On Valentines Day, the University of Maryland, College Park agreed to install one of the largest photovoltaic (PV) rooftop solar energy systems in the entire state atop its Severn Building — a building that stands roughly one mile away from the main College Park campus

California environmental groups want 2011 to bring about much friendlier times between themselves and the solar energy industry. To that end, several state environmental organizations, led by the California Desert and Renewable Energy Working Group and Defenders of Wildlife, have come up with a list of recommendations they hope the U.S. Interior Department will consider when approving future solar energy projects to be built in the state.

The symbolism can’t get much better. In southern West Virginia, a region notorious for its coal-fired plants, a new, 40-by-15 -foot rooftop solar energy system has been installed and is now producing clean energy.

Now two years after the passing of the bill, SBI Energy has released a report detailing how the ARRA has helped advance the use of clean energy throughout the country.

Earlier this week, Tucson Electric Power (TEP) — the utility service provider for nearly 400,000 customers in southern Arizona — completed its new, 1.6-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) project at the University of Arizona’s Science and Technology Park in southeast Tucson. Today, the utility is using its new solar source as an opportunity to offer its customers a new way to purchase solar power.

For the last 30 years, the Canadian Rockies International Airport in British Columbia has been gathering data to prove that the region has one of the highest solar intensities in all of Canada.

After announcing in October 2010 that it plans to power eight of its stores and warehouses throughout California with solar energy, the Swedish furniture and home product retailer Ikea made it known last week that it isn’t done yet.

Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York: Residents of these states can expect prime opportunities to go solar in 2011 as these five state’s governors’ have made solar energy production and solar technology development a top priority for the new year and beyond.

More good solar news came out of New Jersey earlier this week as the North Jersey Media Group — which is comprised of several community newspapers including The Record and the Herald News — announced that it has partnered with KDC Solar to install a roughly 4.2-megawatt (MW) of solar energy system at its Rockaway, New Jersey facility.

You can add the Pershing County School District in Nevada to the long list of districts across the country that have installed solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems atop their schools to save money on utility bills and promote environmental consciousness.