Re: Solar. Some states allow grid-tied solar systems which put energy into the grid at peak load times and you can select a rate plan which pays you more for the power you put in during the day than the power you draw out at night. So, you would want to scale your solar output to break even and using it wisely could do that.

Also, we had a guest lecturer here a couple of weeks ago talking about solar and he stated that the break-even point between the energy used to make the panel and the energy generated was about 3 1/2 years, but about 2 years of the energy to build the panel( I believe those were the correct figures) was consumed in making the aluminum frame!

Lee