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In 2002 I did an approximate calculation of pay-back for a system to support the Sedona house and it was 15years. In the following 3 years the US utility prices increased by 33% A couple of year ago a shortages in Silica drove prices up for solar cells, however demand has resulted in manufactures establishing supply contracts which have brought pricing down. High oil prices and environmental concerns have encouraged research and new products are appearing. Thin film solar cells are now available at slightly cheaper costs, but the big news is that this year (2008) Nanosolar have started mass production of the 'Powersheet' , a super thin sheet which used lithium rather than silicon and produces power at one tenth the cost of traditional solar panels. (Brief info of the powersheet)(More info: Panels vs Thin film) Today solar power generation cost are in the ball park figures below:
How many panels will be required and the best way to configure them will be discussed in more detail based on the projected power usage. (More info: Solar panel comparisons - very technical)
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The primary
power source for the house in Arizona will be solar. Solar panels have
been around for a long time and the technology is well established. However the
cost on a $/Watt basis has always been high which makes the pay-back on the
investment very long.