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Colorado, with its snowy winters but sunny skies, is ranked the fourth in the nation for the most megawatts of installed clean solar energy in the United States. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, Colorado has a total of 208 MW, enough to power more than 37,700 homes. Since 2009, the solar photovoltaic capacity has increased tremendously, bringing on an additional 152 MW. This growth has also made the state home to the fifth-largest increase in the U.S. for solar PV capacity seen during the last three years.

Its solar market is promising, and many residents, business owners and even public organizations including schools are taking advantage of the renewable energy source. Colorado State University in Fort Collins made headlines in 2011 when it was named as one of the top four public universities in the nation for solar power, according to the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The school has two of the top 10 largest PV installations at any four-year university, and it ranked sixth among all public and private colleges and universities for installed solar power.

CSU will boost its solar capacity even more. School officials said they plan to add to the 5,500 kilowatts of solar power being generated on campus.