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My home is all electric. The electric bill runs $200 to $250/month (less in the spring and fall when we aren't using heat or ac)

The interest on $70,000 at 6% is $350/month.

So, it's costing the guy at least $100 more per month for electricity, plus he's out $70,000.

I think I'll wait to install my own solar panels.

Solar power is a lot of hype. It costs more than double what metered power costs by the time you pay for everything, and then just when you THINK you are going to save money on “factory power”, a panel fails and you have to buy a new one.
They only last about 5 years if that.

Sure, you can run a house on solar and windmills, a good battery bank and a back up generator, but it is far more expensive than grid power, and a lot of work.

Plus, none of this is practical for urban living. Nobody would like to listen to their neighbors windmill swooshing away, in fact there are by-laws against them in most laces.

Tired of such pointless discussions, last holidays I digged for data and made some numbers:

For southern Spain, 38º latitude (app. Saint Louis), transparent skies due to height (app. 1500 feet) and very dry climate:

Solar energy impacting one square meter of fixed panels: 2,000 kWhr per year.

Solar energy impacting one square meter of panels equipped with tracker: 3,500 kWhr per year.

Energy injected to the net: 450 kWhr per year per square meter

app value of energy sold per square meter of active surface of solar panel: 50 euro (@ peak value of electricity 0.11 cent and no profit for the distribution company)

Cost of an square meter of fixed or two positions (summer-winter) solar panels and associated equipment: >1,100 euro

Expected return time of the investment without government subventions: >20 years

Probability of the panels being stolen before that time is reached: high.

My conclusion: solar energy in most of the world, without a government subvention, is not business at all.

I have lived off solar energy for over seven years now. I wrote Exposed; the Solar Energy Con which is available at Amazon.com. This is written from a woman’s perspective and is an accurate representation of what it is like to live off the utility grid. My point is that if you can read it and still support solar you need your head examined.

The country is so focused on solar energy that any one who doesn’t support turning the world into a solar array is an anarchist. I fear that by the time our country wakes up it will be too late.

http://www.rockinblues.com/House/solarenergy.htm

On June 26th 2006 my dog BooBoo died from water intoxication because living on solar energy I was unable to keep him cool. When I began to crunch the numbers I documented the fraud that the environmentalists have perpetrated on the American public. I challenge you to read the information I have put together for you. After you read this, make up your mind for yourself and I urge you to write your legislators.