By Sheril Kirshenbaum and Chris Mooney

Solar power uses radiant energy from the sun for heating water, air, and making electricity. It’s certainly not a bad idea in terms of renewable solutions to our energy crisis given the source isn’t burning out anytime soon, but of course, this technology isn’t right for everyone. On the local scale, it depends a good deal on location, time of day and year, and weather conditions. In other words, outfitting your home with solar panels may be a good idea in California or Arizona, but not so effective in say, Alaska and Washington.

Still, according to Scientific American, a massive transition to solar power plants may be able to supply 69 percent of U.S. electricity and 35 percent of our total energy by 2050. This would require large-scale infrastructure involving photovoltaic panels and solar heating troughs over huge tracts of land–including the construction of a direct-current transmission backbone to transfer stored energy efficiently.

And it may not be all that far off from becoming reality. The New York Times reports over 3,400 companies are already in the solar industry employing 25,000-35,000 installers, distributors, manufacturers, developers and suppliers. The industry expects these numbers to more than triple as more folks grow interested in limiting both our greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on foreign oil. And now that government subsidies are making the switch affordable, it’s no suprise that the United States has experienced a 45 percent increase in installed solar energy systems in a single year.

Signs of a sunny spot in in today’s troubled economy.