President Barack Obama last night delivered the State of the Union Address. The President focused on the economy, above all, emphasizing his administration’s efforts to shore up the economy and create jobs. Clean energy was mentioned a number of times, and solar in particular got a shout-out about two-thirds of the way through: “And no area is more ripe for such innovation than energy.  You can see the results of last year’s investments in clean energy — in the North Carolina company that will create 1,200 jobs nationwide helping to make advanced batteries; or in the California business that will put a thousand people to work making solar panels.”

In the GOP response, Virginia’s new governor, Bob McDonnell, also emphasized jobs and energy, though he made no specific reference to solar: “All Americans agree, this nation must become more energy independent and secure. We are blessed here in America with vast natural resources, and we must use them all. Advances in technology can unleash more natural gas, nuclear, wind, coal, and alternative energy to lower your utility bills.”

Gwendolyn Bounds expounds on the benefits of “cheap hot water” in a Wall Street Journal article on solar water-heating systems. If you like what she has to say, follow her on Twitter.

SEKO Worldwide announced yesterday that it recently added a 31-kW photovoltaic (PV) system to its Portland, Oregon facility. The system — which was installed by Eugene, OR-based Grape Solar –  is expected to produce 80 percent to 90 percent of the facility’s electricity demand.

In a real-world example of “green-jobs” creation, General Motors will open a manufacturing plant in Baltimore, MD, where it will make electric motors. The $246 million investment is expected to create 200 jobs in the short term, a number that could grow to as many as 1,700 further out. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley emphasized he and his colleagues are “focused on one thing and one thing only: creating and saving as many jobs for as many Maryland families as we can.”

The L.A. Times reports that Fremont, CA-based Solyndra will sell some of its unique, cylindrical photovoltaic (PV) panels in Belgium. At 1.9 megawatts, the 10-system deal is Solyndra’s biggest project to date.

Suntech Power (NYSE:STP), a Chinese maker of solar panels, announced Goodyear, Arizona as the location for its first U.S.-based manufacturing facility, according to The Arizona Republic. Suntech had previously announced its intention to open a facility in Arizona, but declined to name a specific site.

Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL) announced a 40-megawatt deal with ITEC in Germany, suggesting that, despite planned cutbacks in solar subsidies in that country, solar equipment sales will continue in 2010.

Finally, as world leaders meet in Davos, Switzerland for their fancy annual meeting sponsored by the World Economic Forum, the WSJ reports that engineering giants Siemens and ABB predict strong demand growth for renewable energy technologies — this despite the worst economy in decades.