I'm going solar in Austin with Solar City. It's Elon Musk's company. The sales guy who sold it to me is a member of a really dorky club I belong to. He has an excellent reputation on the boards there, so I trust him. He came out, detailed everything. They don't pay you. The city doesn't "pay" you. The best you can hope for is having solar work well, and the city "credits" you for the cost of what the power makes. Hence, you don't generally have a bill because you have enough credits to cover it (and potentially roll over.) If you do, it's small. He says he tries to get to 95% of what you'll need, so you don't need to overbuild the system. You may end up paying the summer, but getting credits in the winter.
Austin is paying out a hefty chunk for the system up front straight to them, plus the fed tax credit is still going on. I'm getting in while it's still available.
ETA: I am going with a purchase. You own it. Hail damage is covered under your Homeowners. Also wanted to add - the system should be going at about 80% after 20 years of use. They last longer than 20 years LOL
I'd be happy to give you his contact info if you post an e-mail.