Your Rhode Island Solar Contract Is Costing You More Than You Were Told. Here's What to Do About It.
The short version: Most Rhode Island solar leases have an escalator clause. It raises your payment 2.9% every year. Over 25 years, a $150 payment grows to more than $300. Rhode Island AG Peter Neronha sued Smart Green Solar and CEO Jasjit Gotra. Big solar companies that worked in Rhode Island have gone bankrupt. Sunnova Energy is one of them. If your solar panels aren't saving what you were told, you have real rights. Start with a free Solar Relief Assessment to see what's actually in your contract.
Rhode Island has some of the highest electricity rates in the entire country. And that's exactly why solar sales teams have been knocking on doors in Providence, Warwick, Cranston, and across the state with one pitch that sounds impossible to refuse: "We'll cut your electric bill."
Here's what they didn't tell you. When your rates are already high, it's easy for a salesperson to make the savings math look incredible on paper. All they have to do is assume your utility rates will keep climbing at an aggressive pace. If those rates don't climb that fast - or if your contract has an escalator clause raising your payment every year - the "savings" disappear.
That's not a guess. That's what Rhode Island homeowners are discovering right now. If you signed a solar contract and the numbers aren't matching what you were promised, you're not alone. And you're not stuck.
The Rhode Island Attorney General Is Watching Solar
Rhode Island AG Peter Neronha sued Smart Green Solar and CEO Jasjit Gotra. In November 2023, the AG filed an amended complaint. It added two more company executives as defendants. On March 14, 2024, the court entered a consent order. That order bars Gotra from making misrepresentations while the case continues. The case is still active in Providence County Superior Court. The AG's office logged 107 solar complaints in 2023 — up from 48 the year before. More than half were against Smart Green.
This matters to you. State enforcement agencies have put it on the record. The same sales tactics used on Rhode Island homeowners are now named in court filings. If what your salesperson told you doesn't match your contract, you're not alone. You're not crazy. And you have options.
What's actually in your Rhode Island solar contract
Here's what most Rhode Island homeowners don't find out until they've been paying for a year or two: the deal you signed isn't the deal you were sold.
Your salesperson told you solar would save money against Rhode Island's high rates. But did they mention the escalator clause? That's the line that raises your solar payment every year - by as much as 2.9%. On a 25-year lease, that takes a $150 monthly payment past $300. In a state where high electricity rates were supposed to make solar a no-brainer, your solar payment ends up costing more than the utility bill it replaced!
Did they mention what happens if you try to sell your home? Your buyer has to agree to take over your solar contract. Many buyers won't. That means you're stuck paying a buyout of $7,000 to $30,000 or more - just to sell your own house.
Did your salesperson mention Freedom Forever? Freedom Forever was one of the biggest solar installers in the country. They put in about 2 gigawatts of solar across 35 states. On April 15, 2026, they filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware. They owe $500 million to $1 billion. Between 50,000 and 100,000 people are owed money. Freedom Forever was still installing in Rhode Island when they filed. If Freedom Forever installed your system, your contract is still active. But the company behind your warranty is now in bankruptcy limbo.
Freedom Forever isn't alone. SolarInsure counted more than 100 solar company bankruptcies in 2024. SunPower filed Chapter 11 in August 2024. A company called Complete Solaria bought them. Sunnova Energy filed Chapter 11 in June 2025. Titan Solar Power filed Chapter 7 in June 2024. Pink Energy, Lumio Holdings, and Vision Solar are on the same list. When your installer goes bankrupt, your payments don't stop. Your contract doesn't cancel. But your warranty usually disappears.
Your rights under Rhode Island law
Rhode Island gives you real consumer protection tools. Here's what you need to know - and what your salesperson almost certainly didn't explain.
Your 3-day cancellation window. If your solar contract was signed at your home, the FTC Cooling-Off Rule gives you 3 business days to cancel. Rhode Island's Home Solicitation Sales Act (R.I.G.L. §6-28-1 et seq.) reinforces this protection under state law. If your salesperson didn't tell you about this right, that affects the enforceability of your contract. Pull out your paperwork. If there's no cancellation notice on the front page, that's your answer.
Rhode Island Deceptive Trade Practices Act. R.I.G.L. §6-13.1-1 et seq. prohibits deceptive trade practices in Rhode Island. If your solar company misled you about savings, system output, or contract terms, this statute gives you grounds to act. The Rhode Island Attorney General's Consumer Protection Unit investigates these complaints and takes them seriously.
Renewable Energy Growth Program changes. Rhode Island's RE Growth Program has provided incentives for solar. But program terms and compensation rates change over time. If your salesperson projected income based on earlier, more generous terms, your actual returns are lower than what was promised. That gap between projection and reality is the gap you're living with right now.
Rhode Island Energy rate assumptions. Your savings projections were built around rates from Rhode Island Energy (formerly National Grid). Rhode Island homeowners pay among the highest rates in the nation - but that also made the projections easy to inflate. If rates haven't climbed as fast as your salesperson assumed, the savings math falls apart.
Hidden dealer fees in your loan. If you financed your system through a solar loan, there is a good chance a dealer fee was added to your loan balance without clear explanation. Under the federal Truth in Lending Act, every finance charge must be disclosed. If yours wasn't, that's a violation - and it means you've been paying interest on money that went to the solar company, not to your system.
