Could comeone point me towards some good information for solar powering my home?

Question

Could comeone point me towards some good information for solar powering my home?

Answer 1

You might be checking out this green products community: http://greenhome.huddler.com

Here is the page for solar panels: http://greenhome.huddler.com/products/ca...

I agree with GABY that solar is obviously expensive.  Pay back time can be significant.  However, with all of the positive externalities, it is a great technology and a lot of advancements have been made in the last few years.  CitizenRE is potentially a good option for folks who don't want to incur the initial costs, but there have been some questions raised about their ability to meet demand.

Answer 2

Look up

Answer 3

There is a company that is producing very cheap and efficient solar panels that is paper thin. They have just started production last month. Check out their web site at www.nanosolar.com. If you can wait a couple of years you can buy solar panels very cheap. IBM has joined them and Google is investing on them. They are located in San Jose, CA. They have own invention of the year from Popular Science Magazine.

Answer 4

I found alot of info at the yahoo searches. We have also started looking into solar power for a break in our house expense bills.

Answer 5

Solar systems are expensive and the amount of savings will never pay you back. Don't let any salesman tell you different, unless the government is giving you a great subsidy.

One interesting concept is the link below. They will install a first class system for little of nothing. You just pay them the same rate you are now paying for the power it produces and you are guaranteed the rate will never change. You don't save in the beginning, but you are helping reduce CO2 and will even start saving the first increase your electric company makes.

http://renu.citizenre.com/index.php

Great Idea. Makes solar affordable for more people.

Answer 6

gaiam.com has a lot of good sources, info, and products to help you get started on solar energy and other off-the-grid methods

Answer 7

try backwoodssolar.com.  you can also call them and they are amazingly helpful, intelligent, and honest.  

home power magazine (on the web) also has several very helpful articles for DIY.

The best book, for my money, is the Solar Independent Home Owner's Manual.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Both Mother Earth News ( http://www.motherearthnews.com ), and Home Power Magazine ( http://www.homepower.com ) regularly have articles on home installations of solar, wind, and geothermal power. The information includes product specifications and comparisons, as well as stories from readers all over the country, about their adventures installing and configuring their systems, usually with diagrams and details on installation requirements. Both sites have information and some articles available online, and both also have classified sections in their magazines listing contractors and suppliers, too.

Better yet, Mother Earth News has searchable archives of old issues, available for purchase on CD, that run the entire history of the magazine, so you can find copies of full articles describing the process fairly easily.

Answer 9

A $1 per watt, can't wait for this.