Have you checked the interweb?
1) What information that is available is crap. More understandable data is needed on panel cost, performance, installation fees, maintenance, mean-time-to-failure etc.
** There is a mountain of information on all this stuff on the web.
2) The ROI is over 15-25 years. So unless you are staying put for that time, you'd be an idiot to install. Unless...
** Not sure who you were being quoted by, but the ROI is now 8-10 years depending on the type of panel (German v Chinese) and the amount you install. Making this a much more feasible install
3) Do panels add to a home's value? Who gets the feed-in tariff after sale? Again, this information is not available.
** The person who buys the house gets the tariff, it is linked to the meter and the owner of the meter. Again this information is easily available. They do add some value to the house, how much is variable and depends on location, amount left of the Fit etc.
4) Current panels are not efficient enough and there is no information on the dust-to-dust impact of the panels (i.e. do they make-up for the eco cost of their own manufacture?)
** What is efficient enough? That is a subjective comment, the current panels do a pretty good job and a 4kwp system has pretty much eliminated my bills and I get the max payments from the Govt. Not so sure on the 'dust to dust' idea but to be frank unless I run that rule on everything I buy what is the point?
5) It is basically impossible from the easily-digested information how much power one can generate, and calculate the ROI. It can be done, but it's a PITA
** ? Huh, have you never used the interweb, it is the easiest thing in the world. There are any number of sites that do this calculation for you. Check out www.southersolar.co.uk for a company (and no I have nothing to do with them, they just popped up on Google) that gives you all this.
6) Getting prices is nigh-on impossible
** Really, see above, how did you manage to type this on a computer connected to the web and (I assume) can use google and not get all this information?
7) Have I mentioned how hard it is to get clear information?
** See points above.
8) Like "peter 45" I do not trust the government to keep-up the FIT, so the panels must be able to pay for themselves within a reasonable period. From what I can tell, if you do some basic energy saving (i.e. unplug stuff, good insulation) they simply won't. I define a "reasonable period" as 5 years or less.
** agreed on concern about governments but if I save electricity and generate electricity I will get to the point where my bill is 0. Which is better than just saving electricity, where I will never get to that point. I would like to see a return of 5 years but 8 is not so bad.
9) The tech is not new (almost every house in Germany has solar collectors/cells) so why are they so expensive over here?
** They have been ahead of the market for much longer and the market not so new. However in the last 9 months, the costs of a solar installation has dropped by more than 20%.
10) Getting clear information is hard. I think I've mentioned this.
** I think I have mentioned my concern about your inability to use the interweb.
All in all, go online, go to www.google.co.uk, type in FIt payment UK and you will see all sorts of sites that can help you.
PS
Ignore the ones offering the Fit girls until after work...