So many of you have talked about using solar power in karand's post "What Ever Happened to Solar Power", that I decided to place a new post. I think alot of you have some interesting things to say. Mainly, using solar energy products NOW ! Some have converted their houses and others interested in less costly products.
Fact is, in car parts stores and boating stores, there are several products that can be used out of the box. These include 12 volt battery (car battery or the like), a power convertor (12 volt to A/C outlet), some cables, and if need be, a solar panel. Just follow the instructions and you can get something like this rigged up.
For those less inclined to projects, you can get consumer grade solar panel gadgets from Radio Shack, car parts stores, and other stores. These are good to power laptops, PDA's... anything small that uses a rechargable battery.
As for homes, I bought a magazine that stated a professional solar panel home conversion would be about $25,000. This includes professional installation, products, and an electrician's skills in tying it all to your main electrical panel. It is important in getting a pro to do the electrical panel conversion since it needs to have a cut-off switch in case of power outages. Workers can get hurt if your local power company needs to make some local repairs - this is no different than using a power plant.
There are a few start-up companies here in Puerto Rico now offering the services. Their specialty is installing solar power solutions in some remote places. I'm sure in the states there are such companies as well. So if you are interested, start looking around for what's available in your area.
Check out www.homepower.com