Question: What are your thoughts on solar heated water?
Answer:

Solar water heaters are one of the most underutilized alternative energy systems in the U.S. What could be better than reducing your energy consumption using the sun? Many other countries have “got it” and you’ll see solar water heating systems on most roofs.

There are three problems with them – we charge too much ($7000-$10,000), there aren’t enough qualified installers and they require maintenance. But if sized and installed properly, most families could satisfy 75%-90% of their hot water needs using solar on any sunny day.

Here are some resources for further reading:

Build it Solar – Site for solar DIY’ers.

U.S. Dept. of Energy

Wikipedia – Extensive article on solar water heating