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Are solar panels worth the cost for homes?Check back regularly, as I update this answer frequently with links and tipsI’d say absolutely (although there could be cases where it wouldn’t make sense). Read on!Helpful Web LinksI am placing the web links up front, so people don’t need to scroll down, however, I encourage you to read the other sections as well.Google Project Sunroof - Shows what part of your roof is good for solarPVWatts Calculator - National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL) solar panel energy calculator for panels on roofs.Optimum Tilt of Solar PanelsLoan CalculatorGoogle MapsGoogle Project Sunroof - see roof potential for solarDatabase of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency® - DSIRESolar Tax Credit ExplainedFederal Residential Energy Credits | Internal Revenue ServiceThe Real Cost of Leasing vs. Buying Solar PanelsCan I Install Home Solar Panels with an HOA in 2019? | EnergySageEnphase white paper on sizing microinverters - This shows that even if the sun’s power is limited by a microinverter, the amount of power lost while above the microinverter’s maximum is not a large amount. This is because most of the time during the year it is below that. E.g. a 250 watt maximum microinverter can be used with 300 watt maximum PV panels.Types of Solar Panels (2019)”Feed-In Tariff " vs SRECsRemove Snow From Solar Panels with foam snow rakeDo I Need Critter Guards For My Solar Panel System? | EnergySage.SolaTrim and SnapNrack are two companies that make aftermarket critter guards.Sunpower module degradation rate white paperCan Solar Panels Withstand Hail and Hurricanes? | EnergySageAssuring Solar Modules Will Last for DecadesHail No! National Lab's Solar Panels Survive Severe StormEnergy payback time (EPBT) and energy return on energy invested (EROI) of solar photovoltaic systems: A systematic review and meta-analysisAnother article stating EPBT as 6 months2019 Environmental Impact of Solar EnergyCan Solar Panels be Recycled?Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) - Used to get the most energy out of a solar panel. Description of MPPT descriptionTypical DC-DC conversion (as used in Power Optimizers) is 95%. See Source Resistance: The Efficiency Killer in DC-DC Converter CircuitsFor DC-AC inverters (as used in microinverters), typically good ones are in the 95% area as well. See Efficiency of InvertersLevelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) - Cost of electricity by sourceEffects_of_solar_photovoltaic_panels_on_roof_heat_transfer5 Helpful Tips to Sizing and Selecting Solar Thermal EquipmentWhich is Better: Solar Thermal Flat Plate or Evacuated Tube Collectors?US Solar Panel manufacturers:Auxin Solar - San Jose, CAFirst Solar - Perrysberg, OHGlobal Solar Energy - Tucson, AZHeliene - Mountain Iron, MNItek Energy - Bellingham, WAMission Solar - San Antonio, TXSeraphim - Jackson, MSSolaria - Fremont, CASolarTech Universal - Riviera Beach, FLSolarWorld - Hillsboro, ORSuniva - Norcross, GASunPower - San Jose, CASunSpark - Riverside, CATesla (Panasonic) - Buffalo, NYThe DetailsMy Solar Panel Installation BenefitNow, I care about the environment, but like most people putting solar panels on, I am not part of the top 1% (or 2% or 3%…). First and foremost, I needed to make sure it made economic sense for me.I considered the installation of my solar panels (Fall 2016) with an analysis of the payback to me (EROI). I am located in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Massachusetts has net metering (for my utility anyway), loan support, SRECS ($250+ per megawatt hours generated for 10 years), and federal credits of %30 at that time. Some of these credits may disappear in the future, so you may not have those benefits. On the other hand, solar installation prices are dropping. For my case;With no credits of any type (and assuming electric prices don’t go up), it was a 24 year payback (lifetime of the panels is guaranteed for 25 years and estimated lifetime is 50 years). Not great for me, but with the side benefit of helping the environment.With immediate credits, payback was 5.5 yearsWith all current and future (period of 10 years for SRECs) credits figured in, my payback was 1.86 years.Each year after the payback point saves me $2500 per year (plus any amount the electric costs go up) and an additional $500 for 7200 electric miles of my hybrid car. And it improves my portion of reducing global warming significantly. The solar panels may also increase the value of your home when you sell it, but that number is harder to quantify.If I had financed the entire solar panel installation with my home mortgage, the additional cost would have easily been covered by the average solar savings each month ($200+ per month). This shows that anyone can potentially afford solar panels.My selection of panels was Sunpower, as I had limited usable roof space and I wanted to have my entire electric usage yearly covered by the solar panels. The Sunpower panels have little long-term degradation, meaning 50 years from now, they will still crank out the energy. The lifetime watts made them cheaper than the low-cost panels. I also used microinverters, so there would be no single point of failure.For those accounting types, my Internal Rate of Return (IRR) was 15.75%, or if you remove all the credits etc, my IRR was 1.5%. At 15.75% IRR, you’d be crazy not to add solar!This link includes the factors you need to account for in your calculating solar value.Are solar panels worth it in the long term?Solar Thermal PanelsSolar Thermal Panels use solar energy to heat water for your home’s hot water, pool heating or even home heating. They are very efficient (much more than Solar PV) in collecting solar energy, even in the cold of winter.Depending upon your roof space, you may want to consider using some space for at least some of your home’s hot water (typically 2 to 4 panels). They may require more, long term maintenance, but may be a great cost savings for your home. If you are changing your hot water tank, consider a SuperStor Pro Indirect Water Heater or SuperStor Solar SB Indirect water heater water tank or similar. It allows two ways to heat your water, one of them being the solar thermal system. That way you’ll be ready to add solar hot water. (Put the primary heat source, normally the solar, on the bottom input and output of the water tank. Use the secondary heat source on the top).The rest of this answer will be referring to Solar PV, although some may also apply to Solar thermal. For some details on Solar Thermal panels, see these articles5 Helpful Tips to Sizing and Selecting Solar Thermal EquipmentWhich is Better: Solar Thermal Flat Plate or Evacuated Tube Collectors?Geothermal heating/coolingInstead of heating the water to heat the house with Solar Thermal panels, you can use geothermal heating and cooling. This acts like a heat pump, with the the heat energy being exchanged between your home and underground. The underground acts as a storage mechanism, storing heat there in the summer, and extracting heat in the winter. This works well in environments that winter is cold and summers are hotter. Since these require electricity to run the pumps and fans, you might want to have some Solar PV to power this as well. Price of Geothermal is not cheap, but may make sense, particularly if it is installed with a new home.Wind energy not currently practicalUnless you have a large ranch or farm, wind energy is not practical for most residential homes. Most generate a bit of annoying sounds when running, and can cause flashing shadows during certain times of the day or times of the year.Cost versus other sources of electricitySolar PV can be very cost effective, particularly for homes, where