About 20 years ago my dad utilized a state tax credit (Phoenix, AZ) to buy this solar water heater from an Australian company that folded w/in a couple years. The system has been high-maintenance, continually corroding. At one point, we had to take the panels down from the roof to add sheet metal to the bottom edges of the panels which had completely rusted through.
Since the feds granted tax credits to alt. energy systems, I have heard & seen dozens of ads seeking to take advantage of them. I am sure there are plenty of fly-by-nights like the one that sold this system to my dad which will be gone in a few years when people need to repair their systems. I doubt the feds will be standing by w/ checks then (the gov't will already be bankrupt at that point).
I have also spoken w/ the co-owner of one solar company & asked them what structural engineers they use to verify roofs for the added loads of the systems they install. She said they don't use structural engineers. I bet this is typical, as I have learned from another source that most remodels done in this downturn are done w/out structural engineers. This will be a problem in a few years when roofs fail under the strain of solar panels and the companies that sold the systems aren't around to back up their warranties.
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