The Case of the $0 Solar Scam

Mar 31, 2025

It was a Thursday afternoon in Mississauga. Ameenah Rahimi had just finished a Zoom call, dishes were piled high in the sink, and her youngest was begging for Wi-Fi to stream cartoons when the doorbell rang.

On the porch stood a clean-cut man in a blue polo, clipboard in hand and a logo on his chest that looked—official. He smiled like someone with a secret he couldn’t wait to share.

“We’re rolling out a new $0 solar program backed by the government. No money down, no catch. Just savings.”

Ameenah blinked. Solar? She’d thought about it. She’d even looked into it briefly during the winter, but the quotes felt like a luxury she couldn’t justify—especially with mortgage payments, rising groceries, and everything else.

But this? It sounded easy. Risk-free. Too easy, maybe.

She asked him if she’d still get a hydro bill. He waved it off.

“You’ll pay less than what you’re paying now—sometimes nothing at all. We take care of everything.”

The papers looked neat. The sales pitch was smooth. The guy even pointed out a house down the street that “just got approved last week.”

So she signed.

And for a little while, it felt like she’d won something.

☀️ But Then the Sun Set

Three months later, Ameenah opened her bank app and stared at a transaction she didn’t recognize. It was a new withdrawal—$167, labeled as “Power Purchase – Clean Energy Solutions Inc.”

Her eyebrows knit.

That same day, her utility bill arrived. It wasn’t gone. It wasn’t even lower. It was higher. A surcharge had been added. Her net savings? Negative. She felt a heat that had nothing to do with the sun.

She called the company.

“Oh, yes,” said the rep, all smiles over the phone. “That’s your solar subscription. You’re not paying for the system—you’re just buying the power it produces.”

Ameenah sat in silence. She had signed thinking she was going solar. But in reality, she had leased her rooftop to a third-party provider, locked herself into a 25-year contract, and now paid two bills—one to the utility, and one to the solar company.

Worse, the contract included an annual price increase, minimum usage fees, and zero option to claim the federal tax credit. Because she didn’t own the system.

She’d been sold the illusion of ownership. And now, she was stuck with the consequences.

🧠 When the Contract Becomes the Product

That night, Ameenah couldn’t sleep. She pulled up the contract again—reading every line with a highlighter and a rising pit in her stomach. It was all there. Buried in legalese, hidden behind sunny promises.

She wasn’t a solar customer. She was a subscriber—paying monthly for power her own roof was generating, but under someone else’s control.

She thought back to how it had all sounded: “$0 down,” “no catch,” “no maintenance,” “fully guaranteed.” She remembered asking if she’d own the panels, and how the rep never quite answered directly.

And now she understood why.

🕵️ How She Took the Power Back

The next morning, Ameenah called a lawyer. She printed screenshots of the emails, copied the flyer the rep left on her table, and requested all correspondence and data from the installer.

It turned out there was a clause—obscure, but real—that required the solar company to meet a minimum production guarantee. And because they’d overpromised and underdelivered in her first quarter, they were in breach.

It wasn’t easy. It took six months of phone calls, letters, and threats of small claims court. But in the end, she negotiated an exit—not clean, but possible. She had to pay a small buyout to end the contract early. It stung. But it was worth it.

Then she did something unexpected: she started a group chat with other homeowners on her street.

Turns out, three of her neighbors had signed similar deals. One of them was about to list their home, only to find that the solar lease was a red flag to buyers. Another had received no production at all for two weeks due to a faulty inverter—and the company was nowhere to be found.

They’d all been sold the dream.
They’d all been left in the dark.

🔦 What Ameenah Tells People Now

She didn’t give up on solar. In fact, she still believes in it. But now, when someone mentions “$0 down,” her posture shifts.

She tells them the truth:

“Solar can be amazing. It can save you thousands. It can give you control.
But only if you own it.
If someone else owns your panels, they own your roof, your energy, your savings.
And you’re just renting your way into a trap.”

She speaks at local events. She reviews contracts for newcomers. She has a one-page handout called “Before You Sign: Ask These Questions.”

And when a new rep knocks on her door?

She smiles, folds her arms, and says, “Let me ask you a few things first.”

💡 The Real Cost of ‘Free’

In the solar world, the panel is never really free. The pitch might be. The handshake might be. But behind every “$0 down” offer is a business model that depends on your ignorance.

Ask who owns the system.
Ask what happens if you move.
Ask what the contract really says in year 10.
And always, always ask:
“If this is such a good deal—why do I feel rushed to sign?”

Because real power doesn’t come from the panels.
It comes from understanding the contract that controls them.