It was not that long ago that solar energy was considered a huge disappointment. The grandiose plans of universal free energy seemed to disappear. The cost was so high that only the rich could play with solar energy. But that may be changing.

The hopes for solar have always been high. Unfortunately the cost of producing solar power has been high as well. Solar panels stubbornly refused to bow down to cost cutting and mass production. The Twentieth Century simply refused to find a way to make solar affordable to the masses.

But that was then and this is now. Finally the advances in materials and production have begun to bring the cost of solar power into the realm of the possible. Efficiencies in scale are producing solar energy at a fraction of the previous cost. But it still matters where you live.

Areas of the earth that get the most consistent hours of sunlight are those near the equator. The Polar Regions have their sunlight condensed into half of the year. The Northern area gets sun from March to September and the Southern from September to March.

Despite the shifting sunlight, solar has been used in a small way in many places. Remote weather stations and autonomous reporting stations have used solar for decades. Africa and South America have a long history of using solar panels in remote locations.

But recently the innovations in solar have started to snowball. First solar panels were half as expensive, then a quarter, and now with the advent of nanotechnology, the cost is bumping up against the cost of oil. Once it reaches a par with petroleum, solar will begin to take a larger share of the load.

Even now there are commercial power plants that have solar components. In California, and the Southwest of the US solar is beginning to have an impact. Germany and the Netherlands have long had government subsidies for solar and have made significant gains in commercial production.

Even without subsidies, solar is more common than ever before. You can recharge your camera batteries or most any sort of small battery with a solar charger. Flexible panels dot the roofs of RVs and concept cars. There are solar powered airplanes that have made long distance flights.

Solar panels are common in suburbia and on commercial retailer roof tops. Some firms even advertise their solar power to gain the market loyalty of the ecologically conscious. And the newer solar power modules are not the ungainly and unsightly constructs they once were.

It would seem that the promise of cheap, renewable, clean, energy for the masses is actually within reach of reality. Those fortunate enough to live in the sunbelt will probably see the benefits first. And when the means for storing energy from the sun are finally realized, even the Polar Regions will join in the fun.

Discover what you need to know about solar energy by going online. There you will find many articles with methods to save money. Go online and learn more now.