Lately, you might have heard the topic of solar energy and power being brought up quite often in print, radio, and television programs. In fact, your child might have been given a project about such topic one way or another. This has started you wondering what really gives?

As opposed to the contrary opinion that the high cost of electricity has brought on a surge of interest in solar power, not only as an alternative energy source but as a replacement for energy derived from oil reserves, it is actually the negative effects of combustion of oil on the environment that has sustained the interest. Global warming has been felt more and more as ice caps melt and erratic weather conditions ensue. In addition, the fear that in hundreds of years the oil reserves will become depleted has continued to plague the innovative minds of this generation.

In fact, the government has been proactive in encouraging families to have solar in home installed. A major reason is to this is that the government subsidizes a large amount of taxpayer's money on the endeavors of the petroleum industry, amounting to about 5 to 10 billions of dollars per year. But as the government worries about petroleum cost-thus, patronizing the solar power industry-ironically, the high cost of having a home solar system installed is what hinders many families from acting on the state's encouragement.

If you want to have major savings on the cost of electricity, you must have a robust system installed, costing about 20,000 to 40,000 dollars. When broken down, you generally spend about 11 dollars per watt generated, another 5 dollars for the panels, and surprisingly, 6 dollars for installation services. Of course, you have the option to always start small; by spending about 2,000 to 5,000 on your solar in home, you can already power your personal computer and other simple appliance. You can also opt to enroll in the mortgaging program of the government called Energy Efficient Mortgage, wherein you can obtain a loan to start your home solar system.

With the large cost of home solar systems is always the payback of large energy and electrical savings. For instance, having a solar panel power your water heating system is enough to give you about 50 percent of savings, thus, you are able to repay the large installation cost in three years. More good news is the decreasing cost of installation cost as producers perfect the technology.