I want to put a solar panel(s) on my roof. What components do I need besides the solar panels? solar power controller? wires? How do I hook it into my home's electrical system and about how much electricity could I generate and save? Would the panels pay for themselves over time? Any help will be appreciated. Thank you!
Solar water heating panels are often heavy, depending on their design.
Solar electric panels are rarely heavy - at mabye 3 lbs. per square foot, including mounting racks, they are not much heavier than typical roofing materials.
Whether the panels pay for themselves is a highly individualized answer, dependent on your state and local rebates (if any), how much sun your area gets, and the cost of your electricity. Just about any Californian can break even, but it can take 5-20 years. Prices are dropping, so this should get better next year (but federal tax credits expire - could be renewed, a Democratic president would be unlikely to veto).
A house that is conservative in electrical usage (this usually means no air conditioners in the summer or electric heat in the winter) generally has enough roof area to supply 100% of its electrical needs. We have 10% of our roof dedicated to panels, and it supplies essentially 100% for us.
The best way to get answers to your questions is to ask a few solar companies to do a free analysis and quote on your house. You can always say no.
If you're thinking of doing it yourself, that's possible, but not trivial. It's also possible that a professional could install it for less than you could if you bought the parts yourself and installed it yourself. We installed our own, but the experience is a little dated - from 2006. There's a video at the bottom of the page below, if you want to see what we did.
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