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A colleague of mine in Sacramento has installed solar power and expects to recover the investment in 6 years. If you're serious about using solar it seems like something that's achievable without mortgaging your life.

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California has the highest (I believe) state subsidies for this sort of thing. My aunt and uncle just did the same thing, and they live north of LA.

It makes me wonder two things: 1. What is the ROI without the subsidies? 2. How much lower would the price be if the subsidies didn't exist?

Subsidies don't recover the investment, they just make other people pay for it.

... or potentially pay for their own negative externalities.

Other people pay, regardless of whether they produce negative externalities or not.

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