I have been talking to a friend who lives in a mobile home near Albuquerque. He is thinking about installing a roof above the home to keep it a little cooler in the summer. To that end I am recommending he use decommissioned panels as the roof and connecting them through a transfer switch to a mini split ac. This has the advantage of using cheap panels from Santan solar (which cannot be grid tied) for free cooling during the hotest hours of the day, while retaining the ability to run the ac at night.
I don't understand why individuals are so set on centralized generation. We suddenly have the capabilities to decentralize generation and greatly reduce the need for the grid. I think it is worth it for the aesthetic advantages alone.
I had too, but apparently that is not the case.