Chicago utility company ComEd announced earlier this week it will launch a pilot program for 100 of its customers to test out the power of the sun. The program will include the installation of solar panels into 100 homes, and further devices -- such as smarter thermostats which do things like lower during the day when no one's at home, and give out hourly pricing information -- in fifty of those homes. The meters will also have the ability to reward customers who generate excess solar power that can be pumped back into the grid -- because everybody loves being rewarded, right? ComEd will choose the pilot families by mail-in survey, and by factors such as their roofs, and the amount of shading trees there are in their yards.ComEd launches pilot solar energy program for 100 customers in Chicago originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.


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