I understand your concerns, and didn't mean that "solar is teh win!" It is only a good idea for very few modern homes in the US, simply because of how we build houses in the US. I'll use solar if and when I build my own place, but not until then. I only objected to the characterization that solar is for hippies (cause I'd love to have solar, but I'm not a hippy by any stretch of the imagination

As you've already figured out, a big propane or diesel (fuel oil) tank and a decently sized genset make much more sense for most people. The one thing I would really caution you about is to not go cheap on your genset. Those cute little 5kW Honda generators for $600 won't deliver power for long. Most won't last four weeks under continuous use (about 600 hours).

In addition to the Cummins/Onan gensets I mentioned, you might save some coin by considering a no-name Chinese diesel generator, like those offered by this company: http://www.hardydiesel.com/ (stay away from any diesel that's not 1800 rpm). These Chinese diesels and generators are low-rpm copies of very old German (not British) engine designs. They're dirt simple to maintain, can be completely torn down and rebuilt in a weekend (with shadetree mechanic tools), and have a well-established habit of lasting for decades. They're heavier and bulkier than the Onan RV gensets, are a little less efficient, but the fact that you can fix most issues yourself is a big bonus in my book.

If you are going for an on-site propane system, I would try to refit your water heater, kitchen stove, and furnace away from electric to propane (the fridge can also run from propane http://www.warehouseappliance.com/propane_gas_refrigerators.htm ). This will let you continuously consume and replace fuel (fresher fuel), will help you make certain your fuel delivery components in good order, and will also allow you to size a much smaller generator for your household electrical loads.