People I speak to about solar-electric systems are always complaining about the high cost. One person complained, "26 years to make your money back." Well breaking even sounds good to me. This is a better return than almost everything else we spend money on. Only financial instruments and real estate may do better and right now most people are losing with those investments. All other purchases we make are a continual loss.It's strange that the purchase of clean energy systems is often viewed purely as a financial investment when almost none of our other purchases are defined that way. With most of our investments and everyday purchases, we typically decide what we want, need, value, and enjoy.
I wonder why we expect more out of renewable energy systems than we expect out of our cars, furniture, clothing, entertainment, and vacations. None of these things have any financial payback, and yet they are valuable to us. If you asked a car salesman what the payback on a new truck is, they might say, "huh? You want transportation, right?" With renewable energy systems, the corresponding answer is, "You want clean energy, right?"
Any talk about "breaking even" essentially pits solar energy against a system of aggressively subsidized dirty energy. Suppose the governent subsidized poisoned milk, and let dairy farmers dump their manure into streams, fouling the environment while selling the bad milk at $3 per gallon. Your neighbor's whole, organic milk, selling for $7 per gallon, might seem expensive. But once you factor in all the costs and effects on your health, the environment, and your community, your neighbor's milk might seem like a much better deal. The true value of renewable energy cannot be measured by dollars alone.
Solar energy systems are a great buy if designed and installed well. Only when you take the long view and focus on the full importance, will you see the true value of solar investments.
