Worth It?

I read an article on C|Net about PG&E financing rooftop solar panels for people's homes. The more I read, the more I liked the idea and wondered, could this work nationwide? I have read in a few places that without any changes to current power usage, rooftop solar panels could provide between 50-80% of all electrical power needed the average consumer.

Think of it. Every home equipped with rooftop solar panels generating power for that home to use, financed by the power company. You would be charged only for the power you use plus the cost of the solar panels. Or, the utility company could rent them to you. Most people would see a huge drop in their electric bills, even with the cost of the solar panels added.

Would this not solve one of the many problems we have with getting a kickstart on renewable energy?

Let's go one further. If you live out of the city in an area with a lot larger than one acre, have the utility company put up wind turbines in addition to solar to allow extra energy to be created for the grid. The land owners would not have to pay for the turbines and get free power (up to a limit, of course) for allowing the wind turbine to be on their property.

The more solar panels and wind turbines that are installed would drastically reduce the need on using coal to power the grid. It would also give the added integrity to allow more electric vehicles to be added and charged on the grid, reducing the need for foreign oil.

Would it work?