Thanks all for the feedback and pointers so far. I am slowly getting educated on the various factors I would need to consider, and am in the process of getting more quotes. Will report back here on what I come up with.
I just checked out Mother Nature Solar, and see that they not only have extremely competitive pricing, but seem to be very transparent about the equipment they install, what warranty is provided, etc. I have sent in a request to them for an analysis of my situation.
Based on everything I have read, micro-inverters seem to be the way to go to maximize panel efficiency. Any thoughts on this?