Caution against solar panel loan / lease

Perhaps like most of you, I strive to reduce my carbon foot print by installing a 9.6KW (max I could get) system. I was sold on this "beautiful" solar panel loan that was underwritten by a seemingly reputable company, Dividend Solar Finance, which had a 20 year term with $147 a month for payment. I did my math (present value calculation) that after all incentives, I would break even in 7.2 years. I got an EV and used electric powered lawn mowers and tools -- it was a dream come true that I was achieving close to "net zero".

However, only after three years the nightmare begun. There was a mass layoff at my company and we were forced to relocate. The property value at my town was negatively affected and we had to sell our home at a loss. I tried to be honest and in good faith to work with the the solar lender, potentially removing the solar panels and continue using them in my new residence, or potentially sell them as used to pay off my loan (much like a short sale). The lender refused -- they said if I don't have enough equity in my home, I'll have to take out a loan / borrow additional money to payoff the panels or else I won't be able to close on the home sale (they have a UCC lien on my home). Already in a financial strain, how do they expect me to pay an additional $18,000 to close on a sale? Despite there's no provision barring me from removing the panels, the only option they gave me was "pay it off, or you are stuck with your home". I had a my real estate attorney look at my loan contract and he said to me, "if I were you, I'd never have signed this -- you are being put in a significant disadvantage, to the point of almost being abused":

1. They can take away your house if you can't pay -- they don't educate you on the consequence of a UCC Lien
2. You are not allowed to remove the panels, despite there's a non-fixture provision
3. They can do anything they want to you, and you pay for their legal expenses
4. If there isn't enough equity in your home, you are stuck until you come up with the money to pay off the panels
5. They will not allow you the opportunity to make a short sale or mitigate your loss otherwise
6. They'll stab you in the back as soon as they find out you are selling the home. They'll record the UCC lien with your local county records office so that all your potential buyers can see it. As a result, I lost the interest of potential buyers in this already bad local housing market.
7. Solar panels increase your property value is largely a myth -- only a handful of cities with good incentives maybe, but many factors come into play. For me, it negatively affected my selling price in many ways so, I'd do some research before taking the sales person's word for it.
8. Lender / Sales are often less truthful than they appear -- do your own research and don't make emotional decisions. If you have to get into debt to do it, don't, don't be like me.

I'd encourage all of you to think twice before investing a large sum of cash into solar. It is true that over a long period of time, it is a worthwhile investment. However, the moral of my story is that unless you are totally financially secure, none of us can say we'll stay in our present home forever. We are at the mercy of our circumstances often beyond our control. The last thing you want is when you try to do the world justice, but instead your good deed brought you to financial ruin.