Solar power took center stage in Wake county as local efforts to go green were put on display.

"It doesn't take much to start to make a difference," said Steve Sedahl, who owns a home that was a tour stop.

From the street, Sedahl's house looks like any other home off West Chatham street in Cary.

But Sedahl has harnessed the power of the sun and what's inside his home is making a huge difference.

"It's only been a couple of months and we're already seeing a 25 percent saving on the electric bill," he said.

His new water heater is state of the art in solar technology.

It uses the sun to heat water on the roof and transfers it to the tank in a continuous cycle that keeps the water at about 127 degrees fahrenheit.

The machine does it all cheaper than heating water electrically.

"I think it is the future," Sedahl said. "I think the solar piece is really just starting."

Sedahl's home was just one of the eight businesses and homes on display for the Wake Green Building and Solar Tour.

Other stops included the "green" McDonalds on Kildaire Farm road, North Carolina State University's Solar House on the college campus and Wake Tech North Campus Building D.

"North Carolina gets about 60 percent of its energy from coal," Katie Shepherd, communications manager for NC Green Power said. "We also do not have any indigenous sources of fuel."

Many on the tour felt renewable energy is crucial to the state's economic future.

As an unemployed electrician, Robb Dixon was trying to find out where his trade is going.

"I am interested in adding to my resume as well as my experience," he said. "I've crawled under a lot of houses and I'd rather crawl on top of them than underneath them."

Roof top electricians may not be far off as more home-owners harvest power from the sun.