the alternatives are not viable unless you have a large ranch with many acres of space and not near any other homes. It is compared as the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE). As you can see, Solar Thermal is best, but for residential locations Solar PV is not bad.Cost of electricity by source - WikipediaNot enough sun?I live in Boston, Massachusetts, and the weather is not particularly the best. But every case is different, and you need to do your research and calculate your costs and benefits. However, there is no location on earth that solar can not potentially work for.Winter does not produce the most power, but it’s not necessarily the worst time to generate solar. Solar panels work better in the cold, although not if covered with snow. And there are less sunny hours in the day. For the months of October through March, I generated 3,881 Kwh. From April through September, I generated 9,520 Kwh. So 28% of my electricity was generated in the winter months. Your case, however, may be different.LeasingIf you are thinking about leasing, and expect to sell your home prior to purchasing the panels, think carefully, and read your lease carefully. Leases can make it difficult to sell your home or transfer the lease to the new buyer. Also, Homeowner’s insurance may not cover leased panels too. SeeThe Real Cost of Leasing vs. Buying Solar PanelsUS Panels ARE (or can be) cheaperMy panels, which are purchased, are made in the US (Sunpower). I chose them because even though more expensive initially, they produce more power and degrade less making lifetime cost per watt to be less than the cheaper overseas panels. So my US panels were really cheaper than overseas panels when I installed them. It just had a higher initial cost. Also I had limited roof area, so using the more efficient panels (21% conversion efficiency, 345 watts) allowed me to reach my yearly needs.In my installation analysis, I considered the cost of money. Money earns interest. Money I borrow costs interest. Different types of solar panels degrade in power each year at different rates. Solar panel lifetimes can vary. Price of electricity over time changes (normally rises). Tax credits, rebates and energy cost savings all have to be figured in. Then there is the hard-to-measure saving from summer cooling (Solar Panels on roof shield a house from the sun’s heat saving cooling in the summer vs the winter’s heat savings which are smaller).As an engineer, this is relatively easy for me (compared to most people), but the final numbers saved me money, employed many people, and saved a piece of the world.EPBT and EROI (Pay Back Points)The ecological impact, is referred to as Energy Pay Back Time (EPBT), in other words, the energy use to get materials, manufacturing and disposal costs at end-of-life. Many solar companies use solar power to provide the energy to make the panels, so this, along with suppliers could be as small as zero years once the other processes are electrified as well (and this is possible).The cost savings for you is referred to as Energy Return on Investment (EROI)The article below says EPBT varied from 1.0 to 4.1 years depending on Solar panel type. Also it says EROI varied from 8.7 to 34.2 years (as opposed to my range I’ve stated as 0 to 25 years depending upon the specifics of the case)Energy payback time (EPBT) and energy return on energy invested (EROI) of solar photovoltaic systems: A systematic review and meta-analysisAnother article stating EPBT as 6 months2019 Environmental Impact of Solar EnergyDo-It-Yourself (DIY) InstallationWhile I think there are many people who could do their own installation, and potentially do it better than professional installation, it is probably a bad idea. The reasons why include;You may not know all the local and state building codes required for proper installationThe cost for the panels and parts may be more expensive to purchase than a solar company’s cost.Your home insurance company may not cover all or part of the installation, and you may have a higher liability.Selling the home may require an inspection or buyer sign-off to the liability, so it may actually lose the sale.It may be prohibited by your local or state regulationsMicroinverters vs Central (String) Inverters vs Power OptimizersMicroinverters, Central (String) Inverters and Power Optimizers all convert DC solar panel power to AC. However, I recommend microinverters (or AC panels which are just panels with microinverters built on to them).MicroInverters (Enphase is main provider) have the advantage of working even when individual panels are shaded or failed. These are the easiest for the homeowner (but worst for the solar company) to maintain. If the solar company goes out of business and a panel or microinverter goes bad, the rest of the array will still be working. This means you do not have a Single Point of Failure (SPOF) of any part like central inverters.It is OK to use a slightly more powerful panel than your microinverter, as the time the panels are producing more power than the microinverter can output is relatively small and you don’t lose that many watts. According to the Enphase white paper, 300 Watt panels are typically OK with the 250 watt microinverter.Also, microinverters normally report the data of each panel, so you can identify problems with the panels or microinverters.Central (String) Inverters will lose power of a string of panels if one of them is shaded or failed, but are easier for solar company to maintain. However, the data reported is based upon each string, so you can not detect small problems with an individual panel, only if the whole string fails.Power optimizers (SolarEdge is the main provider) on each panel convert all panels to the same DC Voltage (unless no power due to shading), and have the advantage of a little bit better power conversion over microinverters, but still have to use a central (string) inverter to convert that DC to AC voltage, and that can fail as a standard central inverter. Power optimizers also report the data of each panel like microinverters.Solar Panel TypesThere are 3 basic types of solar panels available that are found in most installations.Monocrystalline Solar Panels (Mono-SI) - Most efficient (~20%) per panel area, good for roofs where there is not much space for panels. Most expensive type, but they degrade less over the lifetime, meaning they can generate more lifetime watts and effectively be cheaper for lifetime watts than the Polycrystalline type below.Polycrystalline Solar Panels (p-Si) - About 15% efficient, so more roof space is required for the same power. However they are cheaper per watt in the short-term. They are sensitive to high temperatures, generating less energy when hotter, and they degrade more per year than the Monocrystalline.Thin-Film: Amorphous Silicon Solar Panels (A-SI) - These have an efficiency of about 10% at best currently, but are low cost. There lifetimes are also much shorter. Advances in technologies may make these more practical though.Roofing Solar TilesThere are some companies, like Telsa, that have tried creating roofing tiles that are also solar panels. The problem is that solar cells currently are sensitive to heat. The higher the temperature of the cells, the less energy they produce. Roofing tiles don’t have a cooling method, where as typical solar panels have a gap between the roof and the panels, allowing the airflow behind the panels to aid in the cooling of the panels. Also, the additional heat of roofing tiles may increase the possibility of a roof fire.Of course new methods or technology may address some of these issues, so if you are thinking about this, check it out thoroughly.Lifetime of SolarSolar Panels, microinverters and power optimizers are typically warranted for 25 years. Central (string) inverters, initially cheaper, have a typical 10 year warranty (consider an insurance policy for them). Lifetime of solar panels are more on the order 40 years or more.As for solar panel degradation, seeSunpower module degradation rate white paper which shows the following figure;Dealing with Bad Solar Sales PeopleA solar installation company can do a free quote, but consider it a ballpark number only. It’s best to use that and calculate your own numbers if you can.Sadly, all the solar installation companies that I checked out (it was over 9), have terrible salespeople. Not one of them could really figure out my true costs and paybacks, nor understood the advantages and disadvantages of various panel types and systems they sold. This means you have to stick to your own research (currently, I hope this changes). And then get multiple quotes. Also read reviews like Yelp on the company.Roof InformationMake sure your roof is relatively new. If you need to replace your roof after the Solar Panels are installed, there will be a lot of expense to remove and reinstall the panels. So if the roof is old, change it before the solar panel installation. Also, I highly suggest using a full, quality, water and ice shield under the tiles for the entire roof, not just the at the edges of the roof. This will minimize any possibilities of leaking during installation and in the far future. For me, it was an additional $400 for a Grace Water and Ice Shield.Measuring your roofUsing a smart phone app, you can measure the tilt of a roof section fairly accurately. If you don’t want to get up on the roof, then walk away from the house on the ground and tilt your phone to lie in the same plane as the roof. Just look at the edge of the phone with one eye and line it up as if the roof section was extended down to the ground where you are, and read the tilt value.The physical dimensions of the roof section either need to be measured on the roof, or measure it from the ground. With the tilt and basic ground dimensions, you can calculate the size of that roof section using math or a CAD program.After that, get the dimensions of the solar panel you are interested in. Then, adding 1 inch between panels, determine a layout of either horizontal or vertical panels that fits best. Stay about a foot away from any roof edge or ridge, or whatever your local regulations require.Ground Mounted Solar PanelsIf your roof won’t work in your situation, you can have the panels mounted on a structure off the ground. One advantage is you can position them in the correct orientation and angle for your location. Some people even have them manually tilt-able for the different seasons which can increase the power. But if you use any motors to move them automatically, you may have to deal with maintenance issues.Being lower to the ground, they may be shaded by trees and other structures, as well as shading the ground underneath, so that may be an issue. If you need multiple rows, they need to be spaced enough that the shadow of one does not fall on the next. However, if you can use the area underneath for storage, that might be ideal.Also, the rack that holds the ground mounted panels adds additional cost for the rack supports and the concrete pole supports that have to be poured. The concrete emits CO2 and increases the time for ecological payback.Grid-Tied vs BatteriesUnless you can’t be connected to the utility grid, the best solution is to be grid-tied. Being connected to the electric companies means you don’t need batteries, and have power night and day (but not when the grid goes down). If the utility charges more for using their power than you feeding your excess power to the grid, it sometimes makes sense to change your habits to use more power during the day, or to use enough batteries to cover your usage overnight or short periods of cloudy weather.Batteries are currently very expensive and only can provide power for a finite period. If it is cloudy for a number of days, your batteries may be exhausted before you get sun power again. But, if you can’t get electrical power where you are, this is often the best solution.Another alternative as backup is a generator. This can be gasoline or LPG or natural gas driven. If you have a manual or automatic power transfer switch, it can be relatively easy to switch between the backup and main power. And the price of a generator is much, much less than a battery solution.Maintenance on Solar Electric SystemsMaintenance is almost nothing on solar panels.In dusty areas, or if you have a lot of pollen, cleaning them with a hose occasionally can help, sometimes with soap. Don’t clean them in the heat of the day, but when they are relatively cool, either the morning or evening. Some panels have coatings on the glass that should not be scrubbed off. On these, only a soft cloth with mild pressure should be used on a spot that residue doesn’t come off. However, most times, a rain shower will clean most of it off.Lots of bird droppings on the panels can also reduce the output of the panels and should be cleaned if this is the case.In snow areas, the snow will slide off on it’s own once part of the panels gets exposed, unless very, very cold. Using a roof rake with a foam scraper to pull the snow off can help clear the panels a bit quicker, but in the winter you are not generating a lot of power, so it doesn’t affect your yearly power generation much. However, if you are off-grid with batteries, this might be more important to do.Remove Snow From Solar Panels with foam snow rakeAlso, when the snow starts melting, or there is a wet snow, the snow can avalanche off the roof quickly. You can have installed metal pieces that retards the snow, but then it takes longer to get the snow off the roof. I use them only around my door exits where the risk is higher.Optional maintenanceIf you have micro-inverters or power optimizers, or can monitor each panels output over time, then it can be helpful to watch the power output of the panels. Monitoring their outputs on a cloudless day, when the panels are not shadowed, compare the outputs of adjacent panels. If any panel is significantly lower in output (by at least 10%) than an adjacent panel in the same orientation and tilt, then you may have a problem with the panel or the micro-inverter or power optimizer, and need replacement. Do not call your solar installer for a couple of watts. It’s these kind of calls that annoy them to the point that they disable individual panel monitoring.It’s also useful to look at your solar production over the course of a year, so you have an idea of what each month typically produces, and can recognize if things like central inverters are failing.Critter GuardsFor roof mount systems, squirrels and other animals may chew on some of the wires if not protected. And some may make a nest in the gap between your roof and the panels. The nests could cause a potential (although unlikely) fire. Using a critter guard (like metal mesh) around the edges can protect them from these issues.Using a critter guard (essentially 1/4″ square metal mesh) will allow air flow to keep your panels cool and keep out animals. It will also eliminate collection of leaves and tree debris under the panel that could be a fire hazard (though seldom is). SolaTrim and SnapNrack are two companies that make aftermarket critter guards.Insurance for the Solar PanelsYour home insurance company may not cover your solar panels. It is best to check with them and to cover their value.DIY installations may not be covered for all or part of the installation, and you may have a higher liability. Check with your insurance company if they would require an inspection.Do Solar Panels increase home resale value?Unfortunately the data on this is not well researched and may