That is sad, indeed. My grandfather was also an early adopter of solar energy.
He was also an early adopter of fuel-efficient vehicles. And radial tires. And seat belts. He imported European cars in the 60s before seat belts were mandated in the US and was driving Japanese econoboxes before the US market knew what they were.
There's a lesson somewhere herein about price signals and the public sector's power to affect externalities.