In 1974 it was estimated that only six private homes in all of North America were entirely heated or cooled by functional solar power systems.
Today that figure runs into hundreds of thousands, thanks to the shortage of coal and the increasing petroleum prices.
Solar energy is energy that is present in sunlight.
It has been used for thousands of years in many different ways by people all over the world.
As well as its traditional human uses in heating, cooking, and drying, it is used today to make electricity where other power supplies are absent, such as in remote places and in space.
It is becoming cheaper to make electricity from solar energy and in many situations it is now competitive with energy from coal or oil.
In the aftermath of the recession most working people found their monthly energy bill becoming a strain on their resources.
Options were limited as ready to use solar systems at retail outlets cost about $20000 for a medium size home.
This meant 15-20 years for the system to pay for itself.
It was then that the innovative die-hards decided to take the plunge and save huge sums of money by making their own solar panels.
You didn't need to be an engineer, electrician or even have a technical background of any kind.
The only thing one was expected to do was put in 2 hours a day, every weekend for a month, and you would see the results pouring in.
To show them the way they picked up our highly instructive Earth 4 Energy manual which literally holds your hand and guides you through the entire process.
During our initial trials, we picked up 43 men and women interested in solar systems but with no previous experience.
A month later, we were delighted to see that all of these "solar enthusiasts" had produced good quality solar panels.
Some of the keener ones came out with results that even we were amazed to see.
Making you own energy is very simple, really.
The sun delivers the power for direct current (DC) with the help of photovoltaic cells but since this is not steady due to the varying intensity of the sun rays, you use an inverter to convert it into a stable alternating current (AC).
Connect it to your power supply and see the results.
The balance energy gets stored in batteries.
All the components you require are available at your local hardware shop...
Earth 4 Energy will guide you through this process.
Remember, the cost is minimal and since there are no moving parts there is hardly any wear and tear.
Batteries may need a little maintenance and at worst you may have to change an odd part or two after years of use.
It is an eye opener when you read this report: "In 2011, the International Energy Agency said that "the development of affordable, inexhaustible and clean solar energy technologies will have huge longer-term benefits.
It will increase countries' energy security through reliance on an indigenous, inexhaustible and mostly import-independent resource, enhance sustainability, reduce pollution, lower the costs of mitigating climate change and keep fossil fuel prices lower than otherwise.
These advantages are global".
If this article has convinced you of our future needs for energy and and still keeping our planet clean, pick up your Earth 4 Energy manual...
and get started.