Fasten your seat belts, kids, we’re taking a little solar energy tour of the nation this morning…

In Nevada solar news, the Reno City Council yesterday approved $3 million in spending for the installation of photovoltaic (PV) systems at five sites across the city, via The Reno Gazette-Journal.

In California solar news, West Sacramento will be home to the biggest solar energy plant in the country, according to Sacramento Press. West Sac beat out Oakland to convince a Spanish solar power company to locate its headquarters there. Otras Producciones de Energía Foltovoltaico (which, incidentally, is a pretty terrible name, even in Spanish), will build a 20-megawatt AC installation with nearly 27,000 solar panels with single-axis tracking.

In New York, solar energy firms and other cleantech participants yesterday helped the Dow Jones Industrial Average close above 11,000 for the first time since 2008, according to NYTimes.com. Among gainers yesterday, the article specifically calls out First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR), which was recently upgraded by Battle Road Research; MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. (NYSE:WFR); and Chinese solar-panel maker LDK Solar (NYSE:LDK).

In related news, across the river in New Jersey, Dow Jones recently announced it will install solar panels at its corporate headquarters in South Brunswick, NJ. This story is getting a ton of press, including some coverage from this blog. Why? Let’s find out. Quick reader poll:

(a) Is this just another ho-hum New Jersey solar installation?

OR

(b) Given Dow Jones’ reputation for business- and industry-focused news — not to mention the fact that the publisher tends the industrial average that bears its namesake — could the New Jersey solar project be viewed as a more meaningful endorsement of the solar energy industry?

Discuss.

Back on the road, Missouri is adding a rebate program to encourage homeowners to buy energy-efficient appliances, via The Kansas City Star. Remember: it’s cheaper to save energy than make energy, and energy-effiency upgrades will boost the performance and return on investment of your solar panel installation. In January, Missouri began offering solar rebates to homeowners.

In Arizona solar news, Phoenix College is adding more green jobs training course to its curriculum, via MarketWatch. Among the new class offerings are a Photolvoltaic (PV) Solar Traning Course, Energy Audit Training, a LEED exam prep class and a Sustainable Building Advisor Program. With solar energy in Arizona growing like gangbusters, a number of education outfits are stepping in to help meet future demand for renewable energy services.

Finally, in Massachusetts solar energy news, some $364,000 has been awarded to ten solar power installations on Cape Cod, via CapeCodOnline.com. Together, the projects are expected to add about 280 kilowatts of generating capacity to the peninsula. GetSolar’s Margaret Collins provides a great overview of the solar installations made possible by Massachusetts’ stimulus funds.

That’s all for today. Hope you enjoyed this morning’s random jaunt across America — let’s hope solar installations continue to dot the map. Have a great day — we’ll see you back here tomorrow.