With the advancement in solar technology, solar manufacturers are developing newer types of solar modules that do not use silicon at all. The lack of availability of silicon has led to the slow manufacturing of solar panels. There are alternative materials using nano-technology that are and will continue to radically change the consumption and production of solar generated electricity.

From the newest technologies, like thin film or nano-solar cells, they are somewhat experimental with limited or no actual field testing. This is not true for many of the silicon based solar panels on the market today. Homeowners, right now, have the opportunity to rent systems and avoid the cost involved in purchasing. Because there are now large sources of silicon, homeowners now have the choice to upgrade to solar energy on a large scale, compared to times when people once thought that it was too expensive to install residential systems.

Renting a solar power system for your house has become quite simple nowadays. You have to just pay a flat monthly rental fee just like you do today for a satellite dish or some other equipment you rent. The solar system rental rate is calculated based upon a number of factors; the average monthly energy consumption, the available utility sources and net-metering options, and the kWh rates in your market. A solar engineer will come to your home, look at your roof size, angle and shading to size the system for your location.

Going solar and using renewable, solar energy is getting simpler every day. Even though the lack in availability of silicon has slowed the overall production of residential solar power systems in the market, this is just not the case any longer. More and more options are emerging daily for the average homeowner to rethink about considering solar power and renewable solar energies.