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It should be noted that in addition to directly subsidizing the manufacturer they are still giving away state money and federal tax credits for installing solar. With all that they still went belly up. The same has happened to the ethanol industry and windmills aren’t far behind. A waste of money and our taxes.

Yea the windmills are being pushed by some very big money wanting to use our money. As for solar unless someone is ready to do some serious sacrificing and conservation in their power consumption they are in for some disappointment. Especially if they are installing solar to replace utility services. BTW I've also noticed government seems to be the biggest buyer of panels these days.

"As for solar unless someone is ready to do some serious sacrificing and conservation in their power consumption they are in for some disappointment."

Also true. ...chest-type, DC fridge and freezer: about $1,100 each for reasonably large enough ones, at least. No air conditioner, electric range or electric clothes dryer. LED lights and/or DC florescents. Periodical battery maintenance (if unsealed lead-acid batteries, safety precautions doing that, too). Other than that, okay, if the system is well sized. With a lot of study and product research, and doing everything oneself, about $10,000 for one of the sunniest areas, if one does a great job of balancing costs with quality.

So a year or two of part-time study, saving money, and quite a bit of work. Otherwise, an installer will charge a pretty ugly little fortune for a good system (far more than the figure mentioned above), and that's only PV solar for electricity.

[I am not seeking any income from solar energy products or contracts and am not seeking any government funding or tax credits for my own installation.]