Best home solar power system

In the last decade, houses with roof solar power arrays went from curiosity to prevalent. It's a trend possibly best exemplified by Home Depot's choice to start stocking solar panel systems in 2001 [source: DOE].

Technology happens to be available for years - NASA happens to be using solar-powered satellites considering that the 1960s, so that as far-back as World War II, passive solar power heating systems (which turn solar energy into heat in the place of electricity) have-been utilized in U.S. domiciles [sources: Southface, DOE].

Getting energetic solar systems into the mainstream residential marketplace has proved a challenge, though. Active solar power makes use of arrays of photovoltaic cells to transform sunshine straight into electricity, and contains typically been a prohibitively expensive technology.

The advantages of residential solar powered energy are clear: Energy from sun is endless (at least for the next 5 billion years, give or take); it offers clean energy without any greenhouse-gas emissions; and it may save people money on their electric bills [source: APS]. But there are considerations whenever determining whether solar power would be a good choice for your needs - and cost is just one of those.

In this essay, we'll check five of the most essential problems to address if you are considering buying a residential solar-power setup. Using photovoltaic energy sources are an extremely green and possibly rewarding move, but it is not exactly since simple as having your energy through the well-known electric grid.