The idea of converting sunlight into electricity isn't anything new. That concept has been around for decades now. And although the size of solar panels, and much of the technology, have changed, the cost of solar has always been a challenge. Check out this energyTHEN from 1958.

[Film projector running]

[NARRATOR] The big, window-like roof of this house is meant not for looking out, but to let in sunlight to fuel the heating system. This solar house, the first designed for a northern climate, is the result of 20 years' research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Some 80% of the heating all year round is supplied by water warmed by sunshine. A housewife sets the temperature by thermostat. In the summer, a refrigeration unit provides air cooling. This solar heat system is prohibitively expensive. With expected improvements in mass production, tomorrow's homeowner may have small concern with fuel bills.

[SUITERS] Solar IV, as the house was known, was completed in 1959 after the Department of Agriculture held a contest on solar house design. After collecting data for three heating seasons, MIT then ended up selling the house to a private owner.