be area specific. The local real estate market and possibly state regulations may affect this. The main things is some people either feel they are ugly and won’t pay extra for them when purchasing a home, or, some people like having them because it saves or eliminates electric costs. In some states, it is required to have them if the home is conducive to them, and possibly when a home is sold, and the state may require adding them.Speak with local real estate brokers to see their opinions on them. While the desirability of solar panels may increase over time, the current value may not be there, and hopefully, the brokers will know. In my area, they increase the value of the home about $3 per watt it generates. Since the installed cost is about that, if you depreciate the power degradation of the panels over time, you still get most of your initial cost back.Other SavingsWhile hard to quantify, there is a savings in air conditioning costs in the summer due to the insulation properties of the solar panels to the roof. And there is almost no additional costs to heating in the winter, providing a net gain. To read one article see here;Effects_of_solar_photovoltaic_panels_on_roof_heat_transferReasons people have for getting SolarSave money on electric billsCharge up their electric car or hybrid for freeClears the roof of snow load on it in the winterGives some insulation of the roof for the homeWith batteries or backup generator, can operate off gridCan extend lifetime of roofReduces ecological debt, which the break even point in less than 3 yearsReasons people have against SolarThey are ugly - Can’t argue on this point, except that we know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If the house is oriented in the correct way, they can be made invisible from the street.The home owners associations do not allow solar panels and/or getting permission is impossible - This shouldn’t be and in some places is illegal to put these restrictions. Solar panels and Satellite dishes often fall under similar rules. But HOA’s are designed to allow control to the community and skirt some laws that might allow them otherwise. See Can I Install Home Solar Panels with an HOA in 2019? | EnergySageThe large up front investment is difficult to finance unless it is part of the initial construction of the house. - some states support solar with supported loans. In most cases, the payback in electrical savings will pay more than the monthly financing cost of a loan for the solar itself.The average break-even time is longer than the average house ownership time. - That is true in many cases, but payback can be anywhere from 0 to 25 years, all depending upon federal and state credits, rebates, SREC credits, electric rates, and if you have a hybrid or electric car. So YMMV. But if you get at least all your money back when the house is sold, it has the side benefit of helping the environment.The original owner rarely gets back his investment - My payback was less than 2 years but without any credits, rebates etc, would have maxed at 24 years. If you can get back at least your depreciated solar installation cost (total cost less what you have saved) when you sell your home, then at a minimum, you have been green for that period.A solar installation does not make it easier to sell your house - that may be true in some places, but not in most IMHO. Unfortunately the data on this is not well researched and may be area specific. You can always check with a realtor or two for opinions.I don’t want to be stuck with operating a system I don’t understand and am afraid that it will be expensive to fix if they do something wrong - Totally agree, which is why microinverters are better, because they don’t have a single-point of failure and will keep operating in a reduced output without any repair at all. And there is nothing you really need to do except occasionally cleaning off dirt or dust with a hose in areas that experience that.I have to work out with my utility company to accept the power I generate - In most places you are grid-tied and that is all normally done by the utility company. It is not a big deal.If a storm ruins them, it is a horrible mess trying to collect insurance and repair the panels - I’ve never heard of this, but heck, insurance companies love to invent reasons not to pay off. But, if covered, they should pay for it (however, don’t lease panels).The panels are a bit vulnerable - If installed by competent people, this should never be an issue. They have been tested to withstand large hail and wind conditions, and rarely have a failure from those.I live in <fill in your location> and I don’t get enough Sun <fill in time period> - I live in Boston, with lots of cloudy days, and that has not been an issue. It mostly depends on the orientation of your home. Performing a site survey will ascertain what the yearly production will be. The most important is to figure out if it’s right for you. Also, in winter, my panels are covered at times by snow. They normally clear after a few days in most cases.Go to PVWatts Calculator and calculate the power you will generate with specific panels you are thinking about. Calculate the numbers for each roof surface you would use and add the separate values together. Measure the angle of your roof using a phone app that measures the tilt angle of your phone. If you can’t get on the roof, just line up the phone with the plane of the roof from the ground.

Yes, Marc, it's possible to have good and plentiful jobs again. It will happen as soon as we develop the political will to address the fundamental cause of our problem: corporate monsters.THE PROBLEMWe have known, because it has been copiously reported since at least the 1950's, that small businesses employ a greater number and broader diversity of people than huge companies. Nevertheless, our government approves and encourages the growth of gigantic corporations that are devouring their competitors and our resources at a prodigious rate while they pollute our environment and suck the blood out of our economy.None of this is a secret, we just, somehow, continue to ignore the problem. If we are to bring good jobs back to our country, the first step must be to break up the corporate monsters that devastate our country. There is no shortage of information, like the article about Concentration in the Food Industry at:"The Story Behind The Informant!"The Atlantic magazine has an article that gives a tiny insight into the breadth of the problem.America's Monopoly ProblemHere is a brief excerpt:"To comprehend the scope of corporate consolidation, imagine a day in the life of a typical American and ask: How long does it take for her to interact with a market that isn ' t nearly monopolized? She wakes up to browse the internet, access to which is sold through a local monopoly. She stocks up on food at a superstore such as Walmart, which owns a quarter of the grocery market. If she gets indigestion, she might go to a pharmacy, likely owned by one of three companies controlling 99 percent of that market. If she ' s stressed and wants to relax outside the shadow of an oligopoly, she ' ll have to stay away from ebooks, music, and beer; two companies control more than half of all sales in each of these markets. There is no escape - literally. She can try boarding an airplane, but four corporations control 80 percent of the seats on domestic flights."ADVERSE EFFECTS IF EXCESSIVE SIZEWhen I was young, we had a small knitting mill in our town. That mill, in addition to employing 50 or so of our townspeople, supported an uncounted number of other small businesses; the sandwich shop on the corner where the mill hands had lunch, a couple of local pickup and delivery services, the bank, of course, and the shops and services patronized by the