Are solar power systems practical for home owners?

We're guessing you wouldn't have come here if you didn't have a hunch they probably were. But just in case, let's review when solar systems are practical for homes and when they're not. If you own home or cabin and you have (or a tiny home who can be parked such that...) a roof that roughly points south (north if south of the equator) with no shading by trees, hills, other homes from around 9AM to 3PM, then you have some prime real estate for putting a solar system on.

The cost has dropped significantly in the last several years, making it such that, with tax incentives or rebates, a grid-tie solar system will pay for itself in just a few years. Essentially, for the price of a few years electricity, you get 25 to 35 years of electricity. In fact, solar systems will likely keep on producing electricity at a lower rate for even decades after that.

Solar power systems are not practical for locations that get lots of shade throughout the day. That said, with the advent of micro inverters and grid-tie inverters that have DC optimizers connected to each individual solar panel, some locations with a little bit of shading can still be an option.