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@The_Seldom_Killer
At present, marketing claims that a maintained solar PV panel will last for around 25 years before the efficiency will drop below 80% efficiency, which is when replacement is recommended.
The current costs are around £7500 per kWh panel/array (life cost). Therefore, for payback to be applicable, you would need to generate £300 worth of electricity per annum (plus any credit costs i.e. interest on loan if you don't have £7500 kicking around). At the current average of 14p/kWh from a major supplier you will need to generate around 2200 kWh per year for payback (either used or exported), which is just below likely.
However, as energy prices escalate, the payback period is diminished. Then there are the feed in tariffs. As of 2010, you would be able to expect a guaranteed 40 per unit for all electricity exported to the grid. As around 50% of the energy generated by a domestic pv array is available for immediate export, you could expect that payback period to be in the region of 10-15 years depending on where you live.