I guess that doesn't matter much as long as it pushes customers who would have never otherwise used such things to do so at all.
in other words, for historical sites or places where aesthetic matters a lot, the conversation is "should we use these less efficient panels that fulfill our aesthetic requirements, or should we forego the use of solar all together?"
Major chunks of Italy are basically outdoor museums that people happen to live in, so even if the math doesn't completely pencil out on these particular first generation panels, it still probably makes sense as a long-term investment to ensure that the next generation of this technology for which the math does work comes into being.
I agree -- but the picture is often more complicated for places that rely heavily on tourism and marketing.
The image portrayed by a tourist destination that is making large efforts towards 'green initatives' may be a more enticing sell to the increasing number of 'eco-tourists', many of which have never thought a day in their life about EROI.
This is more of a specialty item where you don't want to trench a power line through an archeological site. You can get enough power for basic lighting with a small solar installation.
I appreciate that you are calling it straight, but it's worth pointing out that there are others who see eco theater as incredibly harmful, particularly when such things start to cannibalize public resources and funding. Take, for example, all current and past solar roadway projects.
I also want to be clear that I am not passing any judgement on these tiles. I don't know the economics or the funding of this project in any way. But it does seem to have plenty of indicators for being a boondoggle.
Even if it's negative it pumps money into the designer solar panel sector which will bring in further investment and research and scale to bring prices down.
in other words, for historical sites or places where aesthetic matters a lot, the conversation is "should we use these less efficient panels that fulfill our aesthetic requirements, or should we forego the use of solar all together?"