mill's employees.That may seem like pretty small stuff - and it was - but it was typical of thousands of small businesses that were the mainstay of a multitude of communities throughout the country. Over the past 50 years or so, those small companies have been absorbed or driven out of business by corporate giants. The jobs they provided and all the support services that depended on them disappeared, too.The Bell System is a good example of the danger inherent in market domination. When it was young, dynamic and growing, it was a boon to society. After it matured and began perpetuating its own existence, it became injurious to society by suppressing alternatives. As soon as the Bell System was broken up, alternatives mushroomed and the market blossomed with diversity.In another example of excessive growth, giant brewers have devoured the small local breweries that used to dot our country. In 1950, the top 10 brewers produced 38% of the beer. By 1980, the top 10 brewers controlled the market and produced 93% of the beer. Not only did we lose the local employment of those small brewers, we also lost the multitude of jobs offered by the providers of goods and services that supported them.These losses, which seemed local and not very significant, pervaded the country. Every industry consolidated to increase the economic clout of the industry leaders at the expense of the self-sufficient communities that once made up our country. The auto manufacturers, seeking control of their markets, eliminated generic parts, ruining thousands of auto supply stores and small maintenance shops that helped maintain vibrant communities. As they eliminated their competition, they raised their prices to consumers so that it now costs $100 to replace the ignition key for my car.HOW IT HAPPENEDThe seeds of our predicament were sown more than 100 years ago. By the early 20th century the die had been cast; big business had learned to manipulate our political process to its own advantage. In his State of the Union Address on December 3, 1906, Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th President, warned us about the "unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics".By this time, party organizations around the country had became so powerful and so corrupt, they inspired widespread calls for political reforms. However, since political parties controlled the executive and legislative branches of the state and federal governments, the 'reforms' they enacted were merely cosmetic. New names were invented for old practices. In some cases, the lawyers who helped write the laws also drafted memos explaining the loopholes written into them, In spite of lip service to 'cleaning house', nothing changed. The unholy alliance continued to develop and is now so imbedded in our political system that big business writes the laws it pays our legislators to enact.THE NEED FOR A YARDSTICKThere is a simple, direct and obvious solution to the problem of companies that are Too Big To Fail. The difficulty is in understanding why that solution is necessary.The central problem is that our society has no penalty for greed, and "a society with no penalty for greed is flawed." Still, if greed is an evil, it is not one we can address objectively. We have no measuring stick to tell us when a company has grown beyond its value to society. We all pursue our own interest, how can we tell when that pursuit has become excessive?A part of self-interest is self-preservation, and "Self-preservation is the first law of nature". It applies to all organisms, living or corporate. The methods of self-preservation vary, and are generally applauded as "survival of the fittest". However, carried to extremes, self-preservation is destructive of the preserved entity's environment. Beneficial though Darwinism may be in a theoretical sense, if our society is the environment being destroyed, we must do what we can to prevent it.Societies restrain undesirable characteristics by a variety of forces. They initially deal with excesses by parental guidance, disapproval, peer pressure, appeal to conscience, excommunication and other non-physical methods. If these fail, it condemns the act by mandate and authorizes a force to control it. A central feature of the process is identification of the characteristic to be restrained.These mechanisms work until a villain is able to influence the forces society creates to control it. In America, gigantic corporations use their money to control the two major political parties. The parties enact the laws these monsters want. The result is the repeal of Glass-Steagall and the enactment of so-called "Intellectual Property Rights" that exceed the bounds of reason.While one may recognize the existence of villains after they have achieved villainous stature, we have no mechanism for penalizing them or inhibiting their greed before it becomes intolerable. However much we are offended by what we perceive as greed, the basis of our complaint is always subjective. If we are to control them, we must have a yardstick.THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCECompanies thrive in the United States because we provide the physical and human resources, markets, and stable business environment that let them grow to eminence. Their efforts provide the employment and produce the goods that improve our lives. We grant them the right to conduct their operations in our country and seek profit under our laws so they can enrich our society. Unfortunately, not all companies are good citizens. Some companies grow beyond their value to society. They reach such immense size that their excesses threaten the economic well-being of our country and our people. Unfettered growth is destructive.We must harness such companies in a way that retains their value while preventing the excesses that are destroying us. We must encourage them to focus on their responsibility, not only to themselves but to the society that hosts them. The most effective way to prevent cancerous growth is to make excessive size a burden, and that can only be done through taxation.LIMITING EXCESSIVE GROWTHGrowth requires nutrients. We provide corporations with physical and human resources and a legislative environment that supports their operation. It is our right, indeed our duty, to see that these resources are not abused. When we let corporations become 'Too Big To Fail', we fail to meet that obligation.To re-establish economic equilibrium, we must exercise our right to prevent abuse of the nutrients we provide. We can do that by making excessive size a burden; by levying a progressive tax on gross receipts, without reserve or allowance.We need a gross receipts tax; a fee for the use of the resources we offer entrepreneurs to develop their ideas. The tax is not concerned with the profitability of the taxpayer. Whether or not the enterprise is profitable does not change the amount of resources it exploits in its operation.If, by the nature of its business, an enterprise must be large, it is not injured by the gross receipts tax because all competing businesses must attain a similar size and will pay a comparable tax. However, when a company attains unjustified size by manipulating the rules in its own favor or dominating its competitors to the detriment of the public, the tax adds a cost to its operation.When a corporation grows to a size that exceeds its value to society, the gross receipts tax acts as an umbrella, increasing its cost of operation and giving its competitors a cost advantage that prevents their suffocation.Competition is critical to a free market economy and a progressive gross receipts tax enhances competition immeasurably by preventing the suffocation of smaller businesses. This allows the surviving companies to maintain their own direct employment