Sun, Sun, Sun, Here it Comes

The Tennesseean reports that Al Gore will have a solar array installed on the roof of his home in Belle Meade, outside Nashville, and begin reaping power from the sun in a month or so. You'll recall that Gore, who purchases green power from his utility as well as carbon offsets, was recently blasted by critics for his home's considerable energy use. As it happens, the new zoning rules allowing for the installation of solar panels in Belle Meade were only adopted on April 1. The town's zoning board gave the Gore project the go-ahead on Tuesday, with one stipulation; The 33 solar panels the vice president is installing will be required to lie flat, so that no one will have to see them. The architect on the project says the requirement will result in a 12 percent decrease in efficiency. Sigh.