Look, your father was a smart man, which made him easy to love (well, that and his argyle sock collection). In fact, he would probably spot a smart investment when he saw one. Now, while you’re not going to get rich from the solar panels on your roof, you really will enjoy free electricity, so long as the sun continues to shine (and with reduced coal emissions, it will!). And yes, you really do get paid by local power companies for the extra wattage you generate.