Solar Electric Leasing?

[G_Body_Enthusiast]

buy, do not lease. yes buying IS more expensive upfront but its yours forever, give it 25 years and those things will have long paid for themselves.

solar panels are an investment. its not like buying a cheeseburger to cure that craving, its not instant gratification.

i wouldnt lease if i had a gun to my head.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Purchase would indicate that I plan on staying where I am long enough to pay it off, and that I can get the financing to do it. At that point, it is not worth it. However, it is likely I will be here for 4-5 years before I move elsewhere, long enough to finish college, but not locked in for life. The idea behind this is that it is like having a choice of utilities, not a long term investment. In 5 years, new technologies that are emerging in solar will render this system obsolete. That is the point when I would buy in as prices are coming down with the newer cells like the CIGGS technology being developed by companies like Nanosolar. I really don't want to be locked in to a 2/2/1 house with 1100sq/ft for 25 years. Plus, solar would not be a sufficient selling point to new owners thus leaving me with a net loss.

 

[85_SS]

buy, do not lease. yes buying IS more expensive upfront but its yours forever, give it 25 years and those things will have long paid for themselves

See here for an example calculation:
http://gbodyforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3 ... ight=solar


If your intentions are to help the environment, that's great - otherwise, you are likely to never save a dime.... and 25+ years (in ideal conditions), is a horrible timeline to break even (especially for a system that will likely never last that long). And as far as helping the environment goes, when you have to replace the system, just about all that is out the window as well.