The US Department of Energy has concluded that photovoltaic cell-based residential-scale electricity generating systems will not achieve grid parity for many years. [1] The most common means of electricity generation, heating a medium and driving a turbine, may be applicable and cost-effective at the residential scale now. The optical technology for concentrating solar energy [2] and miniature Organic Rankine Cycle technology for spinning a turbine [3] exist and appear to be relatively low in cost.
The consensus among university professors is that it will take about 200 hours of graduate-level expertise to do this basic research. An abstract is available.
[1] US DOE "The prospect of $1/Watt Electricity from Solar"
[2] "Nonimaging Optics" (Elsevier 2005)
[3] www.eneftech.com/en/home/php
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