as well as the indirect employment of the support services that supply them and their employees.THE GROSS RECEIPTS TAXThe gross receipts tax is levied on the annual gross receipts of all taxable entities, animate or inanimate, from all sources and for all amounts received in their name by entities they control (including franchises), less amounts paid to external vendors in which the entity has no managerial, directorial or financial interest of any amount or kind.The tax is progressive. Assuming inception of the tax at $1,000,000 and a base rate of 2%, 2% is added to the rate each time the receipts increase by one decimal position, with the tax rate increasing proportionally from one order of magnitude to the next.Annual Gross Receipts Tax Rate$1,000,000 2%$10,000,000 4%$100,000,000 6%$1,000,000,000 8%$10,000,000,000 10%$100,000,000,000 12%$1,000,000,000,000 14%PUBLIC BENEFITSA Progressive Gross Receipts Tax has a number of beneficial effects. It is gentle because it only becomes burdensome when companies exceed their benefit to society. It lets taxpayers pursue their own interest in their own way and leaves size decisions in the hands of management. It benefit stockholders because management is encouraged to pay profits out in dividends instead of funding voracious, anti-social growth. It makes huge corporations provide revenue for the government that nurtures them. It eliminates "Too Big To Fail" companies without additional regulation.In addition to allowing the dynamic growth of small businesses, with the attendant direct employment of our people and the rebirth of the supporting businesses that are the cornerstone of vibrant communities throughout our country, this tax will eliminate inflation. Right now, huge corporations with 'pricing power' benefit from inflation because it adversely affects their smaller competitors. People and businesses at the lower end of the economic ladder never have pricing power. For them inflation is an unmitigated evil. The progressive nature of this tax makes inflation bad for large companies because their tax rate increases as their gross revenue rises. The progressive gross receipts tax will encourage large corporations to fight inflation at the same time that small corporations employ our people.Fred Gohlke

This question was fun and I hope you enjoy reading my answer, but parts of this answer are very, very optimistic, there are probably more than a few things I’ve overlooked or heavily underestimated the difficulty of.I’m guessing the answer you’re looking for involves use of entrepreneurial initiative, but $1 isn’t much to work with, especially in Britain where it’s worth about £0.76.Let’s say I’m completely without assets except for the £0.76, so I’m homeless, jobless, have no way of cleaning myself or my clothes, no contacts, no academic achievements to help me get a job—I’m a blank canvas with a NET worth of £0.76, with nothing but the clothes on my back and a couple years of business studies to help me.*cracks knuckles* Let’s do this.[1] Find the nearest homeless shelter: The Julian Trust night shelter in Bristol is warm, has beds and food, and even better—it’s just outside the town centre:I find this out by asking at the local police station, which I find using maps displayed around town.[2] Start begging: For a couple days after being magicked into a world where I have nothing, my clothes are still clean and I look somewhat like an ordinary member of the public, during this time I would go outside the train station, appear agitated and in a rush, and politely ask people for change.“Hi I’m really sorry but do you have 40p I could borrow, their prices went up and I only brought a fiver” Asking for a specific amount rather than simply asking for change is far more effective, and implying what you’re going to do with it further increases your chances of getting a positive response: Beggars who ask for a specific amount of change, What's with beggars asking for specific amounts of change?This tactic can be used even after I become easily distinguishable as homeless, either by sight, or by smell.Homeless people who are younger tend to receive more generous donations, being 18 (and looking 15), I should get better results from begging.[3] Buy supplies: In the town centre and using the tactic above, my begging should accumulate enough cash to get some basic supplies, since the homeless shelter is providing me with food (enough to survive at least), I can spend it on things that might make getting some kind of job slightly easier.Let’s say I manage to get £35 a week, that may seem optimistic but my age will be a pretty big factor into how much money I receive, as well as the tactic mentioned in the point above.There are many things which inhibit a homeless person’s ability to get an actual job, most notably of which is lack of clean clothing, haircuts, and showers, one problem at a time, first, people aren’t going to hire someone who smells like an animal carcass, I need to sort myself out with some hygiene products:Shampoo: £3 for a big bottle, used conservatively, will last about 3–4 weeks on average: Tresemme Moisture Rich Luxurious Shampoo 500MlToothbrush and toothpaste: About £2, nothing special (no advanced sensitive ‘repair and protect’ ultra-whitening toothpaste), the toothbrush will last basically as long as you need it and the toothpaste will last about a week: Oral-B 123 Indicator Medium Manual Toothbrush, Aquafresh Freshmint Toothpaste 75Ml.Gum: 45p for a small packet of gum, I’m incredibly self-conscious about my breath: Extra Peppermint Gum 10 Pieces.Lynx: £2, I already look like a virgin, smelling like one too is a small price to pay so I won’t have to wash as often, which given I’ll be doing it in ASDA’s disabled toilets early in the morning, will be a Godsend.Shaving foam and shaving razors: About £9 altogether, I can’t grow a beard, just a bit of fluff, but it looks silly, if I went to any interviews or anything I can shave beforehand.Towel: This is £7 on average and will last me at least a year.Flannel: This’ll help me clean off, £2 at most.The costs and expectancy of each of these taken into consideration, I will be spending an average of £9.70/week on hygiene (£2 added on for optimism).That’s cleanliness sorted: I’m going to ASDA or some other superstore early in the morning and washing off using the sink in the disabled toilets, putting on some antiperspirant or deodorant, and drying off with a towel before brushing my teeth. This is just £9.70 a week, leaving me with £25.30 to spend.[4] Buy clothing:With approximately £25.30/week to spend, I can’t exactly go crazy with clothing, I’ll go to Debenhams in town, on the top floor they have some incredibly cheap clothing, this will be what I wear when I’m not in a job interview or other formal event.I’d have to wait a few weeks to be able to afford a decent amount of clothing, during that time I would probably wanna buy a rucksack—carrying around an ASDA shopping bag filled with clothing and cleaning products will get a bit tiring.So about a month or so later I have some clothes to wear throughout the week, and I no longer need to wear 1 pair of clothes for several days in a row, but regular clothes won’t cut it in a job interview.To buy interview-appropriate clothing, I’m gonna have to wait about another month, during this time I accumulate around £101.20 (This is fairly realistic, if not unoptimistic; some have been able to make this much in a matter of days).Alright, I’ve got enough money now, I pop over to H&M, buy a nicely-fitting shirt for around £30, and trousers for around £20, making sure I keep the interview clothes inside their packaging.At this point I am spending around £9.70/week on hygiene and an additional £5/week for cleaning my clothes as well as £10 per week on food, the homeless shelter provides food but in small quantities, since I have money I can’t resist buying food. Leaving me with a weekly NET income of £15.30.