At a cost of $10 million, it will take 50 years for this to breakeven assuming the $200,000 a year utility savings for the Town of Situate is accurate. The only problem is that solar panels don’t have a 50 year life expectancy so this project will ultimately be a money loser. And so it is with most alternative energy schemes out there right now. Without taxpayer funded subsidies and grants, none of these make financial sense.