>Main problem w/ solar is that most solar cells (not the newest crop, but
the
>older ones) are extremely inefficient unless they are oriented
perpendicular
>to the sun (hard to do for a significant period, without motorized
>orientation) and take an enormous amount of room to generate a relatively
>insignificant amount of power. Their best application is for the individual
>power consumer to use as roofing tiles and augment the power he buys. They
>are also nearly worthless during the winter and in areas that don't receive
>constant sunlight. In the U.S., AZ, NM, and NV are about the only places it
>would probably be feasible. Because they aren't as reliable as nuclear,
gas,
>coal, or oil generators, the power company must supply some sort of backup
>generation for those days when the sun don't shine.

I suggest you get a subscription to Home Power magazine and update yourself.
The examples in there have people in the snowy northern states self
sufficient with solar cells and battery banks.

http://www.homepower.com/

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