[5] Find somewhere to stay:I don’t mean actually buying a house—we’re not quite there yet, just somewhere slightly less demeaning than a homeless shelter, somewhere my belongings are safer and I don’t have to hide my money in a plastic carrier bag buried in the local park. In the time I spent saving money for interview clothing, I was also going to internet cafes with computers and searching cheap accommodation and places where if I got the job, it would be easy to commute from.In addition to this, I look for entry-level jobs in companies with a high staff turnover rate, I will find this out using Indeed employee reviews and by applying for jobs with a high turnover rate, management are going to be a lot more lenient in the recruitment process, which is why I didn’t have to spend hundreds of pounds on a suit, instead I can wear a shirt and some neat trousers.After finding where I’m going to apply, I look for nearby hostels, they are incredibly cheap in Bristol, some charge just £10 a night, or from my perspective, £70 a week.[6] Get a job!Before going to the hostel, I’m going to need find out when I can get an interview, otherwise it could be another few weeks before I’m financially able to stay in a hostel. After making my regular trip to ASDA and cleaning myself off, I go to the internet café/public library and type up my application to a restaurant at the airport, and prepare a basic CV.My CV, cover letter, and other documents are stored on my email.After going to the internet café/public library once every few days to check my email, I receive a reply from the manager, and am invited to have an interview at the airport.After getting the job at a restaurant in Bristol Airport, I arrange to stay in a hostel in town, there is a bus which takes staff to the airport for £1 each way, it goes through town, so I can wake up, go to the hostel bathroom, wash off, get dressed, and catch the bus to work.I go for my first shift, it goes fairly well, and I’m given a couple pairs of uniform for free and all the ID I need.[7] Save up:Working at the restaurant for £5.60 an hour for 40 hours a week will mean I am making £224 each week.Obviously I no longer want to be eating at a homeless shelter, I actually have a job now, I have very cheap accommodation, and can afford my own food, this costs me an average of £55 per week.Unfortunately I don’t yet own a fridge, so I can’t do a large weekly shop and I can’t buy any refrigerated foods, else I would take a slightly longer journey to Aldi or Lidl so I could save some money, instead I go to Tesco, less than 5 minutes walk from the hostel a 3–5 times per week.£70 per week for the hostel, plus approximately £55 per week for food, plus the £9.70 for hygiene products, rounded to £10 for convenience, and an extra £30 for miscellaneous costs such as laundry, work bus fairs, and using computers at the internet cafe/library, etc…means I have a weekly expenditure of around £165, that taken from my weekly income of £224 gives me a weekly NET profit of £59…not exactly ‘rolling in it’ am I?[8] Excel:The thing about SSP that makes is so advantageous for me is that they own virtually every restaurant unit in Bristol Airport, as well as basically every other airport food vendor in the UK (not sure about Europe and the US, though they definitely have a presence there).Because of this, my opportunities to pursue promotions are multiplied by however many units are in the building, in this case, there are around 6: Brunel Bar and Kitchen, Dexter’s Bar and Grill, Burger King, Soho Coffee, Cabin, and Starbucks—SSP runs all of them, meaning team leader vacancies would occur theoretically 6 times as often.Not many people apply for the vacancies, most of the people working there don’t want to come into work more often, and do not want the responsibilities nor the stress of the higher position (due to regular staff shortages).This will be a long-term plan, before applying for a team-leader role I will ask to be made a specialist, this is basically just someone who is authorised to train other staff members, by doing this, I can develop healthy relationships with my peers and work closely with my superiors, thus increasing my chances of receiving the promotion when I eventually decide to apply for a team leader role.The specialist role pays, on average, an extra £1 per hour, so my weekly income would be 40 hours x £6.70, giving me £268 per week, again taking away £165 living costs, that leaves me with around £103 NET earnings.Above is a time plan for 2.5 years at the airport, during this time I am able to ascend to the rank of team leader, which I will continue to work as for a further 12 months at an average of 45 hours per week.So 45x an average hourly pay of £7.80 (not including the likely 25% hourly bonus for early and late shifts) is £351, take away my weekly expenses, £165 plus an extra £40 per week-I am now staying in a flat, £110pw, with free WiFi, a refrigerator, washing machine, and actual facilities such as a kitchen and a shower.So that’s 351 – 206 = £145 being saved each week, I feel that’s too optimistic, there are probably some costs which I have missed out (Bristolian binge drinking included) so I’m gonna take away £20.£125 savings per week x 12 months = £6000.This is just what I have saved after becoming a team leader, there’s still 2.5 years of savings not accounted for:£59 NET earnings per week for 16 months as a team member is around £3776:£70 per week for the hostel, plus approximately £55 per week for food, plus the £9.70 for hygiene products, rounded to £10 for convenience, and an extra £30 for miscellaneous costs such as laundry, work bus fairs, and using computers at the internet cafe/library, etc…means I have a weekly expenditure of around £165, that taken from my weekly income of £224 gives me a weekly NET profit of £59.£103 NET earnings per week for 10 months as an operational specialist is around £4120:The specialist role pays, on average, an extra £1 per hour, so my weekly income would be 40 hours x £6.70, giving me £268 per week, again taking away £165 living costs, that leaves me with around £103 NET earnings.To compensate for my optimism and the fact that I don’t know where I’d be staying, I’m taking off £750 from each of those figures, leaving me with £6396, plus my earnings as a team leader, this leaves me with…Pessimistic estimate of savings: £12,396Optimistic estimate of savings: £14,856 and above.I then invest in a laptop![9] Plan:(Just to be clear, I came up with this business plan when I was in my first year of college, and refined it for my final assignment of the second year of college. I am aware it has a few flaws, I have tried to find the cash flow forecasts, I haven’t been able to find the assignment so I’m just doing this from memory. I will update this message if I find it, and will upload some more details)At this point I am approaching my 21st birthday, somehow I’m meant to go from just under £15,000 savings to £1,000,000<; at my current rate of earning, the highest NET value I could achieve before dying is around £184,000, so somehow I need to earn some-82% more than I am currently, eeek.Alright, so during the next 12 months working as a team leader, I am going to create a business plan. Let’s have a look at what I eventually come up with:My eventual objective is to open some kind of restaurant business, operating from the confines of a modified 40ft shipping container, where if necessary, the business can be moved with relative ease, but still function as a restaurant rather than as a trailer:Above is a simplified illustration of my business plan, inside that container is