Bright Hub: On the issue of damage, is a solar system that is something that can be covered by insurance?
Jim Raras, Jr.: If you are "interconnected" to a utility grid you are required to have insurance on the system. It would be a gross generalization for me to comment on what's covered and what's not, due to the wide range of insurance products people use. What I can say is we have had no problems with this issue in practice.
Bright Hub: What is the required maintenance for a solar system for a residence or other small building? One point that seems of interest would be how much water and energy are required to keep the system clean and running?
JR: Very little, which is another of the key benefits of solar/PV vs. most every other renewable. Every 7-10 years you'll likely have to service/replace the inverters. In dusty environments you might want to hose off the panels occasionally, but overall solar/PV has a very low service load. This is not the case for solar thermal (hot water), micro-hyrdro, or even wind. The solar/PV system consumes nothing by sunlight, so there is no inherent water or energy requirements and if you were to be obsessive about keeping the panels clean, it would likely take less water than you use annually to wash your cars.
BH: Is solar something we're going to see more in new home design, and how difficult to you see it to retrofit existing buildings?
JR: It is happening right now. We at InPower live and work in the Roaring Fork Valley (Aspen to Glenwood, CO) which is one of, if not the, most progressive design and building communities in the U.S. and discussing energy (solar, usage/loads, other technologies) very early in the design process is standard. It's very common for us to be engaged as energy consultants in conceptual design / schematic design.
Contrary to popular belief it's not that difficult to retrofit solar in most existing structures. The main difference is external conduit runs vs. in-wall conduit, but it is not a material deterrent or challenge.