What you can do right now
You don't have to figure this out alone. Here are the first steps for Rhode Island homeowners.
File a complaint with the Rhode Island Attorney General. Go to https://riag.ri.gov/forms/consumer-complaint. Or call 401-274-4400. Filing is free. The AG's office reads every complaint.
Compare what the salesperson told you to what's in your contract. In most cases, the two don't match. That gap is what makes a case.
Pull your utility bills from the last 12 months. Add up what you're paying the utility plus what you're paying for solar. Compare that to what you'd pay the utility alone. If the numbers don't work, that's a real gap — not just a feeling.
Find the escalator clause and the dealer fee in your contract. These two lines cause the biggest gap between what you were sold and what you're paying. You can spot both by reading your own paperwork.
Every contract is different. But the first step is the same for everyone. Understand what you signed. Solar Home Advocate built the free Solar Relief Assessment for this exact moment. Someone walks through your contract with you in plain English. They tell you your options.
You Signed a Solar Contract in Rhode Island. Find Out What It's Actually Costing You.
Rhode Island's high electricity rates made the solar pitch sound like a sure thing. But high rates also made the projections easy to inflate. A free Solar Relief Assessment helps you understand what's in your contract, what went wrong, and what you can do about it for you and your family.
[Get free Solar Relief Assessment →](https://solarhomeadvocate.com/free-assessment?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=state-guide&utm_content=rhode-island)Get free Solar Relief Assessment →**
No charge. No obligation. No high-pressure pitch.
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"Sal says: A 2.9% escalator clause nearly doubles your payment over 25 years. Freedom Forever filed Chapter 11 in April 2026. If you signed a solar contract in Rhode Island, these facts hit your math and your warranty."
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are my rights if I signed a solar contract in Rhode Island?
Did a salesperson come to your home? If yes, you have a 3-day right to cancel. That's under R.I. Gen. Laws §6-28-1 et seq. (Home Solicitation Sales Act) and the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule. Rhode Island also has Rhode Island Deceptive Trade Practices Act (R.I. Gen. Laws §6-13.1-1 et seq.). That law covers unfair or deceptive sales tactics. You can file a complaint with the Rhode Island Attorney General. Go to https://riag.ri.gov/forms/consumer-complaint or call 401-274-4400. If your salesperson didn't tell you about the 3-day cancel rule, that can affect your contract.
Has Rhode Island sued any solar companies?
Yes. Rhode Island AG Peter Neronha sued Smart Green Solar and CEO Jasjit Gotra. In November 2023, the AG filed an amended complaint. It added two more company executives as defendants. On March 14, 2024, the court entered a consent order. That order bars Gotra from making misrepresentations while the case continues. The case is still active in Providence County Superior Court. The AG's office logged 107 solar complaints in 2023 — up from 48 the year before. More than half were against Smart Green.
How does the escalator clause affect my Rhode Island solar contract?
Most Rhode Island solar leases have an escalator clause. It raises your payment about 2.9% every year. On a 25-year lease, a $150 payment grows to more than $300. Rhode Island's average electricity rate is about 30.14 cents per kilowatt-hour in early 2026. That's well above the national average of 17.45 cents. Rhode Island's utility rates are climbing fast. That makes your solar math a close call. Utility rates haven't always gone up 2.9% a year. So your solar payment can climb faster than your would-be utility bill. Your savings shrink instead of grow.
What happens if my Rhode Island solar company went bankrupt?
SolarInsure counted more than 100 solar company bankruptcies in 2024. Big names include SunPower (Aug 2024), Sunnova Energy (June 2025), Titan Solar Power (June 2024), Freedom Forever (April 15, 2026), Pink Energy (Oct 2022), and Vision Solar (Dec 2023). If your installer went bankrupt, your contract still stands. Your payments still go out. But the workmanship warranty usually dies with the company. The panel maker's warranty (often 25 years) still exists. But filing a claim without an active installer is hard.
Can I cancel my Rhode Island solar contract?
Did the salesperson come to your home? Then Rhode Island law gives you 3 business days to cancel. That's under R.I. Gen. Laws §6-28-1 et seq. (Home Solicitation Sales Act) and the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule. If those 3 days have passed, you may still have options. Did they skip the cancel notice? Did they use deceptive sales tactics? Did your loan hide fees? Any of those can open a path to cancel. It depends on your specific contract and how it was sold.
What are hidden dealer fees on a Rhode Island solar loan?
Solar finance companies add dealer fees of 15 to 30 percent to your loan. They roll the fee into the principal. They don't list it separately. That means you pay interest on fee money that went to the solar company. Not to your panels. The federal Truth in Lending Act says every fee must be listed clearly. A hidden fee can be a federal violation. That's one of the strongest paths to renegotiate or exit a solar loan.
How do I file a solar complaint in Rhode Island?
Go to the Rhode Island Attorney General's website at https://riag.ri.gov/forms/consumer-complaint. Or call 401-274-4400. Filing is free. Write down what the salesperson told you at the sale. Save your contract. Save any texts, emails, and voicemails with the installer. If you have a solar loan, keep your loan paperwork. A formal complaint creates a record. That record strengthens any legal review later.