Well, only in California thus far. Solar could be a great DIY category for the home improvement industry. As described by SiliconValley.com:
The rectangular panels retail at $893 a piece. They produce the same AC power that runs in homes and plug directly into a circuit breaker.
During the day, the solar panels will act like a large battery, producing energy from the sun and pumping it through the circuit breaker to appliances inside. On cloudy days or at night, of course, homeowners will again draw 100 percent of their power from the grid.
To install, you’ll need to carry the 40-pound panels to the roof and drill holes — two per panel — into the rafters. After adding a barrier to prevent leaks and a couple of brackets, the panels are bolted to the roof.
The home would need a dedicated circuit breaker, just like a washer and dryer.
One panel packs nowhere near the punch of a full solar system.
A typical solar system installed by a professional usually has 20 panels. Each Akeena panel will generate about 175 watts of electricity, about enough to power a flat-screen television.
Akeena Solar, the company providing the panels, saw a nice stock price bump based on the Lowe’s channel partnership.
