Generating Solar Energy Leads: How to Find Prospects for Solar Energy & Installation in CRE

Commercial real estate is increasingly focused on sustainability and green infrastructure. For solar manufacturers, installers, and providers, this represents an opportunity to break into new, lucrative markets.

Finding solar leads requires targeting CRE opportunities aligned with your service or product. Rather than casting the widest net possible, we’ve found the most effective use of your time is approaching the commercial real estate market with precision by targeting specific geographic areas and asset classes that are looking for solar energy solutions. 

See how solar companies are finding new opportunities to sell, install, and service solar energy  in commercial real estate. 

Who Buys Solar in Commercial Real Estate?

There are plenty of incentives to add solar panels to commercial real estate that your firm is likely already aware of, including federal and state tax incentives, reduced energy costs, and increased building value. Solar is a solution that many owners and investors want for their properties. Investors and owners may be the parties with the most stake in the value of their properties, but you may find that property developers are the decision-makers on what solar firm they’ll actually work with.

So, property investors, developers, and some owner-occupants invest in solar initiatives to make their properties more energy-efficient, saving long-term costs, increasing property value, and making them more attractive to tenants. Four common CRE asset classes that upgrade with solar are industrial, retail, multifamily housing and parking. We’d also be remiss not to mention the geographic factor, as some states like California and Texas host programs to incentivize solar panels being added to property. 

Industries to target

Industries, as defined in the Biscred database, refer to the types of business that CRE companies engage in. For example, real estate investment trusts (REITs) own, operate, and finance income-producing CRE assets that provide value to their investors, usually as part of an investment portfolio. CRE owner-operators are also of interest to solar companies. For operators, solar may fit as a long-term operating cost investment, or as part of a company-wide green initiative. Some private equity or family office investors may also be interested in solar for their properties. 

Setting those industry filters to family offices, CRE operators, private equity and REIT, we find 26,793 companies and 558,959 people in the Biscred database.* 

Because we know that developers are key decision makers in new construction and renovation projects, we add developers, to come up with 35,146 companies and 645,125 people.* 

Retail

Any retail space that has a large footprint, like an indoor mall with lots of rooftop space, is a candidate for solar installation. Retail spaces frequently face high heating and cooling costs, so installing solar panels on their roofs presents a long-term reduction in operating expenses. It’s also a potential way to attract environmentally conscious tenants and customers.

We find 11,488 CRE companies that specialize in the retail asset class that may be interested in your solar services.*

Multifamily Housing

Owners and operators of multifamily housing like apartments and condos are more interested in solar, as clean energy programs become more attractive to tenants. With apartments having adequate roof space to accommodate solar installations, the challenge becomes distributing the energy generated by solar to the tenants.

Community solar programs let tenants opt in to a shared solar subscription that credits their energy bill (usually as a discount) based on their share of the program.

Biscred finds 16,472 developers, investors, and owner-operators* in the multifamily space.

Parking 

Parking structures and lots are perhaps the ideal home for solar installations. Because of their large footprints and singular purpose of storing cars, there are few logistical or structural problems with installing solar panels on the rooftops or overhead parking spots. Not only do these generate energy that can reduce a structure’s expenses, but they also provide shade for vehicles or power EV charging stations.

We’ve found 700 developers, investors, and owner-operators involved in operating parking CRE on Biscred.* 

Where Are The Most Solar Opportunities in CRE? 

Generally, the most solar opportunities are concentrated in the states that have policies incentivizing developers and owners to install solar panels. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, in 2025, most U.S. commercial solar capacity/installation volume came from California, Illinois, and New York. Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Texas also had state incentives and other cost-saving initiatives. 

For more details on specific state programs, see the SEIA state-by-state solar map, which provides state-specific policy data and where solar is being installed. You’ll find recent policy changes for each state that can affect solar investment and installation. 

With Biscred, you can add state-specific filters to see the companies and assets in each state to target with your search. Here are examples of developers, family offices, operators, private equity, and REITs in a few of the highlighted states. 

Texas 

California 

Indiana

Using Biscred to Generate Commercial Solar Leads

Biscred is a database updated continuously with information on companies, buildings, and professionals in commercial real estate. The CRE-specific filters we used in this article show you how you can quickly and specifically target segments of your audience for lead generation. Our platform integrates seamlessly with email outreach and other marketing platforms for easy integration into your workflow. For solar companies, the valuable data collected can help you reach key decision-makers faster for new installation and operation opportunities. 

If you’re interested in seeing how Biscred generates solar leads, consider setting up a demo with Biscred to see our product in action and get a free trial. 

*Biscred continuously updates its database. Numbers reported throughout our website represent a snapshot in time.