Cost for line power from the POCO (power company)is roughly $.06 to $.10 per kWh depending on where you are and what they are using for fuel at the time. Solar is running $.10 to $.15 per kWh. Mostly more to the high side. It would seem to be a losing proposition.

But there are other considerations. Like how much is it worth to you to be able to completely avoid summer brownouts and outages and being independent? Also, many POCOs buy back power so while you're using little power your meter spins backward. POCOs typically spend extra money on peak load generation. They are willing to pay a premium to cover peak load requirements. Currently utility buy-back is the standard rate but computerized meters and changes in the regulations may see POCOs paying peak rates for power they buy back from you during peak times.

The ability to remove your house from peak summer load motivates many sun belt POCOs to subsidize solar installations. Last time I asked the local company was contributing a dollar per watt of solar pane installed up to 20,000 watts.



It also has to be noted that future trends are that central POCO generation is going to get more expensive. The shift from coal, resort to expensive nuclear power systems, or the need to pay for coal and other high CO2 sources, is going to see the price per kWh rise.

Whereas solar systems are becoming ever more efficient, easier and quicker to install. Purchase price per watt of generation capacity is going down as efficiency is going up. Yes, a bank of solar panels is a major investment but longevity is expected to be 12 to 20 years. A losing proposition on its face the kicker is often tax breaks, or subsidies from the POCOs or government.

There are also sometimes unexpected returns. A local family covered the south side of their roof with panels and saw a 10% to 15% reduction in air conditioning cost due to shading from the panels. A benefit even the POCO engineers had overlooked.