Green Me Now

Lowe’s is now selling solar panels for home installation. The big-box home improvement retailer is offering Andalay AC panels from Akeena Solar at 21 locations in California. The panels, geared to do-it-yourselfers, retail for about $900 each, says Greentech Media.

The panels feature built-in inverters that produce household AC power, so no high-voltage DC wiring is required. They have integrated racking, wiring and grounding, which helps reduce the number of parts compared with conventional DC systems, according to an Akeena announcement.

Lowe’s is offering the panels in its Energy Center, an in-store location that includes tools to help customers determine the solar and wind potential of their homes and create a plan for incorporating energy products. In addition to planning tools, the center provides such products as power monitors and small solar chargers. The retailer says its expects to have energy centers in additional U.S. and Canadian stores in 2010.