This has been the case in places ranging from developing nations to rural America, and consumers are also constantly finding new applications where solar technology can be used.
A recent Associated Press report called attention to one such use. According to the wire service, farmers in Wyoming and elsewhere are increasingly using solar-powered electric pumps to replace the wood and metal windmills that were once used by ranchers to get water.
The AP cited one solar installer who said that this part of his business has grown by about 35 percent each year.
Elsewhere, many people may be familiar with a higher profile development in the world of new solar energy applications. Swiss researchers recently completed a successful nighttime test flight of a solar-powered airplane that they hope to fly around the world in 2012. Researchers have also continued to develop new photovoltaic technologies that are more efficient than ever, which in the coming years could make the cost of solar equal to that of fossil fuels.
