Unfortunately, the Arizona Corporate Commission along with the local power companies seem to be doing their very best to make solar less cost effective by adding on high connection charges and reducing the per kWh reimbursement to residential customers.  It's really too bad because we have 300 days of sunshine and could be powering a large percentage of the west via solar. But the power companies have an investment in power plants and the grid and have not figured out how to change the way they do business.

Right now the savings is not as good as it should be and the payback too long for most residential customers.

Upfront costs still exceed short term benefits!

It's a tangled web.   More good intentions going awry. 

The issues arise when it it time to sell the home or replace the roof.

Parked and Reading.

We have a rural cabin/office where we have had the panels on for nearly a decade, great savings since rural electric coops are so expensive.  But it did not seem feasable for our more urban locations since electric is much less expensive in town.

The only way to "win" at the solar game is to buy your system and have a battery system so you can be full off the grid.  Then cancel your electric service.  You won't have much savings, if any due to the cost of the equipment, but at least you can thumb your nose at the electric company!

I don't even know in IL if we have one wind turbine?

But Elon Musk will make it popular again with his roofing material watch & see. I smell money on the wind ....

Yes and no.

The engineers guarantee the electric usage will go down more that 50%.

However the contract limits the homeowners savings to 20% of existing power usage. 

BUT IT'S FREE

The small print taketh away.

The fact is, the cost for grid power will go WAY down, but to benefit you must BUY the system.  Small houses have a 99 year pay back, while large houses with huge bills have a 7 year break even.Those who opt for the FREE option are being effected by solar flares.

Unfotunately we are a fossil fuel state that taxes solar users and are now trying to do the same to wind power.

We have solar here but if anything it has raised rates because the cost to set up a solar farm costs more than the benefits so the gov adds more taxes to coal power to pay for the cost of solar.

Depends. I have a lot of clients that have solar and their bills are pretty much non-existent. But the question is besides being eco friendly and green (which is great) it's pretty pricey to do an entire home with solar.

Washington State has had an Incentive program for Renewable Energy (Solar, Wind, Anerobic Digesters) since 2006, that will expire in 2020.  They report that 76 MWdc has been brought online since that time but, our rates are still driven by hydropower and the system of massive transmission lines criss-crossing the countryside..

  Florida is "The Sunshine State".  We expect to see an increase in solar panels.

I've seen more people screwed with solar leases than I've seen benefit from them.  The product is good, but the current pricing and lease system is a nightmare

I would think the costs need to come down significantly...

No experience with them and haven't seen any solar panels in my market.

I live in the gated community and can not have that. But I believe solar panels is a great investment. 

My neighbors have , the problem is you are leasing the panels and then try to sell the house, now the new owners have to pay for the lease and may not be able to buy the house because of the extra payment.

Another route to power and greed that does not serve the greater good. 

I haven't since I don't own any solar features.

Florida is currently making this difficult at the behest of the power companies.

Solar is not all it's cracked up to be despite all the government incentives (aka: using taxpayer funds). I'm curious to see if anyone can provide numbers to demonstrate an actual savings.

In Fl we refuse to all prey the rate issues that arise from this

Doug Dawes - it surely is the 'income' for Solar companies.

Great question - interesting answers!

YES, for my few clients that leased it/bought it.

The power companies are impeding things.

People I know who have it report savings

consumers say they are

Doug,

Tbe wineries who have solar power are selling their excess power to the power companies.

At first yes but then that doesnt stop rate increases. Also maintenance is an issue and of course anything that interferes with the sun

I can not wait for the day prices come down to make it affordable. Leases seem like bad ideas

I have yet to see saving s anywhere exceed the projections or even come close

Solar power has a high revenue payout to solar power owners in my province so perhaps they save quite a bit.

The issues arise when it it time to sell the home or replace the roof.

I did not think that way for low power consumption users. Started this year the steep increase to $0.50 per KWH served by Pacific Gas Electric co makes me wonder the break even point is.

We do see many solar panels, and the homeowners feel they are savings.  For resale, doesn't really help.

Joseph Domino nailed this one!