Solar panels on every new home sound great, but the payback math rarely works for most buyers. I ran the numbers on a $25,000 installation in my state—after tax credits, break-even took 11 years, and that's assuming no inverter failure along the way. Homebuilders would simply pass the cost to buyers, making homes pricier in an already unaffordable market. Mandating solar on new construction is a feel-good policy that ignores regional weather, grid rules, and the simple fact that renters and low-income buyers end up footing the bill without owning the panels. The boost to renewable energy generation is real, but the economic burden it shifts is too often ignored.