Solar energy can be harnessed by solar panels called photovoltaics (PV) or by concentrating solar power (CSP) via lenses or mirrors into a narrow enough beam to generate heat. In Thailand and other hot countries simply by having cold water running through a panel of tubes on a roof hot water for bathing can be produced. It is estimated that solar power can produce 1,000 times more energy than was consumed in 2008, yet during that year only 0.2% of the world's power was generated from the sun. Solar energy is a clean renewable source of energy that although intermittent can be tracked and predicted. The installation costs for industrial and home solar energy generating units are high but it is expected that as technologies improve the costs will go done. And as fossil fuels become increasingly difficult to find and as governments pass laws demanding more electricity be made from renewable/alternative sources the political motivation to improve solar technologies will further drive down prices.

At present photovoltaics are not cheap. The above Sunforce 39810 80-Watt High-Efficiency Polycrystalline Solar Panel with Sharp Module costs $412.48. Three or four of them would be needed to allow you to go 'off the grid'. The cheaper alternative if you are good at DIY is to make your own photovoltaic panel. You can bid for cheap solar cells on Ebay and make your own housing etc. for the cells. I recommend reading Mike's page for more details about this.

The Sunforce 39810 80-Watt High-Efficiency Polycrystalline Solar Panel is recommended on Amazon. It is used to charge a 12 volt battery. The kit comes with male D/C plug, mounting brackets, battery clamps, voltage tester, quick connectors and extra wiring. It is easy to install, weatherproof and allows you to connect multiple units. The Sunforce 39810 Solar Panel comes with a 25 year warranty. It is necessary to buy a digital charge controller in order to use this solar panel. The Sunforce 30 amp digital charge controller costs $98.67 on Amazon.