Lindy

I recommend you visit the North Carolina Solar Center for help in deciding about PV power. This is a good time to go PV, as there are some tax breaks available right now.

Important considerations:
How is the local utility with being grid tied? Is it strict net metering, or do they attach all kinds of fees on to your bill? Are you going to be grid-tied? How is the southern exposure at the site? Any big trees in the way? If you are building, give special care to the roof: its pitch, its direction, its support. Will it be a normal roof or a metal standing seam? There are some glue on panels for standing seam. Or are you going to use a panel array separate from the house? If you are building from scratch, give some consideration to a utility space for the inverters and batteries. Batteries are very heavy, you'll want easy access to the driveway. The batteries need ventilation to prevent a build up of Hydrogen. But you don't want them to freeze, either. Inverters make noise, consider that in your planning. They also get hot, so you'll need some venitlation, especially in the summer. Avoid putting them in a cabinet unless it has alot of air-flow. You'll also need to consider how you'll hose the panels clean when they get dusty. Also, snow, once it is deep enough, will slide off the panels, which buries whatever is below in an avalanche of snow. It can be dangerous. I know that can be a consideration in the mountains of NC. Where, if you don't mind my asking, are you looking in North Carolina?