I really don't understand the obsession with homeowner solar. The financing schemes are crazy (companies owning part of your roof, renting the equipment, etc.). The only way to do it properly is to either pay someone else cash or to do it yourself. But then, even then, when I did my ROI calculation a few months ago (I live in a small house that is very efficient as-is), I was looking at 10-15 years before I'd see any savings. Then, I learned that the lifespan on some of the equipment and panels may only be 20 years. Granted, replacing them beats the cost of the original install and permitting process, but now I have something else in addition to shingles on my roof that needs replaced after a couple of decades.
It just doesn't make sense to me to mess with it now. As others have mentioned, pushing for grid solar/nuclear/other clean energy is really the only way to do this efficiently. Then I won't have a mass of ugly panels stuck on my roof.
It just doesn't make sense to me to mess with it now. As others have mentioned, pushing for grid solar/nuclear/other clean energy is really the only way to do this efficiently. Then I won't have a mass of ugly panels stuck on my roof.