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Comment by sys_64738 | Hacker News Reader

Call me when solar shingles are actually cost effective. Having hulking solar panel nailed to my roof is a big no.

It makes far more sense to have a separation of concerns. By having roofing and solar separate you can address problems with them independently. If you combine them suddenly a problem with one is a problem with the other.

This principle applies to most things in life. Having a dumb TV and a separate internet connected streaming box, a computer with a dumb monitor, an audio amplifier and standalone speakers, etc.

Combining things typically makes their initial setup easier but in the long run they cost more and generate more waste.

My wife shares the sentiment. To me it’s an acceptable trade off, similar to having gutters installed around the house, or a leech field for a septic, or a pump house.

What does rooftop solar do for roofing replacement costs? Seems like you'd need to get some much-more-expensive labor involved than the usual roofing crew for your typical asphalt-shingle roof, and you'd have to bring them out twice (once to remove, once to re-install at the end). Thanks to hail, I'm very likely to need to replace my roofing at least twice in the lifetime of a solar installation (I'm assuming solar panels are very, very resilient against hail—if not, I guess I'll have to forget about ever doing that, period). How much more likely are roof leaks with rooftop solar? More holes in the roof (for mounting the panels) has got to increase the leak risk.

I asked this same question to solarcity when I had my panels installed 5 years ago. The deal was they come out, take off the panels, store them, and come install them again for $500.

I think I'd rather have them in the backyard on some sort of human-accessible bracketry.

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