Solar's "Silver Linings"? More Like Fool's Gold.

Alright, let's get one thing straight: "silver linings" in the solar industry? Give me a break. Every time some politician or "expert" starts chirping about how things are totally gonna be fine, I reach for the antacids. This whole sector is a rollercoaster of tax credits, subsidies, and outright lies.

The North Carolina Hustle: Rent-a-Roof

So, this company in North Carolina, EnerWealth Solutions, thinks they've found a loophole. The federal tax credit for rooftop solar is expiring – surprise, surprise – so their brilliant plan is to buy the panels themselves and rent them to homeowners. Passing along the savings, they say.

Yeah, and I've got a bridge to sell you.

It’s like those rent-to-own furniture places, except instead of a couch that falls apart in six months, you get a solar panel that’s probably gonna need replacing in ten years. And you know they're gonna squeeze every last penny out of those "savings" before passing them on. Let's be real, it ain't charity.

"Make hay and electrons while the sun shines," says Brian Liechti, director of solar leasing. Translation: "Get rich quick before the whole damn thing collapses."

And this gem: Casey Gilley, a CPA for solar firms, is their first customer. ​“You can’t work in the business and not have solar,” he said. ​“Right?”

Right. It's called virtue signaling, pal.

Hawai'i's Solar Bloodbath: Coming Soon

Speaking of collapses, let's hop over to Hawai'i. Trump axed the solar tax credit early (offcourse, he did), and now the industry is staring down a "bloodbath." Nice visual, right? Rocky Mould, executive director of the Hawaii Solar Energy Association, said it would hit the industry like a “sledgehammer.”

I'm picturing solar companies going belly up left and right, installers out of work, and families stuck paying HECO's insane electricity rates. Forty-three cents per kilowatt hour on Oʻahu? That's highway robbery!

But hey, at least the sunsets are pretty.

The article in Civil Beat points out the state legislature could step in, preserve the state tax credit, reinstate rebates, streamline permitting... all that jazz. But let's be real, are politicians ever going to do what's actually needed? They are too busy lining their own pockets.

And this whole thing about Hawaiʻi needing solar to reach 100% clean energy by 2045? That’s laughable. A goal ain't a guarantee.

The Non-Profit Pity Party: Solar for Souls

Oh, and don't even get me started on the non-profits whining about not having enough money. Turns out, they could save a ton by going solar! No kidding.

The Jewish Solar Challenge is handing out grants to Jewish non-profits willing to install solar panels. Which is great, I guess. But why should philanthropy have to pick up the slack? Shouldn't the government be doing its job? I mean, seriously. Jewish philanthropy should back solar for nonprofits, even after incentives end

So, What's the Scam?

The scam is that we're all being sold a bill of goods. Solar can be great, but the industry is built on shaky foundations, propped up by temporary incentives and empty promises. It's a house of cards waiting to collapse. And when it does, who's gonna be left holding the bag? You guessed it: the average Joe.