How Rooftop Solar’s Sweetheart Deal went Sour in Nevada…as It Should Have

Even with the government subsidies for the purchase of the rooftop solar system itself, most people STILL can’t afford to purchase a rooftop solar system. Enter the rooftop solar industry.

In order to sell more products and beef up their profits, rooftop solar companies developed a program for homeowners that allow them to LEASE the rooftop solar systems from them instead of buying them.

This means the homeowner doesn’t have to come up with the approximately $20,000+ or so to buy the system outright.

But here’s the catch…

Since you’re leasing the rooftop solar system and making payments rather than own it outright, the “net metering” rooftop solar credits you rack up don’t go to you.

No, they go to the rooftop solar company!

Now do you understand why the rooftop solar industry is having a collective conniption and public meltdown over having this sweetheart “net metering” government subsidy scheme come to an end?

You see, it’s not about saving the environment. It’s about saving their profits!

At the expense of taxpayers and the 98 percent of Nevada’s electricity ratepayers who didn’t fall for the scam!

Make no mistake. This isn’t about global warming or “green” energy.

This is about the cost of solar technology still being too expensive to be affordable for the 98 percent.

This is about the solar industry not yet being able to stand on its own in the free market.

When the technology develops to the point of being affordable enough to operate without government training wheels, the industry will explode. But it’s not there yet.

And that’s the final piece of this manufactured “crisis” in Nevada.

For over a year the rooftop solar industry knew the gravy train of government/utility subsidies was coming to an end. It lobbied the Nevada Legislature HARD to keep its sweetheart deal.

But legislators sided with the 98 percent, not the 2 percent.

Nevertheless, knowing the jig could be up by the end of 2015, the unscrupulous rooftop solar industry mounted a full-court marketing press on the 98 percent, warning with dire “sky is falling” sales pitches that home owners better go solar now…or forever hold their peace!

Falling for it, thousands of Nevada homeowners bought or leased rooftop solar systems last year, most of whom were probably comfortably unaware of what the solar companies knew full well; that the rules of the game were likely going to change in 2016.

And change they did on January 1st…