going really green

sophie lounging in her favorite chair

so this is what has been consuming me for the past couple of weeks rather more than usual. we have always been pretty green--recycling whatever we can, donating anything usable that we do not need, buying used rather than new whenever possible, having only one car for the two of us for 12 years (and buying a hybrid when we finally did have to buy a second car), having a greywater system, etc.--but i think we can do better. i really want to install a 3 kW photovoltaic system on my roof and become my own mini-power plant. and i absolutely resent the fact that i had to buy a transformer when i moved in, so i want to sell energy back to PNM and just use them as a backup source. we have more square footage than we need and a giant flat roof that is just begging for PV panels...has anyone else done this?

we have to refinance our mortgage to pay for the f-ing sewer hook-up (don't even ask--i'll post pictures of the violence done to our beautiful, park-like backyard later), so now would be a good time to get money out of the house. we have this dream that 5 years from now i will have an electric car (as most of my trips are 20 miles or less around town) and rich will have a plug-in hybrid, so our transportation will be close to free if we go solar (as well as our household energy costs). our natural gas costs are high as well, but i can't figure out a solution to that.

what else can we do?