Quick answer
Community solar gives you no panels, and your electricity is not free. "Free" here means free to join: Delaware law says projects can't require a sign-up fee or a credit check from residential subscribers. You still pay a monthly subscription, and by law it must cost less than the credit it buys.
Is community solar free?
Joining is free. Using it is not. You subscribe to a share of a solar project in Delmarva Power's Delaware territory. Delmarva credits your bill for your share of its output. You pay the project a monthly subscription for those credits, and you keep paying Delmarva for the rest of your bill.
Example only
$100 credit, $90 subscription
$100 in solar credits on your Delmarva bill, with a $90 subscription, leaves $10 saved that month. Example only. Savings apply to the solar credit, not your whole bill. Your contract sets your exact price.
Sources: 26 Del. C. §1014(f)(1), §1022(c) · Delaware PSC consumer information
What does "free to join" mean under Delaware law?
Delaware's community solar law, 26 Del. C. §1022(c)(1), says:
"No community-owned energy generating facility or subscription coordinator may require residential subscribers to undergo a credit check or pay upfront enrollment fees."
Free to join: Delaware law bars credit checks and upfront enrollment fees for residential subscribers (26 Del. C. §1022(c)(1)), and PSC rules ban deposits (Reg 3013 §16.6). You pay the solar project a monthly subscription for your credits. By law it must cost less than the credits are worth (§1022(c)). Nothing is installed, and you stay with Delmarva.
Sources: 26 Del. C. §1022(c) · Reg 3013 §16.6 (29 DE Reg 710)
How is this different from "free panel" leases and PPAs?
Ads for "free solar panels" usually mean panels on your own roof. With a lease or a power purchase agreement (PPA), you pay a company for panels on your roof under a contract. Read its terms. Community solar puts nothing on your roof.
| Community solar | Rooftop lease or PPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Panels at your home | None | Yes, on your roof |
| Sign-up fee or credit check | Can't be required of residential subscribers | Set by the company's contract |
| Deposit | Banned | Check the company's contract |
| What you pay each month | A subscription that must cost less than your credits | A lease payment or a price per kWh, set by the contract |
| Renters | Can join with their own Delmarva account | Ask the company and your landlord |
| If you move | Inside Delmarva's Delaware area, the subscription moves with you. Moving out of it ends it with no fee. | Check the company's contract |
Sources: 26 Del. C. §1022(c) · Reg 3013 §1.0, §9.3.11, §10.3, §16.6
Why do "free solar" offers get flagged?
The word "free" is easy to misuse. A federal rule limits how sellers may call something free (16 CFR 251.1). The Federal Trade Commission also has a consumer alert on avoiding solar and clean energy scams. Read it before you sign anything that promises solar at no cost.
Delaware's community solar rules add their own limits. Marketing in any medium may not suggest a relationship with Delmarva, a government agency or another project that does not exist. Projects and coordinators answer for deceptive acts by their agents, including lead generation firms.
Sources: FTC consumer alert · 16 CFR 251.1 · Reg 3013 §16.2, §16.4.2 (29 DE Reg 710)
I want rooftop panels. What should I check?
Rooftop panels are a different product, and Free Solar DE doesn't sell them. Get written quotes, read every contract, and read the FTC alert above first. If you rent with your own Delmarva account, or you don't want anything installed, community solar may fit. See who can join.
Common questions
Is Free Solar DE part of the government?
No. Community solar is a program created by Delaware law and regulated by the PSC. Free Solar DE is run by Media Masters Group LLC. Mailing address: 18670 Coastal Highway #1107, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. (609) 474-4242. hello@freesolarde.com. We are not Delmarva Power, the Delaware Public Service Commission or any government agency.
Do I pay anything to sign up?
No project or subscription coordinator may require a residential subscriber to pay an upfront enrollment fee or pass a credit check. Deposits are banned.
Will my bill go to zero?
No. The credit offsets per-kWh distribution and supply charges only. Fixed charges stay, and you pay the project a subscription. See is community solar worth it.
Sources: 26 Del. C. §1014(f)(1), §1022(c)(1) · Reg 3013 §16.6
Written by the Free Solar DE team. Fact-checked against PSC sources and the Delaware Code on October 13, 2026.
What changed: October 13, 2026. Retitled as a question; added the §1022(c)(1) text; fixed the FTC link; removed the PSC phone numbers until they are confirmed.