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Solar power going mainstream

This article shows just how mainstream solar energy is becoming. It's quite interesting:

In one of life's little ironies, solar power is gaining a toehold in the most unlikely of places - the world of SUVs, big-screen TVs, and two-fridge families - the 'burbs. And if it can gain acceptance there, some analysts say, the technology is on the cusp of widespread acceptance.

"Even suburbia is starting to go solar," says Richard Perez, publisher of Home Power magazine, the bible of the home-renewable energy crowd. "Some new houses and subdivisions are being planned this way. It's not really common yet, but its happening."

The number of people using solar power in the US can be measured in tens of thousands, so it's still a small minority. But it's catching on for a variety of reasons; it's cheaper in the long run, it's morally sound, and it enables you to sell electricity back to the grid.

I've always imagined using solar energy to heat my home. Of course, this presupposes that I become a homeowner, which hasn't happened yet. Because we homeschool our daughter, we're a one-income family for the time being, at least until some of my other projects begin to generate income. But I dream of this quasi-utopian off-the-grid communal living situation, with solar power, yurts, big gardens, etc. etc. The technology for this dream exists now; it's just a question of resources from here on out.

posted by JWL at 1:29 PM |