In article ,
Walter Cohen wrote:
Hi. Does anyone have any sources for residential solar power? i.e. web
sites, companies that sell, etc. I want to learn more about the potential
for using solar panels on my house.
I believe, for now, the government still has a tax credit for solar energy

You should have said where you are located. In most places the state and
local incentives greatly outweigh the local ones.

Here is one simple calculator. NYSERDA is NY state but it seems to know
about incentives in many other places too.
http://www.clean-power.com/nyserdaweb/

In Rochester NY I'd be looking at about a 40 year payback at current
prices. Since the expected lifetime is only 25 years it is really only
appealing if you have a very strong green streak or are willing to
gamble that electric rates are going way up in the not too distant future.

This is also for a grid-connected system. If you want batteries, or even
to be able to run off Solar when the power is out, the price goes up.

In sunnier places with expensive electricity it might look better.

I've heard that Solar hot-water is much more cost effective. Does anyone
know any good resources or calculators for it?
--
Jim Prescott - Computing and Networking Group
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Rochester, NY