I-Team: Hidden cameras reveal dark side of solar power

This isn’t the “dark side of solar.” This is the dark side of crappy companies and not being able to hold them accountable.

They paid $91,000 to SAVE ON ELECTRICITY COSTS!!!! How long would it take to use $91,000 in electricity so that they could break even????? These people are nuts.

Tip: If you have the land, don't mount the panels on your home's roof. I have them mounted on my pole barn, workshop. and out in the yard providing shade for my dogs...but not my home's roof. No problem with homeowners insurance and since I preformed the installation myself, no weird leases with shady companies. I also don't have them tied into the grid because our utility is a pain when it comes to solar. In my area, AC is a must...so they provide the majority of the power demand that my HVAC system needs during the hot summer months. The electric utility still gets some money, just not nearly as much...and I have basic power when hurricanes come thru thanks to battery backup and a small generator.

This is interesting because when I lived in California prior to 2015, we had 6,000 watts of solar installed in a ground mount system. At that time there were Federal tax and utility company rebates available. Our system did reduce our electric bill and had around a 9-10 year amortization of the system. I could look at the meter on a sunny day with low load and watch the meter spin backwards. It kept us out of tier three and four, which is where it got expensive. We were on a well and had a pool in an area where it could get to 110 degrees on a hot day. The cost of these systems from what was shown in this video is outrageous.

It's astounding that none of the cited companies are being charged with any criminal violations.

I like it when news stations get back to doing stories and investigations that actually help people.

I live in the Netherlands and installed my own solar system with 10 panels 3-phase system (Enphase certified). Reduced my grid dependency by 63% and my electrical cost by 50%. Total cost for the solar system $4000.00. Now I am installing my home battery and reducing my cost by another 25%. The mentioned prices $ 40.000 - 90.000 are insane. The going rate here in Europe is approx. $ 1000 - 1250 / kW wp

I live in Colorado and used a solar co-op for purchase and installation of 7.5 kwh system. It has eliminated my electric bill except for a $15 a month connection fee. After tax credits, it cost approx $15K for the system and it works fantastically.

The salesman was crapping himself when the reporter came out to confront him. This is good investigative reporting. We need thousands more just like you all over the world.

I really miss this kind of investigative journalism, especially these days.

I can’t believe anyone would put a solar system on their house and spend 60k just to save $ 10 a month.

I built my own system for 5 grand. Been off grid for a couple years now and they are great. The most expensive things are inverters, batteries and charger controllers. Renogy supplies almost everything I have. Great prices and customer service if your looking.

As a solar installer, this is infuriating! Salespeople can turn any industry into a money pit even if the industry as a whole has good intentions.

When I had solar put on my house, I entertained a couple of these company's sales pitches. What they didn't know is that I did enough research to know what the panels and inverters cost, how many I would need to achieve my goals, and the efficiency for different parts of my roof to fit 50 panels. I was quoted $45k-$65k total price for ~$20k in materials. They had no answer on why the costs were so high when I showed them the retail prices of the components used (exact panels and inverters). I ended up finding a contractor to do the install, purchased the panels and pulled the permits myself. My total cost was $28k before my 30% federal rebate. There are many people that seem to be against solar due to ignorance in the comments. In many cases, solar may not ever pay for itself. In my case, it will do this in < 8 years. I'm almost 3 years into this journey and have produced 57.4MWh in electricity on my roof. My average electricity bill was $260 and now I average $10/mo ($25 when the FU minimum kicks in). I did a time-lapse of my installation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oquw-f5Wm8

Ten years ago I used to have coffee at the same cafe every day. Many mornings a couple of guys from Solar City would sit near me and brag about how they strong-armed their customers. A few years later they were purchased by Tesla. I wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole.

I’m glad this news report helped that family get out of their contract and get those panels taken down.

Gimme me $91K and I will pedal the water-wheel to produce the power for the house.

Yes, there are scammers out there, but paying 300+ dollars a month for 25 years just to pay for the system is insanity.

Why did these people sign without reading the contract? These companies are criminals and there getting away with it.

The truth of the matter is almost all of those salespeople are "independent contractors" and those companies put pressure on them to make sales and those people flat out lie to your face as a result. The companies know it and the salespeople know they are lying. Never buy anything from a door to door salesperson. I just saw a story of an elderly couple on Texas who got scammed on solar and the company would not reply. After the couple contacted the local news, then all of a sudden the company replied, threw their salespeople under the bus, canceled the contract, reimbursed any monies they had paid, removed the solar and repaired their roof for free. Personally, that seems to be quite expensive. Why not just give them the unit for free and make sure it works? I have bought 2 houses in new subdivisions and salespeople are everywhere. Thank God for these video doorbell cameras. I never answer when they come knocking.