Living in Peace and Wisdom on our Planet

[Editor's note: applies to all parts of USA] Are you a Bay Area homeowner who is thinking about installing solar photovoltaic panels on your roof to help fight global warming? Good for you. You may be the first on your block, but you are probably far from the first in the Bay Area. I know one man, an architect, who put solar panels on his home in 1984.

There is a lot of excitement about new solar panel technology, but more likely than not you will choose to install modules that use the same basic technology that was available in 1984. They are a proven, long-lasting way to convert sunlight into electricity. The latest models have decent efficiency, turning about 20% of the energy that strikes them into power. New technologies continually make the news, but for the most part are only applicable to very large commercial installations, not residential rooftops.