With the tax incentives when we purchased our 8kW system, I'm looking at 7-8 year payback AND there is always the possibility that now that our warranty is about up [2, 3 and 5 year on different components] there is always the possibility you have to consider at least some failure swap and what scares me worse is, as fast as tech changes, you have a risk of not having a compatible replacement by the time you need one. Without the tax incentives, that payback goes to 10 years. But, that is based on my costs from 5 years ago. I have not re-costed the same system. They have gone down.
And, since we moved out in the sticks, the PODUNK REC we have to hook to here not only does NOT have to bank or even pay for the excess power I produce, they would not allow me to hook up my auto-failover feature. I have the ability to fail over to the panels, then battery until they are down to 50%, then to back up generator which now is diesel but I was going to trickle bleed my own hydrogen for a power cell producing water vapor when it kicks on. No auto failover, I only bought enough capacity to "almost" run my home, just enough batteries to power all my LV lighting on the property which is quite well lit [guessing the space station can see me at night - ALL LED] and did not invest the better generator either . . . yet.
That said, we have a 5,000 sq ft house that has foot thick walls, all brick, 2 feet of insulation in the attic, but with [lied to when we bought it] junk windows, doors, and fireplaces that leak like a sieve yet we still went from $200/mth average to $40/mth average when I flipped the switch and most of that $40 are just stupid fees. Once I get the windows, doors, and fireplaces replaced, if I ain't dead [details?], I intend to add 3kW more capacity [probably more solar but considering a small wind turbine here in Kansas], more "better tech" battery capacity, get what I need for and add the fuel cell, and shut the PODUNK grid the hell off. Though granted that pushes the payback date back out. Bearing in mind it is just the wife and I here, surprisingly 8kW of production will "almost" run this rather large home. For example, one time the power was out, the furnace was on, I was preheating the oven for a pizza the wife was bringing home, the fridge was running, a few lights, and when the wife came home and hit the garage door opener, we had a brown-out which just kicked the system off. Extra 3kW of capacity will solve that.
A "movement" to green energy across the board lowers the costs across the board through economies of scale, creates great paying jobs right here, and just imagine a world where every home, business, etc is energy self sufficient?
