I have looked into solar as I live in the Mohave Desert and have lots of sun. My pencil says that I could break even with solar after about 10 years of use which is about the life span of the cells so I would need everything replaced and start over before any cost savings. Wow. The storage batteries need replaced every couple of years which is the big expense. I still want a generator back up system but I have not found one big enough that is economical and durable to run. Fuel for a big generator would run just about the same as buying electricity. In Japan they use power cells run off propane and they are efficient enough to show some savings after 8 years and durable enough to last about 20+years. Of course they huddle in tiny little houses running led lights and have tiny little appliances. Their government programs give loans to install them as in US money it is about 20k to get started. The other draw back is anything left in the sun in the Mohave will turn to dust in short amount of time from the heat and radiation including Glocks. Most products are tested up to 120 degrees and anything left out will be at that temp every day. Plastic dissolves here and car head light lens and even window glass is sand blasted to not being clear after a couple of years. I have had some luck with the 45 watt solar panels from Harbor Freight Tools with appliance specific usage. With direct wire (no storage batteries) I can run a small window A/C unit while the sun is up. That is really when A/C is needed anyway but it doesn't cool down here at night so it only works for my out buildings and is not enough cooling for living area.Has anyone seriously looked into solar power for your house? How far into the future do you think we'll be when its fairly common to see solar panels on houses more often?