When I was a kid there was a company that popped that built heating systems that ran on wood, oil, and solar. They were really just a boiler system with a wood stove built into them. They were very popular here since wood fired heat is common here. Many people, especially when building new houses, had the solar panels installed because at the time the tax credits made doing so a cash positive option. But the reality was the solar panels didn’t work well. All they did was heat the water in the furnace. But they were bad to over heat the water and boil the water out of the furnace.

Now, even though the environmental impact may be just an lateral adjustment instead of a positive gain, the technology for solar is so far ahead of what it was in the 80s, they can’t even be compared. But without those early attempts at harnessing solar, we wouldn’t have technology they can now actually power a home.