Solar Panel Revolution?

Lowe’s Home Improvement has announced that 21 of its California stores will offer a “one-stop-shop” for energy management. The focus of the 21 new Energy Centers in California will be on three areas for saving energy and money. The first will be on measuring energy use or waste with power monitors and other devices. Secondly they will work on reducing your energy consumption. Lastly, generating and using renewable energy with solar panels. Lowe’s says it will expand the new services to other stores in Canada and the US during the next year.

Lowe’s Home Improvement will be selling the Akeena Solar’s Andalay AC Solar Power System ($893 per panel), winner of a 2009 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Product Award. The system has built-in inverters that produce household AC power; this avoids using any high-voltage DC wiring. In addition to the system’s simplicity and safety, the racking, wiring and electrical grounding components are integrated into the solar panels. The modular design of the panels allows homeowners to start by installing one panel, and then add more later. Lowe’s will be the first major retail to offer grid-connected solar panels which can be installed by homeowners. Grid-connected solar systems allow you to pass excess power out to the electric utilities’ power grid. By passing excess power to the grid your electric meter runs backward during times of excess power generation, then pull power back into their home during low power production periods.

Lowe’s will soon be offering utility-connected wind turbines by special order. Tax credits and incentives are available for eligible solar power and wind-generating systems. The 10,000 watt Excel-S turbine by Bergey Windpower is installed on a 100-foot tower, and is suitable for rural homes, farms and small businesses. Cascade Renewable Energy’s 1,000 watt Swift Wind Turbine has a 7-foot wingspan and can be mounted to a rooftop or pole at various heights. With its innovative design it will be suitable for urban and suburban areas.

This could be the start of the Solar Revolution. Other home improvement centers could start offering similar products. This will increase availability, lower prices, and improve the technology of home solar systems.  All of these factors will be good for the home owning consumer.

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