March 25th, 2010
By Ken Edelstein
Green Right Now
Soon after Aaron Mann and his wife bought a 3,500-square-foot home overlooking San Francisco Bay, a friend looked up from the driveway with envy.
Rooftop solar panels (Photo: Michael Hieber/dreamstime)
He noticed that the house in the Berkeley Hills had south-sloping and west-sloping roofs, unobstructed by trees or other buildings. It would be perfect, he said, for photovoltaic solar panels.
The visitor planted an idea for the Mann family: Why not cut their power bills and reduce their carbon footprint by investing in a solar electric system?
On and off for the next couple of years, the Manns discussed their fantasy. But they never did anything about it; they couldn’t settle on a way to finance the solar panels.
Barbara Kessler
Andrew Winston
Danielle Nierenberg
Anthony Swift
