White Lightning Axiom: Redux

Recently, I heard that ANWR Drilling is once again 'on the rocks'.

A solid phalanx of Republican moderates drove House GOP leaders to drop a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wilderness area to oil drilling as a sweeping budget bill headed toward a vote Thursday.
A plan to allow states to lift a moratorium on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts was also axed. ...

The Senate has included ANWR drilling in its budget bill and GOP leaders are likely to push hard for the final House-Senate version of the bill to include it. ...

The decision on the Arctic refuge was a big setback for those who have tried for years to open a coastal strip of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, to oil development. It was a victory for environmentalists, who have lobbied hard against drilling. President Bush has made drilling in the Alaska refuge one of his top energy priorities.

I really would prefer to use other fuel sources for generation of electricity and such, but until the electric companies are allowed to build A LOT more nuclear power plants, we are stuck with being dependent on foreign nations for 50% or our fuel requirements. With that in mind, either we start drilling on the north slope and pulling the shale-oil deposits from the Mid-West or we'll have to rethink how we generate electricity.

I have been rooting about for data on what it takes to install solar panel along with the requisite electronics and have found a couple of little interesting kibbles of knowledge.
The first one, The Energy Cooperative - Solar Power, is a Pennsylvania based organization. The page describes various solar powered case studies (read: active installations) that made me sit up and say "I want THAT!" till I got to the price tag. In most cases, the installations generate more power than what is used for the household. This would be perfect for power initiatives in the sunny southern states. Distributed micro-power generation. An interesting note here is the ability to apply for a grant to have this work done.

The second link,ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STORE, is solar also. Oh boy, it's like being a ADD hyperactive kid in a candystore here. If only I had $30K or so just laying about. The biggest tickler here is the 25+ year warranty and a stated 40+ year system lifetime. Then, there is this:

SunWize systems are easy to operate SunWize Residential Grid-Tie Systems are quiet and operate automatically. The system 'wakes up' and begins to deliver power as the sun rises and 'goes to sleep' as the sun sets. On-site installation can be completed within a few days. Because there are no moving parts, SunWize systems are virtually maintenance free. All components carry an Underwriters Laboratory (UL) listing and meet the National Electrical Code, the benchmark for safe and efficient electrical installations.

> Generate your own electricity and reduce your electric bill
> Protect against future rate increases
> Produce electricity from free sunlight and watch your meter spin backwards
> Reduce the burning of fossil fuels contributing to a healthier environment
> Increase the value of your home
> Save money on your system puchase with state rebates and incentives
> Solar modules have a 25-year warranty
> Systems typically have a lifetime of 40+ years

Your system includes everything you need Solar Modules with roof mounting structure. Solar modules convert sunlight into DC power and are attractively mounted on the roof of your home. SunWize Power Center mounted in your garage, basement or on the outside of your home and includes:

> Inverter with LCD meter converts DC power produced by the solar modules to household AC power.
> AC/DC Disconnect Switches allows the modules to be disconnected from the inverter and the inverter to be disconnected from the utility grid.
> Optional kWh Electric Meter displays net power produced by your system.
> Complete Documentation and owner's manuals

HELLO! Sign me up!