Hey gang,
I'm looking at installing a 3kw +/- grid tied system on my patio cover (about 320 sq. ft available) here in the Los Angeles area. Two local companies have quoted me an installed cost of about $24000, minus the state rebates and federal tax credits, making it about $14000 when its is all said and done. Is this about right or way out there? If I were to install a similar system myself (with the help of a competent electrician!), would I still be eligible for the rebates, etc.? If so, it seems like I'd save some pretty serious money buying the stuff myself and putting it up.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

I think the prices you mentioned are pretty typical for Southern California. It is always a good idea to check references on any contractor. My guess is that of the 24k total, 19.5k is major material and 4.5k is installation. I doubt if you would save much money doing it yourself. PV panels are very hard to get and expensive. Probably you could not get all the PV panels, inverter, and racking sytem for 19.5k. Also, the CA state rebate is 15% less for Owner-Builders which is a little over 1k for your system.