In the country where I live no one does solar. The reason is that it doesn't get heavy subsidies, and the utilities have dropped their prices to discourage competitors from entering the market. We also screwed up the feed-in tariff system. So, you can drive around local cities for hours and not see one single panel.
That might actually be good in the long run. Part of the actual cost is the maintenance, and installation. Most of the solar power fanatics fail to count all the costs in their calculation. With a large scale utility those things are all in.
I don't really think that is accurate? It is my understanding the work of installation is under warranty for 30 years. This covers roof leaks, etc.
There is not really much to maintain in a standard residential solar installation as there are no moving parts. Except for the panels. They need to be kept clear of debris, dust, shade, snow (depending on geography).
It is my understanding that SolarCity does NOT maintain the surfaces. They will let you know of current degradation or fluctuations but it's up to you to debug / clear the problem.
In places with non-optimal solar climate I imagine that clearing the snow will be a pretty labor intensive job?
No, and there is a financial proof: you can get a PPA deal. If the snow makes the output lower you just don't pay anything and the company losses. So we can assume that either the snow just falls off or that they would come clean it.
That might actually be good in the long run. Part of the actual cost is the maintenance, and installation. Most of the solar power fanatics fail to count all the costs in their calculation. With a large scale utility those things are all in.