Solar power has caught fire in Pennsylvania, thanks to declining costs for solar equipment and generous state incentives, according to John Hanger, Secretary of the state's Department of Environmental Protection.

The Maple View Farm in Hillsborough, North Carolina, recently added an acre of solar panels.

Earlier this month, North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue signed a bill that extended a generous tax credit for investments in renewable energy and increased the tax credit for investment in facilities that manufacture renewable energy equipment.

Recently, Oregon announced a new solar program in which utilities will pay premium rates to people for generating solar power with small-scale systems.

The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) recently increased funding to $1.45 million for a solar-energy incentive program for commercial buildings.