RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia regulators are considering Dominion Virginia Power's proposed plan to increase the use of solar power.

In the cleantech sector, pretty much everyone knows the acronym RPS, for Renewable Portfolio Standards. Since the first RPS policy in the U.S., implemented in Iowa in the late 1990s, 30 states have passed similar policies to promote the installation of renewable energy projects and expedite penetration (overcoming the ambivalence or outright opposition of utilities) of renewable energy in electric power supply.

The big question for any homeowner considering installing solar power is a simple one: How quickly will the system pay for itself? The short answer: It depends on where you live.

"For most of these states, they're looking at it for economic development and job creation," Ghassemi said, underscoring the reasons why solutions such as cost incentives and utility quotas haven't helped states like New Mexico catch up to California and New Jersey, an unlikely solar leader.

ROCKFORD, Minn. -- David Schmidt has been intrigued by the idea of generating power from the sun for a long time, but he had never taken the next step.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho's first big solar electricity plant will likely soon begin construction, a rare bright spot for renewables in a state littered with canceled wind farms, regulatory uncertainty and low natural gas prices that have soured alternative power's financial appeal.

Its nickname is "Project Titan." The biggest solar park in Tennessee will be located in Chattanooga when the $30 million project comes on line next to the Volkswagen plant later this year.

Residents here probably won't notice that their water and sewage treatment systems will soon be powered by fields of solar panels but a project to convert the plants is nearing completion.

New solar panels will be installed at the University of Florida by the end of November, reducing the university’s energy costs and serving as a teaching tool for professors and students.

Happily, over the years that I served as Arizona's attorney general, and as Phoenix mayor before that, I found that large majorities of voters support clean energy. The popular support for solar and wind was apparent across our state, from visits to every corner of Arizona and countless letters and e-mail messages. Our citizens spoke clearly: They wanted clean and affordable energy, and they also wanted to maintain the spectacular natural beauty that drew many to Arizona in the first place.