Are You a Solar Power Wiz?

According to SolarBuzz's latest report, Spain currently leads the world in solar power, with 2.46 GW installed. Germany is second with 1.86 GW; the United States is in third with 0.36 GW; South Korea comes in fourth with 0.28 GW.

More on solar power in Spain:
Solar Power Explosion in Spain: 3.1 GW Installed in 2008

If you guessed New Mexico, give yourself an additional half a point because based on solar power potential maps from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Arizona appears to only slightly beat out New Mexico in solar power potential. Both are right at the top of the nation. Parts of the Mojave desert in California top even those areas, but because the state is so large and the northern part has less solar potential (though still good) California as a whole slips in the rankings. Despite the wide open spaces, Texas has good solar resources, but not in the same league as its neighbors to the west.

More on the United States' solar power potential:
Cool Interactive US Wind, Solar & Biomass Power Potential Map Released by NRDC

According to the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, California currently leads the nation by a wide margin in the amount of solar power installed, with 528 MW. New Jersey comes in second with 70 MW, Colorado has 36 MW, Nevada has 34 MW. Arizona comes in fifth with 25 MW.

Yup, all of the above statements are differences between photovoltaics and solar thermal.

More on solar thermal power: 1.3 Gigawatts of Solar Thermal Power in California to be Developed by PG&E and BrightSource

Though both are methods of encouraging installation of solar panels on people's homes, with a feed-in tariff all the power produced by the panels is fed into the grid and the cost of paying out an above-market rate for it is shared among all utility customers. This is what spurred Germany and Spain's rapid expansion of solar power; and is generally seen as being more efficient to implement than net metering.

More on feed-in tariffs: Innovative Solar Power Feed-in Tariff Program Approved in Gainesville, Florida

If you live in an urban or most suburban environments, home wind turbines are not nearly as effective as solar panels for electricity production, provided your location gets adequate sunshine and the panels can be properly positioned to take advantage of that.

More on home solar power: Homeowners, Unite to Buy Cheaper Solar Power

Thin-film solar panels are less efficient than conventional solar panels. Top efficiency for thin-film tops out at around 20% — that's the amount of the sunlight hitting the panel turned into electricity -- while the solar cells in conventional solar panels have top efficiency (in the lab, it should be mentioned) of above 40%.

More on thin-film solar power: Thin-Film Solar Goes Head to Head With Crystalline

Often times these programs -- which aren't available in every state by the way — allow homeowners to get the benefits of solar power with little or no money down on their part. The financial benefits of doing this vary from program to program and location to location, but they do reduce the risk and hassle of buying the panels outright.

Here's an example of one company offering this sort of program: SunRun Expands Solar as Service Program to Massachusetts

You wouldn't put one on your house, but if your developing a new solar power array for commercial use you'll want to ensure that those panels are perfectly aligned to the angle of the sun at all times. There are both single- and dual-axis trackers which (not surprisingly) adjust the panel in either one or two directions. Both add cost to a project, but can increase the amount of power you get from the solar power array.

More on solar trackers: Solar Trackers Gaining Ground: May Boost Efficiencies by 40%

There are a number of regulatory, financial and technical hurdles to be overcome, but the Desertec foundation hopes to capitalize on long-theorized plans to turn a small part of the Sahara desert into what would essentially be Europe's battery.

More on solar power in the Sahara: Huge Solar Power in the Sahara Project Moving Forward