Most homes in America actually have a hot water heater, which is probably why it accounts for about a quarter of the total energy consumption of a typical American home. Unfortunately, the U.S. government actually spends a lot of money on paying off the energy consumed by these hot water heaters, about $13 billion every year, possibly making it the single biggest energy consumer in your home or work place. Overall, the cost for maintenance begins to taper down because the sun is readily available and free. Some people, especially those coming from the third world countries may not have available solar cell panels ready for purchase. They may have to order online. The professionals needed to install and maintain the system may not also be available in some areas. The small part of the power stems through to the earth in the form of sunlight. The rays that deliver the energy of the sun give both heat and power that can effectively be gathered and changed to other types of energy, such as electricity. Solar steam generators use solar power generation use the power of the sun to heat water and create steam to let electrical turbines work. Though the future for solar energy appears to be clear and better, a lot of people are still speculative about what the future really holds for solar energy. However, in order for us to be able to understand and properly predict what the future holds for solar energy, we need to first take a step back and look at what solar energy is right now. The system needs to be wired with an inverter that creates pure-sine-wave AC electricity, which is needed for linking to the utility grid. Another benefit of this electric system type is the tax incentives. There are also rebates provided depending on the local agency and the state. If you own a grid-tied system in California, you can make use of some programs that will minimize the total cost of the system. Pumps, for example, are used in active solar energy water heating systems to circulate the water through the system. There are plenty of solar applications that a homeowner can use to get the most out of active solar energy. Included are active solar space heating, active solar pool heating and active solar water heating.