I've been enthusiastic about solar energy ever since the first time I grasped that a panel of solar cells could actually produce electricity. And a house design incorporating solar features could actually stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer, with no draw on electricity. And when I saw a car that ran on solar energy, I was in love. Imagine a Prius running on solar power with plug-in backup, instead of gas.
In an effort to help the idea of solar homes to catch on, the Solar Decathlon is taking place right now on the National Mall in Washington DC. Students from all over the world are competing to create efficient, affordable and marketable solar homes. There's a lot of raw wood, a lot of boxiness in the designs, but the units had to be created in their home states/countries, shipped to DC and erected quickly, which may have limited the design options. The DOE's website shows a gallery of all the entries, a timelapse video of the activities on the Mall and more. It's a slick presentation — maybe a little too slick for my taste — but the coverage is pretty thorough. I just wish I could find out what's going to happen to all those houses after the event is over. Recycling, I guess.
Solar home entry from Spain
Solar home from U of Louisiana Lafayette, dubbed "most marketable"
Solar isn't the complete answer, but it's one of the few choices that doesn't increase the draw on power plants (like plug-in electric cars), create toxic waste (like coal and nuclear plants), kill birds and make unacceptable levels of noise (like windpower) or require a great deal of technical knowhow to put into use. So it's certainly an option that should be incorporated into any campaign to alter climate change.