“Shine baby shine.” Larry Hagman points out that solar is cheaper and cleaner.

by Shannon, posted on July 14th, 2010.

Hagman says his solar panels soak up so much sun that he often sells the excess power back to his local electricity company.

We’re loving this Guardian piece today on former Dallas star, Larry Hagman, who has been on the solar bandwagon for some time. We’ve written about him before, but couldn’t resist showcasing solar’s unlikeliest hero again after he served up the perfect riposte to Sarah Palin’s infamous mandate to “drill baby drill” with the much more timely decree to “shine baby shine.” Could it be that Hagman is a proud member of the “reality based community?” After Hagman installed solar panels on his roof on his 46-acre estate in Ojai (near Santa Barbara, California) he saw his annual electric bill drop from $37,000 to $13. Now he’s actually making money by selling the excess power back to his local utility.

Fortunately solar power is no longer just an option for celebs and oil magnates. All over the country, communities are banding together to get group discounts on solar, bringing down the cost of panels and installation, on average, by about 15 percent. Check out our list of active group discounts on solar.