I looked at the numbers a couple years ago, and they only slightly kinda maybe made a little sense because Louisiana had ridiculous tax incentives which paid for more than half of the system. Every other radio ad was for some sort of solar, how you can make your whole house solar powered for zero net dollars with a lease and tax credits. Dozens of new companies popped up with shiny new trucks buzzing around selling and installing solar. Tons of the bourgeoisie started putting ugly panels on their rooves which now litter the landscape. Now all the new companies are going out of business and their customers are whining about their credits going away.
The money just doesn't make sense. Sure it "pays for itself" after X years, but these systems don't last forever. Most people were sold these 15, 20 year leases thinking that after their 20 years are up, they'd get free power for life, as if these panels are somehow not a wear item. In reality, 20 years from now they're going to need a new system and will start the repayment clock all over again. Aside from the wear on the panels, another host of issues follows like roof leaks, insurance cost, one more thing to worry about anytime a storm rolls around, etc. If they were an economic no-brainer, every new house would be built with panels.
These solar panels are the big satellite dishes of our time. Once solar shingles or some other more sightly advancement comes along, those big panels are going to look even more cheesy than they do today. Sure, I'd love to do it when you can do solar shingles on the whole roof, but right now it's just too much of an eyesore. I look forward to one day having some sort of a self-powered house, but it's just not worth it yet to do solar.
The money just doesn't make sense. Sure it "pays for itself" after X years, but these systems don't last forever. Most people were sold these 15, 20 year leases thinking that after their 20 years are up, they'd get free power for life, as if these panels are somehow not a wear item. In reality, 20 years from now they're going to need a new system and will start the repayment clock all over again. Aside from the wear on the panels, another host of issues follows like roof leaks, insurance cost, one more thing to worry about anytime a storm rolls around, etc. If they were an economic no-brainer, every new house would be built with panels.
These solar panels are the big satellite dishes of our time. Once solar shingles or some other more sightly advancement comes along, those big panels are going to look even more cheesy than they do today. Sure, I'd love to do it when you can do solar shingles on the whole roof, but right now it's just too much of an eyesore. I look forward to one day having some sort of a self-powered house, but it's just not worth it yet to do solar.
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