenue. Multi-product (MCA + LOC + term) — the LOC is the structurally correct product for recurring PTO-to-payment gaps and is cheaper than the MCA for repeated use.
The strength
March 2026 API V2 + Cloudsquare integration — most modern submission UX in MCA. $3B+ deployed, 60K+ SMBs. Publishes factor rates honestly (starting 1.11 for A-paper).
The watch-out
The 1.11 headline is the A-paper floor; average factor is closer to 1.32. ISO commission terms aren't public.
Qualifications
6 months
$15,000
550+
#4 · Best application-only for mixed van + lift + tool packages
Balboa Capital
Max amount
$250,000
Cost
Equipment APR 8 – 22%
Speed
1 – 3 business days
Min credit
600+
Why we picked it
Balboa funds the install van plus the scissor lift plus the Hilti tool package in one application-only transaction up to $350K — no full financials required, just a one-page app and 3-6 months of bank statements. 600+ credit, 2+ years TIB. Faster close than Currency or Beacon for established installers who want the fleet expansion bundled into one payment as they scale from 3-5 crews to 8-12 crews.
The strength
Strong equipment financing + working capital combined. Public-bank-backed (Bank of America subsidiary historically; now Ameris Bank). Section 179 friendly structures.
The watch-out
Equipment-only restriction on lower-rate products. Working capital pricing not always the cheapest.
Qualifications
12 months
$10,000
600+
#5 · Best for credit-recovering installers post-2024 industry shakeout (500+ credit)
Greenbox Capital
Max amount
$250K (MCA); other products vary
Cost
Factor varies
Speed
24 – 48 hours
Min credit
Flexible — accepts down to 500 on some programs
Why we picked it
Solar installation has had a documented credit-event wave through 2024-2025 — Sunnova's restructuring, multiple residential-dealer-channel funder slowdowns, the SunPower Chapter 11 in 2024, and the resulting installer-side AR write-downs and MCA stacks that didn't pencil. Greenbox Capital accepts down to 500 credit on some programs, is industry-flexible, and won't decline you on a fresh credit ding from a 2024-2025 dealer-funder dispute. Published ISO commission caps bound broker markup.
The strength
Five products under one roof: MCA, invoice factoring, equipment financing, collateral loans, LOC. White-label contracts let brokers run the deal under their own brand. Priority 1 status for new ISOs.
The watch-out
$250K MCA cap is below competitors. Marketing tilts broker-friendly more than merchant-transparent.
Qualifications
6 months
$15,000
Flexible — accepts down to 500 on some programs
#6 · Best SBA 7(a) for warehouse acquisition or commercial-EPC division
Live Oak Bank
Max amount
$25,000,000+
Cost
SBA 7(a) APR prime + 2.75% to 4.75%
Speed
30 – 90 days underwriting (SBA standard)
Min credit
680+ typical
Why we picked it
SBA 7(a) via Live Oak is the cleanest structure for established solar installers buying a warehouse with secure panel and battery storage (UL 9540A-compliant battery storage where required), building out a dedicated commercial-EPC or solar-plus-storage division (PE-stamped designer hires, commercial-EPC contractor licensing, bond capacity build, NABCEP-certified installer adds), or acquiring a competing residential operation ($250K-$5M typical: vans, lifts, warehouse real estate, CRM and design software, and working capital wrapped into one package). Prime + 2.75-4.75% APR over 10 years dramatically beats MCA on any deal over $250K. 60-90 day close. Need 24+ months operating and 680+ credit. Live Oak has a documented solar-vertical lending track record.
The strength
Largest SBA 7(a) lender in the US by dollar volume for 7+ consecutive years. Industry-specialty teams (veterinary, dental, funeral homes, self-storage, agriculture, hotels). Deep understanding of niche-vertical underwriting. Dramatically cheaper than MCA for qualifying merchants.
The watch-out
Long underwriting timeline (45-90 days typical). Requires strong credit (680+), 2+ years operating, clean financials. Industries outside their specialty get less attention.
