i want a solar panel to put on my house(i am 15 so i need to convince my parents). I live right outside Washington DC in Virginia. I have a few questions…

how house is one of those homes that it one house split in the middle, i think its a duplex? w.e. its three bedrooms 1.5 bathrooms. generally its sunny. what power/size solar panel would we need to make even a small difference?

what kind? i have heard of the ones that are like solar thermal or w.e. they heat water with the power from the sun right? are those worth it, cost wise/environmentally etc? also the photoelectric or w.e. ones that turn the solar panel into electricity right? are those worth it, cost/environmentally? which would be better?

how do we go about getting the 30%(up to $2,000) tax cut thingy? is it just like any other tax right off or w.e?

where do i buy a solar panel?

tell me about set up. costs? how do i make sure someone is certified?

also anything else i might need to know. THNX

FPL Group CEO, Lew Hay III, announces plans for new solar energy generation, including world’s largest photovoltaic solar project and first solar thermal ‘hybrid’ energy center

The ones that have solar panels and and when night time comes they automatically turn on. How do they work? This is for a DIY project I want to try. Also how much power to solar panels generate? What size do solar panels come in? Do they come in the small size that are on solar lights? Also can you buy those solar panels and where?

I was sitting in APes today and we just began studying alternative fuel sources. We were going through some of the pros and cons of each and when we came to wind power the only real drawback was that it takes alot of land. I wass wondering if they could combine solar power and wind power in the same area. For example, we usually put wind farms in arid areas where nothing is around. Now wouldnt that be a perfect place for solar panelss since there is nothing blocking the sunlight in the arid areas. Could they put solar panels on the wind turbines or combine a solar power tower to the wind turbines. FYI, the power tower is when you have a bunch of mirrors reflect to a high tower. Any thoughts?

how are solar panels wired up when selling power back to the grid , how much on average could one get from selling power back ,
is it worth the investment
i have currently just have 8 150watt solar panels what would i need to get the rigged up to produce power , with how i would have to wire them up and what else i need
could a system me made so i have grid power and solar power and if i have spare solar power sell it back is that how it goes ???