I'm looking into photovoltaic laminates by Uni-Solar. Call me vain, but I think they would LOOK so much better than the usual solar array because they can be worked into the aesthetic design of the roof. I'm wondering how they compare to the usual PV panels in terms of price and performance. Anyone have opinions or knowledge to share?

I don't know much about them but I can't help but wonder how durable they're going to be compared to the more standard module.  As we all know leaving something exposed to the elements, especially the sun, is hard on materials.  How well will a system like this be performing in ten years?  Will the film start to deteriorate?  How many 40 year roofs start to go long before the 40 years are up?  I know that thin films have tremendous potential to radically lower the costs of photo voltaic electricity but is it a proven technology that will hold up for the long term at this point in time?  I went on the website to see how good the warranty was and that part was still under construction.  I think that Uni-solar is a stable company and from looking at the site they have some very large manufacturing plants so that's an encouraging sign.  Did you get a cost per watt from them for their systems?

Didn't get a price from uni-solar, but solar sphere has them advertised online for about $4.16 per watt raw price. But if you factor in tax credits then the price is less than half of that.

That's a good price depending on the performance.

Is a system that generates 5,420 kw hrs per year going to make a significant impact on the electrical load of a 3000 square foot house in south Louisiana with 2 adult and 1 child inhabitant?

I know that's an entirely subjective question which all depends on our electrical use habits, but I haven't got much to compare it to at this point. The house will be super tight steel SIPS, with low-E Simonton windows and heavy consideration for passive solar orientation in the design stage.