[Vince Ferrer]

Do they get the system outright, or do they then have to start paying a lender?

I really don't know those details. I guess you would have to study a contract with one of the companies.

One of the good things that is happening right now is that PV systems are coming down drastically in price, and can be a good deal for the right situation. But I think it takes a lot of research for an individual buyer and the specific place they are going to be installed to be able to figure out if it is a good deal.

[DoughtyOne]

The big PV hidden animal, is that they degrade.

Have they made improvements on that?

[DoughtyOne]

BTW, thanks for the answer on the question of what the payment risk might be.

[palmer]

The solar systems have a business model relying on net metering, the law here in Virginia. What it means is that the power produced by the solar panels is "sold" to the grid at retail price. In other words, it causes your meter to spin less or spin backwards if your panels produce more than you need at any particular time.

The problem with net metering is that the rest of us ratepayers are buying that solar power for 2X or more what it is actually worth. We can buy wholesale power for about 4 cents and spend another 4 cents delivering it to our houses. Or we can buy the neighbor's solar for 12 cents (or whatever the retail price is). The neighbor's power is unreliable. Except for the summer the neighbor's solar power is not delivered when it is needed. Because of the unreliability and bad timing, the solar installation does not reduce the need for the reliable fossil fuel plant, so the electric company cannot save any money on capital costs.

In short, it is basically a scam to enrich the providers of such systems, while paying the homeowner a little money to use the roof, which is often dumb place to build a power plant. The homeowner gains no extra reliability since the solar is typically turned off when the grid fails.