It's not so long ago that solar power and Scotland were most likely to come together in the setting up of a joke.

Suggesting in earnest that Scottish homes could rely on the sun for energy would have got you marked down as not the brightest spotlight in the ceiling.

However, times are changing, and increasing numbers of our homes are changing too. Tens of thousands of Scottish households have now installed solar panels, a result of better technology, cheaper systems and a realisation that it is hours of daylight not of sunshine that count.

New analysis of the weather in April has demonstrated that homes with solar panels installed were able to generate 100 per cent of their electricity needs over the month, and generate a small surplus. Monitored homes managed to generate 99 per cent of their hot water requirements too.

This experience is not uncommon. WWF Scotland says tens of thousands of homes with panels installed are finding the same. Despite warnings that a cut in government tariffs for purchasing electricity would kill the industry, companies providing solar panels have done well, with a reduction in the cost of systems helping keep demand healthy.

The time it takes to see a return on the cost of equipment remains a barrier, but it is coming down all the time. Scotland is warming to solar.