a working kitchen, fitted with all the necessary equipment: a sink, deep dryers, an oven, a sous-vide machine, hob, etc…The business has several USPs:Cooking method: The majority of restaurants, including and especially those in Bristol, do not use the sous-vide cooking method, wherein food is slow-cooked in a bag ‘under vacuum’, this cooking method is typical of more premium restaurants, as the process is more time-consuming and the equipment is considerably more expensive.Restaurant and takeaway service: Based on one of the main roads entering town, our customers will be divided into two markets: those entering town with money to spend, and those exiting town with only a small amount left to spend. Obviously this would have its flaws, but it is the general assumption I’d make about our customers and we will cater to these two customer types by having a moderately priced restaurant service, and a lower-priced takeaway service with smaller, more affordable portions.There will be two openings either side of the freight container, one providing the takeaway service, and the other for the restaurant area.In addition to this, the takeaway service will increase our efficiency by reducing our food wastage.Community Interest Company status: While there are no direct fiscal benefits to having CIC status, it serves as an official branding of social entrepreneurship and philanthropy, a trustworthy status awarded only to companies with genuine interest in the community.This is brought to question each year, if you’re acting in the community’s interest, you can retain the CIC status. This acts as added incentive for customers to give repeat business, and the local community will appreciate your charitable acts.We will attain this status by sending our leftover foods to local homeless shelters, and making considerable donations to charities tasked towards improving the lives of homeless people and helping them get back on their feet. We would consider offering jobs to the homeless but the small scale of the business makes it a bit illogical to do so.Our interest in helping the homeless will give our company a brilliant strategic narrative, as I myself would have experienced homelessness within the last few years.Ability to move the business: Obviously this won’t be a regular occurrence, as it is expensive and time-consuming, but it is nowhere near as bad as having to cancel large contracts for building premises, particularly in town, you’ll be left with the same colossal bill even after cancelling it. Instead we can cancel our contract with whomever owns the land, still expensive but considerably less so than cancelling a contract with building premises.In addition to this, we won’t have to uninstall every single piece of equipment when moving the business, this could potentially save hundreds of pounds, not to mention the only transport required for the container would be something along the lines of this:Still considerably cheaper and more convenient than moving premises.Upon working out the costs which include…Renovating the freight containerInstalling a fold-down seating platform.Fitting piping and wiring, and installing connection for mains (gas, electricity, water).Creating a bar area fitted with refrigerators and beer taps with kegs inside the bar.Installing seal-able hatches on either side of the container.Installing basic ventilation in roof of the container.Setting up a cash register and receipt printers for the kitchen.Buying and installing all cooking units and equipmentIndustrial oven with induction hob.2 Industrial deep fryers, one using conventional cooking oil, the other using duck fat.Large refrigerator for food products.Glass-door refrigerator for bar area.Basic cooking equipment:UtensilsSaucepans and frying pansStick blendersSous-vide sticksTubs for sous-vide cooking(All the rest too obvious to mention)Small industrial dishwasher.Small industrial plate warmer.Shelf with heat lamp.…the total price came to around £10,000, with running costs totalling a modest £1000 per month, some of the items have been missed out from that list, else I’d be here all night.After working for another year as a team leader, I increase my total savings to around £18,000 (£3000 taken away for optimism).£18,000 is enough to start the business, and to provide some leeway for any unexpected costs, so I decide to hand in my notice, and start the business.The business is a sole proprietorship, a little risky I know, if the business fails, I am liable to any debts left by the business, but ultimately I think this is a good option: because we aren’t taking out any loans and most of our assets can be sold off with ease: cooking units and equipment, furniture, the only real fixed asset that would be difficult to get rid of would be the freight container, even then we could probably pawn it on EBay.An added advantage of this aspect of the business is that the profits will be passed directly to me, and will not be subject to any corporation taxes, only income tax, both are currently are the same standard rate of 20%, but a possible change in government could result in alterations to the corporate tax rate, the uncertainty is minimised by having the business’s profits taxed at the 20% income tax rate, which isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future.Our seating areas will host around two dozen customers as once, so each customer will receive more attention and better service; if the restaurant is successful enough, we could even open a website online and create a booking system.The restaurant will be serving high quality foods, our unique cooking processes will ensure we have an impeccable standard of produce.Some of our menu items include:House burger(no name given yet): Sous-vide rump steak, deep fried and then thinly sliced, placed on top of a creamy buttery cauliflower purée base, topped with homemade beer-battered onion rings and crispy seaweed with salt and sugar. Possibly with a brioche bun instead of the one shown below.This is the pride and joy of the restaurant, ridiculously unhealthy, but absolutely delicious, it’s something new.Steak meals:These come with the conventional sides, chips, peas, onion rings.Our chips:Roosters potatoes blanched, then twice-fried in duck fat, the best chips you’ll ever get your hands on in Bristol. Again we want our product to be unique, something you can’t just walk down the road to taste something exactly like it.Steak and Ale Pie:Sometimes in the cold British weather, there’s nothing more satisfying than a lovely steak and ale pie, a British classic, and definitely on the menu. Hopefully it will be drastically improved by our cooking methods.Beer-battered salmon and chips:Using the sous vide cooking method, we can get a perfect cook all the way through the fish, and then nicely batter it.We also do miniaturised versions of these meals for the takeaway service, such as a pot with mini-battered salmon sticks, a pot with chips, or just the crispy seaweed with some cauliflower purée, we will make this as easy to customise as possible.These are some of the more iconic menu items which our business will be offering.[10] Reflect:I am now 26 years old, the business has been performing adequately, well enough to breakeven and fulfil its community interest pledges such as donations to charities, helping the homeless, and likewise philanthropic endeavours. The business has had its ups and downs, and never really took off the way I expected it to, but it’s still going nonetheless.And though I am certainly not rich, I have achieved more than I ever could have dreamed of; I’ve opened a business, helped others, and built something that will last. That to me is worth more than any riches.“But little they knowThat it's so hard to findOne rich man in tenWith a satisfied mind”