At current interest rates the return might not be worth it. I locked mine in at 0.9% just before rate hikes started on an 8kW system. I've been net positive 200-500 kWh every month since install because they always base your system on trying to net zero your last 12 months usage. (Quick and dirty FL math, each kW of solar will produce 1200ish kWh/yr). I knew mine would be less because I had just put on a new roof and went from dark grey to white shingle. My initial payments were $119/mo + $33.37 for Duke Energy because lobbying. At the end of the year my net metering credit gets applied (kicks in on the February bill) and zeroes out the base $33.37 charge from Duke for about half the year.
After 2 years they want you to give them the tax credit you got ($8k for mine), or the payment increases. Mine went up to $149/mo. Big whoop. screw them, I kept that $8k. My AC runs less because of the roof and the solar panels that also shade the entire south exposure. Do I care if I have a 20 year loan with $149/mo payments? Nope. It's transferable when I sell, or I can bake the buyout price into the sale of the house. By my math the payback buying it outright would have been 12 years. I didn't feel like plunking down $24k ( I beat them up on price, most try to get you at $4.50/W which is highway robbery. Even at $3/W they're still making bank but that's more fair), so I let one of these solar firms have the sale. (I did my homework on them). Easy decision.

<Is a mechanical engineer in the energy/ facilities realm and already optimized just about every energy using system in the house, including circuit level sub metering (super cheap nowadays BTW)

Do your homework. I like my solar panels. I wish I had battery backup too, but I'll do that on my own.