01
New solar & battery installations
For businesses with high daytime electricity use.
A grid-tied, hybrid or off-grid system designed for your site, funded in full, with no rental payable until it is commissioned.
Rent your solar. Keep your capital.
ReCharge by Investec offers solar and battery system rentals for South African businesses. No upfront payment, rent the system monthly and own it at the end of the term.
Contact usNo upfront costsNo capital outlay, deposits or fees.
Equipment riskCarried by us throughout the rental term.
Solar & batteriesGrid-tied, hybrid, off-grid, batteries only.
Only pay once liveRental starts at commissioning.
Sale & rent‑backWe buy your system and rent it back to you.
We fund it.An accredited installer builds it.You rent it.
ReCharge by Investec funds the system and manages the installation.
An accredited installer from our national network designs, installs and maintains it.
You insure the system, pay the monthly rental, and take ownership at the end of the term.
Solutions
Who we rent to
- Agricultural processing
- Body corporates
- Fuel stations
- Manufacturers
- Mines
- Offices
- Processing facilities
- Property portfolios
- Shopping centres
- Warehouses
We fund all system types: off-grid, grid-tied, hybrid and battery energy storage systems.
02
Add batteries to existing solar installations
Electricity costs most in the morning and evening peaks, when solar produces little.
Store surplus solar and cheaper off-peak electricity, and use it at peak to cut the most expensive part of your bill.
03
Sale and rent-back of existing systems
Unlock the capital tied up in your existing solar.
We buy your recently installed solar system and rent it back to you. The cash goes back into your business, the system keeps running, and ownership transfers back to you at the end of the term.
Rental options
10-Year
- A 10-year rent-to-own, with a reduction in rental from year 6.
- Option to purchase the system at the end of the term for one month's rent.
Best for: lowest monthly cost and maximum savings in the early years.
5-Year
- 5-year rent-to-own, with a purchase option at the end of the rental period.
- Ownership transfers on payment of the purchase option, or you can apply to spread the purchase price over a further rental period, agreed at the end of the term.
Best for: a faster route to ownership, with full savings once it's yours.
Bespoke rental
- A rental structured around your project, with the term, escalation and purchase option agreed with you.
- Suited to larger projects, multi-site portfolios and sale and rent-back.
Best for: projects that need a different term or structure.
Benefits of our rentals
- Future-proofing
- Upgrade the system during the rental term, subject to approval.
- Flexible solution
- Cash-flow friendly, with monthly rentals escalating at between 0% and 8% a year.
- Early settlement
- Exercise the purchase option and own the system at any point during the term.
- Equipment risk
- We own the system during the rental and carry the equipment risk. You insure it against damage and theft.
- Monitoring & maintenance
- Contracted directly with your installer (EPC) for the full rental term. If needed, we can bring in a replacement EPC from our accredited network.
- Tax treatment
- Monthly rentals should be fully deductible under Section 11(a) of the Income Tax Act. Confirm tax treatment with your own adviser.
Why rent
Grow your business with your cash. Power it with ours.
Cash purchase
Your capital
pays for the system upfront
- Energy savingA lower electricity bill
- No additional returnYour cash is tied up in the solar system
Single yield
ReCharge rental
Our capital
pays for the system, with nothing upfront
- Energy savingA lower electricity bill, after the monthly rental
- Return on capitalYour cash stays in your business, earning its usual return
Double yield
What renting adds
If your business earns a strong return on its capital, renting can leave you better off than paying cash.
- Keep your cash workingInvest it in your core business, where it earns more than it would sitting on a roof.
Every month you wait is a month of savings you can’t get back. Contact us
How it works
- 1
Meet
A 30-minute meeting about your site and electricity bills.
- 2
Design
An accredited installer designs the right system for your site.
- 3
Build
We fund the project in full and manage the installation through to commissioning.
- 4
Own
Your rental starts at commissioning, and the system is yours at the end of the term.
About
ReCharge Commercial Solar Rentals, a subsidiary of Investec Bank Ltd, has funded solar and battery systems for South African businesses since 2023.
We work with a national network of accredited installers and fund each project in full, helping clients reduce their electricity costs with no upfront capital outlay.
Who backs us
Part of Business and Commercial Banking, a division of Investec Bank Ltd
35.6 MWpSolar PV installed and contracted
58.7 MWhBattery storage installed and contracted
As at 9 November 2026.
Recent projects
- Shopping centre · Gauteng348.8 kWp solar + 1 020 kWh battery2026 · New installation
- Pharmaceutical manufacturer · KwaZulu-Natal206.9 kWp solar + 1 MWh battery2026 · Battery add-on
- Supermarket · KwaZulu-Natal129.8 kWp solar2026 · Sale and rent-back
Our team
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy the system early?
Yes. You can exercise the purchase option at any point during the rental term and own the system outright. Your proposal includes an early settlement amount for each month, so you always know what it would cost.
Why do payments escalate?
An escalating profile keeps your starting rental as low as possible, and it rises each year so your rental can track rising electricity costs. You choose the annual escalation, from 0% to 8%. At 0% the rental stays flat but starts higher. A higher escalation gives you the lowest first-year rental.
Is VAT claimable?
Our rentals are quoted excluding VAT, and VAT is charged on each monthly invoice. If your business is VAT-registered, you can normally claim this back as input tax. Confirm with your own tax adviser.
What happens at the end of the term?
That depends on the option you choose:
- 10-Year Rent-to-Own: at the end of year 10 you can buy the system for one month’s rent.
- 5-Year Rent-to-Own: at the end of year 5 you pay the purchase option and the system is yours. Alternatively, you can apply to spread the purchase price over a further rental period, agreed at the end of the term.
What approvals do I need before installation?
Before construction, the system needs a small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) grid-connection application approved by Eskom or your municipality. Rooftop systems usually also need a structural engineer’s report. Your accredited EPC arranges these, and their cost is included in the cost of the system, so there’s nothing extra to pay.
What warranties apply?
As a condition of every rental, we require inverter and battery warranties to be extended to up to 10 years.
What credit information do you need?
To assess your application, we typically ask for:
- your latest two to three years of annual financial statements
- recent management accounts
- 12 months of electricity bills
Who insures the system?
You insure the system for the rental term, with Investec’s interest noted on the policy. Most businesses add it to their existing commercial property insurance.
Request a proposal
Get indicative rental options for your site.
Send us 12 months electricity bills and your site address. We will contact you and send indicative rental options for your site.
- Phone
- 072 781 0262
- 072 781 0262
Installer partners
Partner with ReCharge.
Join our national network of accredited installers, or ask us to fund a solar or battery project for one of your clients. We will contact you to discuss next steps.