What do people about using solar power in general? I've messed around a little bit with it and it seems to me that these smaller size panels have a definite place in and around the house.

I like the idea of having some modularity, is that a word?, by that I mean instead of a single system replacing my power company feed, a collection of smaller, self contained solar systems combined with some decent batteries and inverters.

I know that currently the cost of solar is still higher than traditional forms of energy production so I'm not going to save any real money, I simply like the idea of having a couple of hundred watts worth of power available should the mains get shut off. I also believe, from what I've been reading that we are on the verge of making some major improvements in the efficiency of solar technology in general.

At a minimum I'm going to set up a solar system to power my Ham radio "shack", everything I use is either meant to be used with 12volts or can be easily used with batteries and an inverter.