Solar NexKitInvestment decision model
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FREE SCREENING TOOL

Solar IRR & Payback Calculator

A quick first pass for C&I solar developers, EPC teams and consultants: estimate pre-tax, unlevered project IRR and simple payback from seven inputs.

Illustrative screening example

The values below are assumptions for a 10MW-scale project. Only CAPEX is a scale reference; energy, price and O&M are assumed values. This is not a real project and not the Founder Edition 10MW demo case.

Total up-front cost, any consistent currency.
Net energy delivered in the first year.
Realised price, same currency as CAPEX.
Year-1 operating and maintenance cost.
Yearly decline in energy production, 0 to 5.
Whole years, 1 to 40.
Optional. Use 0 for flat nominal values.

Your inputs stay in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, stored or added to the page address.

Screening results

Project IRR
10.8%Pre-tax, unlevered
Simple payback
8.4 yearsFrom project start
Year-1 revenue
≈ 1.05M
Year-1 net cash flow
≈ 910K
Lifetime net cash flow
≈ 13.7MNominal, after CAPEX

Figures are rounded and approximate.

Results are for preliminary project screening only. This tool is not investment, financial or engineering advice, and does not account for tax, financing, depreciation or site-specific risk.

SCREENING VERSUS FULL MODEL

Free calculator for a first pass, Founder Edition for the detailed model

Free calculator: quick screening

  • Pre-tax, unlevered project IRR
  • Simple payback
  • Single degradation and escalation rate
  • Runs in your browser, nothing stored

Founder Edition: detailed bankable-style financial model

  • Project and equity returns, NPV and LCOE
  • Debt structure, DSCR and ICR
  • Tax and depreciation
  • Sensitivity, scenarios and reverse calculation

Need more than a first-pass screen?

Founder Edition connects project and equity returns to debt coverage, tax and sensitivity in one auditable model.

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