I think it will pay for itself in 3-4 years, after the tax credit and rebate. Then, no more bills, except the line fee. (Alternate to that is go off the grid and put in batteries. Pretty expensive.)
I think I averaged $110/month last year.
PGE doesn't pay for xs electricity any more. I'm not sure when that stopped; probably when deregulation took place. So, I'm trying to come close to zero, but I don't want to generate xs juice; it would just be corporate welfare. If they ever start buying again (and they may be now, from the large industrial producers like Fetzer Winery and (soon) Google), I'll make some changes.
First, switch to time of use meter, which records when you use or produce energy. Electricity during peak hours, 1000-1800, gets credited at 3x the rate of off-peak hours. Works out well for me, cuz I often am sleeping during the day. Then I probably would get mini-hydro and stick it in my seasonal creek; I'd get 6-8 months of 24 hour production. Right now, I'm thinking about repositioning my panels, and aim them more to the east then due south. The late afternoon sun moves almost behind them, and is cut off by hills.
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