Engineering Economics 101, example II...

You wish to invest $25,000 in a sustainable and renewable solar pv
source.
How much electricity does it have to produce?

From
http://www.hsh.com/cgi-bin/flap.cgi?prin=25000&int=8.00&term=10&strt=Jan&stry=2002&full=No&ppay=0&apay=0&pay1=0&ppno=0
 
we see that the amortization costs would be $303.32 per month, or
approximately ten dollars a day. Under 8 percent and ten year reasonable
assumptions.

This would equal 100 kilowatthours of grid electricity per day at a dime
per kilowatt hour.

Which would equal 17 kilowatts in six hours of typical solar production.
Perhaps done under ideal conditions with a 20 peak kilowatt panel.
Which ups to 25 kilowatts or more allowing for cloud days, tracking,
nonnoptimal loading, dirt, and synchronous inversion losses. Plus aging
and maint etc probably gets you up into the 30 kilowatt peak pv solar
class.

That, of course, would be pissing in the wind and would in no manner be
renewable or sustainable. The entire TOTALLY POINTLESS system would
simply be diverting and destroying gasoline.

For renewability or sustainability, the system should approach
gasoline's one old energy unit in for five new energy units output.

Thus your goal can be met by buying a 30 x 5 = 150 kilowatt peak power
solar pv system and paying no more than $25,000 for it.

Which would meet then needs of TWO average homes under present
consumption patterns.

For a single home, you instead could pay an absolute maximum of $12,500
for a 75 kilowatt peak power solar pv system instead. 

Or SEVENTEEN cents per peak watt.

Naturally, a seventeen cents per peak watt fully burdened system cost is
highly unlikely with a panel cost over ten cents per peak watt.

-- 
Many thanks,

Don Lancaster
Synergetics   3860 West First Street  Box 809  Thatcher, AZ 85552
voice: (928)428-4073 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] fax 847-574-1462

Please visit my GURU's LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com