Here's an interesting question - Would solar power be viable in Alaska? I've been wondering about that for a while now, and apparently so have some researchers in Fairbanks. According to this article they are setting off on an experiment to see how much energy solar panels can generate throughout a year in Fairbanks. I'm guessing you'll get very little right about now since they are only getting slightly less than 4 hours of daylight at the moment, but in the summer they will get nearly 24 hours of daylight. I'll be following the progress along the way, but some questions I have about the experiment are:
How will the snow, ice, and cold affect the performance of the solar panels over time?
Will the solar panels be equipped with motors and microcontrollers to track the sun as it moves across the sky?
How would you supplement the lack of solar power in the winter?
What can you do with the excess solar power in the summer (assuming there is any)?