There are a number of places that sell solar panels for half that price.

I can find solar panels at $0.82 a watt, and sometimes lower. Is that what you mean by "crazy expensive"?

Those are very outdated prices

http://www.dmsolar.com/solar-module-1141.html

Now that would be a scary product to beta test

According to the Datalinks; Not until we research "Doctrine: Air Power" and "Neural Grafting"

Maybe you should get whatever you took analyzed by one of these labs?

If space is an issue I could see the efficiency rating being important, but in most cases the cost per watt is the most important element. Especially for utility scale solar projects.

I'd say a 70% drop in prices over 5 years is quite a "trickle" of progress. The number of new solar installations is growing at an almost parabolic rate. Take a look,

http://www.seia.org/sites/default/files/2012q3-PV-Installations-by-Market-Segment2.gif

The US has installed in a single quarter, in both 2011 and 2012, what took an entire year to install back in 2010. I think you aren't giving solar proper credit.

$17K for a 3 Kilowatt system? Those are very old prices. Here's a 5.75 Kilowatt system advertised at only $9300

http://www.dmsolar.com/spbuy5grwien.html

What sized installation would that have been? That quote looks ridiculously high

The price has fallen that much. DMsolar for instance sells panels as low as $0.82 per watt, and sells panels with grid tie systems as low as $1.63 per watt. The only other costs are labor and code compliance costs.

The price of solar is truly falling like a rock

http://www.dmsolar.com/solar-module-1141.html

Washington state actually has a quite generous solar subsidy program. So buying solar panels in Seattle is actually a good deal

Have faith that there are so many stupid people in so many positions that they kinda cancel each other out most of the time

First you launch nukes at the moon to judge how well they work in space warfare. Later you build a base there which can launch nukes of its own.

The things they'll sacrifice...