Qualifications
24 months
$20,000+
680+ typical
Frequently asked questions
- How do solar installers handle the net-30/60 pay-from-PTO cycle?
- Three structural moves: (1) negotiate accelerated pay options with the dealer-channel funder (Sunrun, Sunnova, GoodLeap, Mosaic, Sunlight) — most have a milestone-pay structure (deposit at contract, partial at install, balance at PTO) and the milestones can be tightened with a stronger installer-side relationship; (2) self-finance a portion via a Credibly LOC, drawing only against installs in PTO-pending status and repaying when the dealer pays; (3) for commercial work, structure 50% deposit / 30% at install / 20% at PTO to avoid waiting on net-30/60 from a single utility-interconnection event. Avoid using MCA to finance the panel and inverter inventory directly — equipment / inventory financing through a specialty distributor channel (CED Greentech, CEP, Krannich) is materially cheaper.
- Should I take an MCA to cover panel and inverter inventory for a Q3 install pipeline?
- Probably not. Specialty solar distributors (CED Greentech, CED Solar, CEP, Krannich, Soligent) commonly offer net-30 to net-60 terms on panel and inverter inventory to established installers, and some have inventory-financing programs with rates materially below MCA. Use the distributor net terms first. If you've maxed your distributor credit line and need additional inventory bridge for a documented install pipeline, a short-duration Credibly LOC is cheaper than a generalist MCA. Note 2026 tariff dynamics on imported panels and cells — model COGS volatility into any inventory-bridge structure.
- How do I finance scissor and boom lifts for commercial flat-roof installs?
- Beacon Funding is the cleanest path for the lifts — equipment-secured APR 10-22%, Section 179 deduction in year of purchase. Genie and JLG both have referral relationships with Beacon and other equipment financiers. SBA 7(a) is the cleanest structure if the lift purchase is paired with a warehouse purchase or a commercial-EPC division build-out as a discrete capex package. Avoid MCA on a $75K lift buy.
- What revenue do I need to qualify as a solar installer?
- Credibly MCA: $15K+/mo, 6+ months TIB, 550+ credit. Greenbox MCA: $10K+/mo with 500+ credit, industry-flexible. Currency / Beacon / Balboa equipment financing: revenue-flexible because the van or lift is collateral — 6+ months operating, 550-600+ credit. Live Oak SBA: $50K+/mo and 680+ personal credit for a $250K+ warehouse or division package. Match yourself at /match.
Related reading
- Best MCA funders for electrical contractors
- Best MCA funders for HVAC contractors
- Best MCA funders for landscaping businesses
- Best equipment financing 2026
- The full 2026 ranking — 100 funders
Methodology
How we chose
Ranking criteria
- Use-case fit — funder must qualify the merchant profile this page targets (credit, time-in-business, revenue, industry).
- Pricing transparency — published factor-rate or APR-equivalent disclosure outweighs marketing-only quotes.
- Speed-to-fund — verified time from signed contract to ACH deposit, not 'as fast as' marketing claims.
- Contract terms — daily/weekly debit structure, prepayment treatment, COJ / personal guarantee posture.
- Customer-experience signals — BBB profile, Trustpilot, ISO chatter, and direct merchant feedback collected via Fundnode applications.
Sources consulted
- Funder-published rate cards, contract templates, and disclosure pages (refreshed quarterly).
- Public regulatory filings — California DFPI commercial-financing disclosures, New York commercial-financing disclosure law filings.
- Direct merchant feedback collected through Fundnode's /qualify funnel (n > 200 since 2026-01).
- ISO desk operator interviews — anonymized commentary on approval patterns and stipulations.
Update cadence
Reviewed quarterly. Last updated 2026-06-24.
Conflict of interest
Fundnode may earn referral fees from funders listed on this page when merchants apply through us. Rankings are editorial and independent of fee economics — funders cannot pay for placement.