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Nowhere can I save that amount of money from the energy saved :\

Unless you live in Hawaii, where the sun is brighter and power costs 4 times the mainland rate.

Or - believe it or not - rural Alaska. Many villages get their power from diesel generators, the most expensive large scale generation there is. (note some use wind power as well) In the Winter, running out of diesel can be a matter of life and death. https://www.adn.com/arctic/art... https://www.adn.com/arctic/art... https://solarpowerrocks.com/al...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

http://www.limesolar.com/

And if that doesn't suit slash dotters, Let's ROLL COAL!

http://dailycaller.com/2014/07...

I wish other states were as forward-looking. At this point the benefits (to the state) of encouraging the infrastructure probably outweigh the costs.

They aren't so forward looking. The subsidies are for very large installations, effectively eliminating residential installations - keeping us beholden to corporate central generation. In fact, the dollars available for residential solar are so small that only about 70 installs per year get any money at all.

http://solarpowerrocks.com/nevada/

At least you don't have to pay property tax on your solar equipment, but Nevada's got one of the lowest property tax rates in the country anyway so it ain't all that big a deal.

and traditional energy companies are always happy to jump the bandwagon once there are subsidies guaranteed by law)?

you seem to imply only renewables gain subsidies. some news from the REAL world.
http://solarpowerrocks.com/infographics/u-s-government-energy-subsidies-by-type-of-electricity-produced/
this doesn't even include externalised costs (like health and environmental damage)

The payback period is roughly 10-12 years, [...] What happens if I get a new job that requires me to move next year?

That's a legitimate concern, but there are solutions. For example, San Francisco's PACE program finances the cost of a home solar array via a low-interest bond, that is repaid via a property tax that stays with the house. That way when you move out, you aren't out $30,000.

>>Payback at the rates you are absurdly claiming would be a couple of months.

Oh, you think I'm lying about PG&E's top tier rates?

Read it for yourself:
http://www.pge.com/nots/rates/tariffs/electric.shtml#RESELEC_TOU

There's different plans available, but the top tier during peak hours is indeed above 50c/kWh, as I said. The average E6 customer will pay 44c/kWh at 130% of baseline (baseline is basically normal power use without running your AC - if you run your AC, you'll hit top tier easily) and 48c/kWh at top tier (200% and above). There used to be an even higher tier (300%+), but they just raised tier 4 prices to match tier 5, I guess.

You can get a more human-readable explanation here:
http://solarpowerrocks.com/pge/pge-wants-to-take-advantage-of-customers-who-have-gone-solar-%E2%80%93-don%E2%80%99t-let-them-screw-you/

Depends on what state and what areas. We have a mix of Subsidies (on-going money paid on a PER KW basis) and rebates( one-time money paid upon install). Here in Highlands Ranch, Colorado (far suburb of Denver), we can get Federal, state, and utility. If you live in Boulder, Colorado, you also get a city and I believe even a county money.
Here is a write-up on Boulder. Note that roughly 2/3 of the installed costs is done in rebates. Then the electric company has to buy any excess energy from you. It is at a rate less than what they charge customers, but still substantial. IIRC, it is around $.03/KW, and they charge .1/KW. Now, if the feds would just get electric storage down in costs then it makes it worthwhile to have solar and wind.

Have you looked at the DESERTEC concept at all? It answers a lot of the issues you are raising with solar energy. True, it is visionary, but it is also backed by several studies and major institutions.

but i know you won't listen to reason, you've been spoon fed this nonsense for years. i'll just wait for your lights to go out.

Where is the "reason" you are offering? I could argue the same "spoon feeding" for your argumentation ("nuclear power is save"). Maybe we Europeans are more careful with such statements, being closer to Chernobyl. Even though I am thousands of kilometers away, it is still recommended to not eat mushrooms more than a couple of times a year, and I want a better future for my own children.

Regarding research spendings I could quickly find this resource, which has a really amazing chart: http://www.solarpowerrocks.com/solar-trends/a-sick-graph-iraq-war-spending-vs-spending-on-renewable-energy/, showing that US research spendings on solar energy are still only half of those on nuclear energy despite the fact that you claim that there is essentially no research on nuclear energy! ; figures are from National Council for Science and the Environment.

Check into your state and local programs. I live in Texas and there are some very significant incentives available. I copied this from http://www.solarpowerrocks.com/texas/

EXAMPLE 3kW SYSTEM HOME INSTALL IN AUSTIN TEXAS

So, if you were to install a 3 kW system that would be about $27,000 ($9.00/Watt x 3,000 Watts). In this example youâ(TM)d be in line to receive the maximum incentive of $13,500. The Fed offers a 30% incentive in the form of a tax credit with no cap. Assuming you have the tax liability, youâ(TM)re in line to deduct another $8,100 (30% x $27,000). Now, youâ(TM)re at a net cost after year 1 of $5,400. This is a lot more palatable. Just think, this energy upgrade is also property tax exempt and youâ(TM)ll realize an immediate property value increase of 20 times your annual electricity bill savings. In this example, a 3kW system will increase your property value by about $9,600 ($40/mo savings x 12 = $480; $480 x 20 years = $9,600).

I'm sure you guys looked into this but... most state governments have a lot of incentives, both tax breaks and grants, for using alternative energy.

There are a lot of sites on it:
http://www.dsireusa.org/
http://www.solarpowerrocks.com/

Some even go so far as to eliminate 100% of property tax for businesses abiding by environmental regulations. They also have pretty big grants for the initial installation.

I'm pretty confident the electric companies also want you to produce power and put it back on the grid. They still make money and don't have to produce as much power.

I agree though, I hope power goes more distributed over the next few decades. Not only government and power companies making renewable sources, but individuals taking on the responsibility. I think it'll happen as it becomes more and more cost effective.