Harry P.

But they sell them online! That's what I don't get... they sell them online, but not in-store. Oh well... whatever. Next topic!

I don't think "liability" has much to do with HD and others not selling solar panels in-store. They sell all kinds of ultra-dangerous stuff... paint thinner, power tools, saw blades, paint strippers, circuit breaker main panels, etc., etc., any of which can cause serious harm or death if misused or installed incorrectly. If they can sell chain saws and weed whackers, they can sell solar panels. Liability can't be the issue... the issue is lack of a consumer-friendly DIY-type solar kit. For whatever reason, nobody is manufacturing such a kit, and I can't see why not. Even if it couldn't supply all of your home's power demand, it could be sold as an add-on that could "slash your electric bill by 50% or more!" (or some sort of claim like that). On "This Old House" they're always showcasing the latest technology, and they are big on solar. They have installed solar panel systems that not only supply all the home's electricity, but even more... and that excess is sold to the electric company! So not only are you getting free electricity (after the cost of the system is paid off)... you're actually making money. Obviously a large system like that is expensive and far beyond DIY... but a smaller, simpler, self-contained kit could easily be marketed to the consumer. So why isn't it?

The local home centers here sell roof shingles. And they sell skylights. They require you to work on the roof, too. With sharp objects that penetrate the roof (nails). Or even cutting a hole in your roof! If there is no product liability issue with roof shingles or skylights, I don't see how a solar panel kit would be any different. Sure, installing the kit is probably beyond the skills of the average homeowner, but so is installing a skylight or new roof shingles... and they sell those! If solar kits were widely available I'm sure that a bunch of solar panel installation contractors would also pop up, just like people who install roofs and skylights. I guess what I'm really saying is that, given the fact that solar panels are proven to work, are relatively simple to install, and are pretty reliable and long-lived... I'm curious why a kit like I've described isn't widely available to the general public, packed in a box, at a reasonable price, on the shelf at the home center. Maybe next to the roof shingles and skylights...

From what I've seen, a solar system can use electricity made on sunny days and stored, on cloudy days. Of course in the winter it's common to have long stretches with no sun, so not sure how that would work. I guess where we are at today, solar power would still be considered a supplemental system, not your primary power generation system... although with the correct setup and in favorable conditions it can be done.

Cheap labor, no unions.

I'm amazed that there isn't a consumer-friendly, DIY solar panel "kit in a box" available somewhere, simple enough for Joe Average to understand and be able to install. Maybe sold as different sized kits, depending on how many panels are included... 4 panel kit, 8 panel kit, 12 panel kit, etc. Seems like such a no-brainer. I would think we would have seen something like this, at a consumer-friendly price, on the mass market by now. I guess there are reasons why not, but I don't get it.

Looks like they are all sold "online only," sight unseen, not on store shelves. I wonder why that is? You would think that in 2014 a large chain of home centers would have a "solar panel" department or aisle by now... with consumer info, charts to compare the different panels, specs, etc.

Since I build mostly old, long out of production kits, there are no "brick and mortar" hobby shops that would carry what I want anyway. So the internet isn't only extremely convenient for me... it's really the only source of what I want. I shop at the world's largest "hobby shop."

Oops. You're right, I missed that.

Yup.

What Roger said.

Agreed! Best selection, lowest prices, always open, product comes to your door. What's not to like?

This weeks answer is 1937-38 Mack Jr. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1937-1938-mack-jr-half-ton-pickup.htm Who got it right: mr moto peter31a otherunicorn mr chips 62rebel mikemodeler MikeMc blunc carsntrucks4you customsrus

This model was featured in Model Cars #187 (July 2014)...

Yeah, most people who hear "Bruce Springsteen" think singer/songwriter, not guitarist. He's not bad. Not flashy, just sort of "meat and potatoes" stuff. He leaves the fancy stuff to Van Zandt and Lofgren.

Amazing.

I don't know anything about Tom Morello, but Springsteen is on my top 10 all-time favorites list. Closer to 1 than 10.

If any videos with four letter words got by me, that's on me. If I see them, I delete them. But I can't possibly see every post, so I don't doubt that you saw some that I didn't get to.

But you wouldn't be selling sun or wind. You would be selling the products that allow you to access the sun and wind to produce energy.

Yup. Nobody owns the sun or the wind, that's true. But a company that sold DIY, consumer friendly, easily installed solar panels or wind turbines could make a fortune selling the products necessary to take advantage of the sun and the wind. I still don't understand why we don't see these products on the shelves at Home Depot. I guess Bill is right... change is hard, and fundamental change is even harder. But if I was a big oil company, I'd be all over solar and wind. I'd be pushing it big time, because I know the product I currently sell can only last so long, and I'd want to get a good solid foothold in emerging alternatives.

Yeah, that's also one of theirs that I like.

ok, now that Ghost of Tom Joad video is cool. Music doesn't need profanity. Just my opinion.

You should know better.

Beautiful!

Exactly. Free, clean, and endless. Same with solar. Why we aren't exploiting it to the max is beyond me.