If you are in Toronto and you are interested in PV you should get connected to the folks at OURPower.ca to see if you can connect to a bulk buying group in order to lower the cost of acquisition.

Pre-checklist: are your intentions ONLY Net Metering or do you intend to sign up for the Standard Offer “buy back” Program.

I would assess your Hydro companies rules and costs.
Toronto Hydro for example is leveraging a conservation fund to underwrite the cost of the new generation meter and using inexpensive Smart meters. Hydro One on the other hand has exhausted this fund in other good works so installation costs are on the backs of the consumer plus they are wanting to install much more expensive meters that the customer has to pay for, in spite of the fact that these new meters will be thrown out as garbage when the Smart meters are installed across Ontario by 2011. I am still hard at work trying to correct this insanity.

The simple process is..
1. communicate intention to your LDC (hydro company) and ESA to receive info on doing this.
Optimally, your potential vendor will supply all of this in terms that you understand.

2. Select a solution vendor per the considerations outlined above plus;
- the ability of supplier to buy back and re-certify used equipment if expansion or addition of components requires a change
- system selection (modules and inverter) should be based on kilowatt hours out and not on the industry norm of cost per rated watt if you are in fact investing in what it does and not what it is
- vendor support in preparing and submitting all these applications

3. submit a net meter application to your LDC (hydro company)- yes, even if you intend to go to SOP because this document provides them with the detail they need about your system.

4. have system installed and inspected by ESA and receive Certificate

5. Variable by LDC but for Toronto Hydro, complete a Micro generation connection agreement and forward ESA Certificate to them. (Hydro will do required metering work as applicable)

6. go online and complete a Standard Offer Contract Agreement