Solar power panels - a new idea or a fad revisited?

There is a serious trend lately toward sustainable developments, green living, and other ways of living that won’t hurt the environment (any more than we already have).  Solar power is therefore becoming popular again — but some people seem disinclined to remember that we already tried this once before.

When I was growing up, it wasn’t uncommon to see houses with solar power panels mounted on their rooftops.  Even in my average, middle class neighborhood, home solar systems were not considered too exotic or too expensive, which I think says a lot.

Eventually, however, solar became less popular — probably because a lot of people found the expense wasn’t worth it, even over the long run.

It’s not that I’m against solar energy – quite the opposite, actually, as I support almost any kind of effective alternative energy.  The thing is, though, that you can’t just throw a few solar panels up on your roof and expect that to solve all your problems.  You also have to make the rest of your house energy efficient — effective insulation, low energy appliances, etc. — if you are going to see a drop in your energy bills.

I hope solar energy and green living is a more lasting trend this time, but honestly people are going to have to understand how to make it effective if it is going to stick around.

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