Another useful site for you, Lindy.

Million Solar Roofs, where you can also find Incentives in North Carolina.

Our inverters and batteries are in our garage. The hum of the inverters doesn't bother me much when I'm working in the garage and they are easy to access (as long as I don't clutter things up too much). Just don't mount the inverters against a wall that has a living area on the other side.

These systems are not zero maintainance. You need to fill the batteries every few months and equalize them if they get cycled a lot. Know how to shut it off: bypassing inverters, shutting off batteries, disconnecting the panels, etc. Know how to turn it back on and re-establish a grid connection. It's not difficult, but you should know how to do it in case there is a problem. I've had the system trip before and had to get it back on line. I've also burned out an inverter - that horrid Bakelite aroma smell could be smelled outside - and I had to by-pass the system.

I'll be interested to hear how things go.

jms