While solar panels are not something we’re considering in the immediate future, we’re still keeping an eye on it as an emerging technology.

An article in the July, 2007 edition of Wired magazine had me performing the obligatory ‘of course’ slap to my forehead as I read about The Sunflower: an array of mirrors that collect light over a few dozen square feet, and concentrate it up to a single, highly efficient solar panel. (So, instead of having to invest in many solar panels to collect light over that much area, you only have to buy mirrors and motors to control them.)

This setup is actually being designed for residences and apparently cuts the cost of going solar by 30%. That’s still outside our budget at the outset of this project, but great to see innovations driving their price further down.

Technology Review also published this article a few months later, along the same lines.