What are you hoping to accomplish? Emergency backup or 24/7 whole house? I only have one for that I use to charge a motorcycle battery or step it down to 5v to charge my phone.... but I've been watching the prices fall steadily and generally pay attention to what is out there.
Somewhere in between emergency backup for the whole house and maybe bringing down my electric bill at other times.
Lost a big post so the short version goes like this. http://www.wholesalesolar.com/StartHere/GRIDINTERTIED/GRIDINTCalculator.html http://www.wholesalesolar.com/battery_sizing.html That will give you a good idea of what sized system. If the idea is to save some money, I'd go with thin film "stick on" panels especially if you end up going with 2kw+ of solar panels. You won't have to reinforce your roof and you'll save on install. Don't pay attention to the prices on that site, they're pretty high. Most important is to go efficient, insulate like crazy, all CFL bulbs and maybe an LED or two in your most used rooms. Spending money to save money while you waste energy is insanity If you have an older A/C unit, get one of these: http://www.goductless.com/LG-Air-conditioner-Ductless-Mini-Split-Heat-Pumps-p/13840.htm A 28 SEER is insane and will give returns faster than solar depending on how good your current ac is. It runs on ~100kwh per month, a whopping $120 per year if you pay .10 per kwh If you have an electric water heater, replace with one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Rheem-RTE-13-Electric-Tankless/dp/B003UHUSGQ/ref=pd_cp_hi_0 IIRC you have a badass gaming machine.... I'd keep that puppy powered down unless you need the horsepower and surf/fart around on a laptop.
If you are serious about solar panels for the home.. Make sure to use Nickel Iron batteries. Unlike lead acid batteries, they do not sulfate so you don't have to swap batteries every 5-6 years. Cost is more up front but in the long run you'll save $$$.
The cost is more than 5 times as much for a given capacity. Go lead now, and a few years from now the prices on these exotic batteries will have fallen off a cliff.
That industrial country market on 71 has been building a solar array for years, has information, teaches classes, and sells gear of some sort for it. www.icm71.com
