Over the past week, computer experts in Italy, Russia and the US have posted details online on a clutch of vulnerabilities they have found in various SCADA packages used to automate installations as diverse as power stations, water purification plants, oil refineries, food factories, breweries and steel plants.

FORBES: Increased Computerization Means Increased Vulnerability

The UK can muster a total of 82, 000 micropower installations, of which 78, 000 are solar hot water heaters.

BBC: NEWS | Science/Nature | Home power plan 'disappointment'

We could convert current energy bills into jobs right now by installing solar panel systems and solar water heater systems on homes, and having the utility corporations meter these solar installations and continue to bill consumers.

FORBES: Solar Companies Must Rethink Strategies In A Volatile Market

Then there is one of the oldest ways of getting power out from the sun: solar "thermal" installations, which absorb the sun's energy, transforming it into heat so it can boil water and run a turbine.

FORBES: The Sunshine Economy