A home appreciates. My car has a warranty and it will wear depending on how much I use it. A solar installation begins to degrade as soon as it's put in the sunlight. When the product is finally "yours", it'll be producing about 80% of its rated power (if you're lucky) as the warranties are expiring.

What I was doing was illustrating the flaw in what some believe is a valid business model. If paying for the hardware over time was worthwhile, why wouldn't they load you up with new higher efficiency panels at the end of the term and you go for another contract? Because there isn't government money, our money, on the second go 'round.