The largest installer of solar panels in the US is offering up to $200 million (£125m) of green bonds to ordinary investors.

SolarCity is launching a new online investment site to buy the bonds and offering them for as little as $1,000 (£626).

Maturities for the bonds range from one to seven years and interest rates are up to 4%. SolarCity will pay returns on the bonds using income generated from customers’ monthly payments.

It said: “Today’s offering marks the first time that individual investors will be given access through a public solar bond offering; providing a new opportunity to participate in the rapid growth of the US solar industry and the transformation of America’s energy infrastructure to clean power.”