Real Solar Energy (as opposed to imaginary solar)

The don't drill, no nukes, conservationists get all excited about "Solar" with out ever explaining what "Solar" is. For most of us, in the lower 48, real solar energy comes from home heating or cooling. Shining in through windows the sun pours a lot of heat into a house. In the winter, this is all to the good. In the summer, it makes the air conditioner draw more expensive electricity. Every window needs a sun shade, positioned to let the low winter sun shine in, and shade the window from the high summer sun. The sunshade needs no moving parts, and in fact properly designed eaves do the job very well.
Here in New Hampshire, I have enough solar gain through the windows that my furnace stays off during the winter day. With the solar gain, my furnace gets through the winter on about the same amount of fuel as my car uses all year. Without the solar gain, my furnace oil costs might double.
Home buyers ought to check the sunshade/eaves/awnings situation on the windows before falling in love with the house. In heating country, a good house faces south to get more sun. In air conditioning country, the house ought to face north for more shade. If buyers cared about these things then builders would furnish them.
The technology of building to take advantage of the sun has been well understood since the days of the Roman Empire. Where as solar electric technology still lacks decent batteries to give you electric lights after the sun goes down.