For example if you spend 16 000 on a solar panel system then get a tax break of 4 000 the cost after incentives is 12 000.
Break even point solar panels.
The cost of solar panels.
Then if the solar energy your panels make reduces your electric bill by 1 500 per year your payback period would be eight years assuming electricity rates don t increase.
The graph above is a screenshot from the solar nerd calculator.
Increased utility electricity rates and lower equipment costs are making it easier and less expensive to for homeowners to own rather than lease their solar panel systems.
If you plan to sell your house sometime soon the shorter the break even point the better.
This is called the break even point.
Solar panels are typically under warranty for 25 years.
The solar panel payback period is a calculation that estimates how long it will take for you to break even on your solar energy investment.
The break even point when energy output equals manufacturing energy input has fallen from 20 years to just two years.
Given that many solar panels and inverters come with 25 year product warranties you can expect more than two decades of trouble free operation from your solar array.
For people expecting to own their home for a long time calculating the lifetime savings after the break even point is where the gold is.
If you buy a system depending on the incentives available to you break even point should be around eight years or less.
Each time the world s solar capacity doubled the energy required to make a pv module fell by about 12 the economist said while carbon dioxide emissions associated with the process dropped by 17 24.
Interpreting the solar nerd payback graph.