Solar power had a bright 2010

I keep mulling how best to incorporate solar power or solar hot water -- or both -- into my own home. It's complicated. But I'm starting to feel very behind-the-times for not having done it yet.

Enough solar power was installed in the U.S. last year to provide electricity for 200,000 homes.

The industry's market value jumped 67 percent, according to a tally released yesterday by the Solar Energy Industries Association. It went from $3.6 billion in 2009 to $6 billion in 2010.

The group says solar is the fastest growing energy sector in the U.S. economy.

In addition to the solar power arrays, 65,000 homes and businesses installed solar hot water systems or solar systems to heat the water in swimming pools.

New Jersey has always been a leader, but Pennsylvania is coming along.

The top 10 states for solar power installation in 2010 were: California, New Jersey, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Florida, North Carolina and Texas.

Overall, the cost is coming down, which undoubtedly contributed to the increases in the number of systems installed. For residential and commercial systems -- as opposed to the huge utility-scale systems -- costs for installed systems declined 8 percent and 11 percent.

"This report shows that solar energy is now one of the fastest growing industries in the United States, creating new opportunities for both large and small businesses. Every day, Americans across the country are going to work at well-paying, stable jobs at solar companies, from small installers all the way up to Fortune 500 companies," said Rhone Resch, SEIA president and CEO. "This remarkable growth puts the solar industry's goal of powering 2 million homes annually by 2015 within reach. Achieving such amazing growth during the economic downturn shows that smart polices combined with American ingenuity adds up to a great return on investment for the public. The bottom line is that the solar energy industry is creating tens of thousands of new American jobs each year."