Joined a Solar forum. Working on one step at a time.
Micro-Inverters. They're all the rage. They, improve the overall efficiency of the solar panels. One inverter per panel (they make 4 panel models, so works out to about $150/panel). Then you feed this directly to the grid, since their output is 240Vac. Not only do they monitor each panel independently, if a panel has a shadow or trash on it, it doesn't drag down the other panels. Good payback. Small 1500W system can payback in ~5years.
Here's the rub. There's no battery backup nor do they operate when the power is out. In fact, they specifically shut down when the power goes out for safety reasons. If you want battery backup then you add in a charger and batteries and another DC-AC inverters. So I'm not going with mirco-inverters.
Investigated the fire shutdown code and it doesn't have to be automagic. A manual switch, outside, clearly labeled will suffice. I could get fancy and do something where heat sensors would trip it, but for now a manual switch, which I had planned to do anyway so I could disconnect them for maintenance.
The forum helped me with a question in that you have to match up the PV panel outputs with the inverter capability. Some inverters are meant for light duty charging mostly consumer (read USB stuff) and need 12Vdc output panels. Some are meant for bigger systems with multiple banks of panels in series putting out 250Vdc and other are in between needing 60-150Vdc from the panels. That's where I'm at.
Thinking of Sun Gold 6Kw 240 split phase inverter. EG4 48V 100AH battery, maybe 2 but I could start with one to see how it works. And the panels I'm toying with US made. Many cheap choices out there which I'm betting are just that, cheap. The biggest problem is shipping. The batteries are $350ea to ship. And most places only want to sell the solar cells by the pallet or crate. I may have to get in touch with the ham community and do a group buy.
GA isn't exactly a hot bed of DIY solar retailers. When I pull the trigger I may have to find someone making the trip from Dallas to Marietta willing to haul and additional 500# of stuff for me. There is a retailer in Ft Myers where my BIL lives.