The price of solar includes soft and hard costs, including design services, local permitting, panels, installation labor, components, and maintenance. Solar incentives and rebates such as the Residential Clean Energy Credit make solar less expensive. Despite the upfront costs, converting your home to run on solar energy still offers long-term financial benefits. When people ask why solar is so expensive, they are typically referring to a photovoltaic (PV) system, which converts sunlight into usable electricity for. . Solar energy cost analysis examines hardware and non-hardware (soft) manufacturing and installation costs, including the effect of policy and market impacts. Solar energy data analysis examines a wide range of issues such as solar adoption trends and the performance and reliability of solar energy. . Why is solar so expensive? This article breaks down the factors contributing to the cost, from manufacturing and installation to soft costs and financing. Solar energy represents a powerful solution to our growing energy needs, offering a clean, renewable alternative to fossil fuels.