http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011108220314

Sorry, I couldn't bare to read the BS an further than the first three paragraphs.
Bottom line is, solar to generate power for any reason other than remote settings is a complete rip off.

This part says it all:

QuoteA Mississippi resident looking at installing solar panels may pay $30,000, but a resident in Louisiana, where state-backed solar power tax credits and initiatives are administered, may pay half that, Ponder said.

Solar is not competitive in the free mkt against coal, hydro, nuclear etc. without tax dollars.
My issue with the whole scam is that you and I pay for someone else to lower their energy bill.

How about we just build a bunch of nuke plants and call it a day and let the free mkt dictate the cost of electricity?

So here is another story about how great and efficient it is to install solar panels. 

Yosemite National Park has installed 2800 of them   And what do they get from this....  It will cover about 12 % of the parks energy needs saving them $50,000 per year.  That and they will receive Federal grants to the tune of $700,000 dollars.  Sounds great huh.  Oh did I mention they system costs $4.5 million dollars

Figuring the $700,000 they are getting from another "Federal" program and saving $50,000 per year this system should pay for itself in about.....76 years.  And thats if they bought the good panels and not the newer cheap ones made in China.    :o :o

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/blogs/solar-power-shines-in-yosemite

I love Solar heat.  LOL The sun comes up every AM and heats my back deck to about 100 to 130º all Spring , Summer and Fall.  Winter is very nice also.  Oh!! did I say it is fee.  Well I do have to go outside.

Federal subsidies for power generation.  See PDF page 6 - subsidies in dollars per Megawatt-hour:

Coal: $0.44
Natural Gas and Petroleum Liquids: $0.25
Nuclear: $1.59
Biomass (and biofuels): $0.89
Geothermal: $0.92
Hydroelectric: $0.67
Solar: $24.34
Wind: $23.37

We subsidize solar nearly 100 TIMES that of natural gas and petroleum liquids.  And 60 times that of coal.  That's some return!  Considering a kW-hour sells wholesale for around $0.04 here in the NW, solar and wind subsidies cover something around 55% of the total cost for the power.