What went wrong?
Solar doesn’t pay for itself/turn a profit.
My opinion as an amateur technical guy is that it doesn’t take enormous equipment or enormous amounts of money to develop a better solar cell. Any solar cell technology can be tested with a sample less than an inch square. Efficiency, life expectancy, and cost to manufacture are the key parameters.
For an example of the progress of large semiconductors, look no further than the beautiful, large video displays we have now. Done without subsidies.
A winning solar collector would bring in enormous amounts of money to its developer/patenter.
Depends on where you live.
I live in a single party state that
has driven the price of electricity to be
the highest in the nation. Thanks to Democrats
and taxpayers I can pay for a
10 kW system in 8 years. It is worth it for me.
Other people on this post are correct,
all costs considered, the solar will never
return the costs needed to produce it.
The subsidies and the freedom from the
government are what makes it worth it.
Thanks for paying your taxes!