People who are interested in adding solar energy technology to their homes know that they can save considerably on their electric bills over time while also helping the environment, but they may not always know just how effective their photovoltaic panels actually are.

With that in mind, one option may be the Apollo 1 monitoring system from SunReports, which allows people to view real-time data sent from their solar units to their computer.

Over time, people will be able to see how many tons of carbon emissions they have helped to offset or how many trees they have saved, as well as the actual wattage that their solar arrays have generated. The technology is not confined to home photovoltaic panels either. People can also check the progress of their solar pool heaters and solar water heaters.

The technology also provides people with the opportunity to check on their solar array while traveling, using their mobile phone or iPhone.

Such technology is reminiscent of smart grid technology, which is becoming increasingly common around the country. With smart grid technology, one useful application is that people can know whether they are operating appliances during peak energy demand hours.