It's kind of funny (in a sad way) to see all the detractors on this forum nay-saying solar as an option. In Florida, I get it - you need a lot of energy to run an air conditioner 24/7/365. But it doesn't stop people all over the country from having 100% solar energy power their homes, all year round, though most of them also have wood stoves for heat, which is more efficient than a fireplace.
There are homes that use solar and "sell back" energy to the power company of any energy they don't actually use, which actually earns them a profit rather than an expense for electricity every month.
Then there are communities that are 100% "off grid" with plumbing, running hot water, heat in the winter, electricity, refrigerators and freezers, internet connection, etc. etc. Check out Dancing Rabbit Eco-Village for more on that. Solar and wind power, biomass and biogas, hydrogen, fire, water power - they aren't there yet, but their end goal is zero waste and 100% sustainability. All their homes are solar powered.
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