[Tell It Right]

A shingle roof has to be replaced roughly every 10 years. If you have a 25 year warranty on your solar panels, and your solar panels are on your roof, that greatly adds to the labor cost of replacing your shingles (moving the solar panels and mounting brackets out of the way, replacing the shingle roof, then re-installing the solar panels).

As an addendum, on my metal roof my solar panels are placed with gaps in certain locations between the panels to gave a roof repairman a path to access the pipes poking out of the roof (in case he has to repair leaks around the pipes).

[Pollard]

They make 30 year shingles now. They also make 50 year. https://www.hunker.com/12606093/30-year-vs-50-year-architectural-roof-shingles

[StAnDeliver]

"A shingle roof has to be replaced roughly every 10 years. If you have a 25 year warranty on your solar panels, and your solar panels are on your roof, that greatly adds to the labor cost of replacing your shingles (moving the solar panels and mounting brackets out of the way, replacing the shingle roof, then re-installing the solar panels)."

You've actually nailed the solar fraud in a nutshell -- if it was truly viable and the opportunity cost was a positive ROI, those of us who own acreage and therefore do not need to install on roofs, would quickly sub out solar panels for the corn or rotation alfalfa, at least enough for personal use the way Generac commercials make Youtube utterly unwatchable. Not worth it.

[PA-RIVER]

I have the new 25 year asphalt roof completely covered with solar panels, so it’s in the shade. So I’m hoping for 30 years. The side of the garage thats in the shade, facing north, the roof lasted much longer. I’ll be gone when that roof gets replaced.