If you are going to crunch numbers, why haven't you accounted for the taxes, fees, and commission costs associated with investing 10,000 bucks for a ten percent return per year of $1,000.00?
Also the 10% historical long term rate of return for the stock market is not fact--there is not a concensus on this. 10% is a best case senario (and that is before taxes, fees and commissions are deducted). It seems that the real rate of return would more likely be 6.5% after taxes (15% tax rate bracket), fees and commissions for an individual.
A buyer of any alternative energy system would have to crunch the numbers for him or herself.I recently looked in online alternative energy stores for refrigerators . At best they average at about 1,400.00. Now, down the road from me, a Sear's store is selling a Energy Star Approved refrigerator for about 500.00 and a ticket inside the fridge advises that the typical cost to run this refrigerator will be about 38.00. If I were in the market for a new refrigerator, the last place I would look for an energy efficient refrigerator would be with the mom and pop green stores.
And likewise, I would not go running to the green stores for a alternative energy system for my home.
Mary