Without big money, your roof won't be going solar soon

Clean Break has a well-written but downhearted look at the cost picture for residential renewable energy. The problem? Government incentives don't come close to covering the initial expense - even in Canada - and the high demand for renewables has pushed up prices as suppliers fail to keep pace.

How bad is the cost outlook? Here's Tyler's look at installing solar on his roof compared to re-roofing with regular shingles:

The retail cost of each [solar power] shingle, however, is $198. So a 3 kilowatt system would cost about $35,000, while the 2 kilowatt system would be $23,000. Now, let's keep in mind that this excludes installation costs and the cost of power electronics that would be required to be grid-connected. Given I could re-roof my home with regular shingles for about $6,000 to $8,000, going with BIPV is still cost prohibitive -- even with the standard offer incentive.

He also looked into a geothermal heat exchanger, an underground piping system that takes advantage of ground temperatures being close to 50 degrees F year-round.

Okay, so what about a geo-exchange system? Certainly much more affordable, but costs can range anywhere from $25,000 to $40,000 depending on the installer. Plus, there's a huge wait time for getting someone to drill in your yard -- particularly if you live in an urban area.

I've looked into some of these ideas for renewable energy for my house and have found similar problems. High upfront costs and long payback periods (10 years or more). Maybe I'll just turn the thermostat down a couple degrees instead...