Homeowners aren't the only people who have increasingly embraced the financial and environmental benefits of solar energy in recent years. Businesses and even entire school districts have also been investing more in clean technologies.

For example, NRG Energy recently reported that several Arizona school districts will soon boast solar arrays that can also double as learning tools for the students. Working with Kennedy Partners, the solar energy company indicated that 12 large solar pavilions are currently under development in the Green Valley area south of Tucson as well as the Gila Bend Unified School District near Phoenix.

In total, these projects will provide more than 2.5 megawatts of clean energy, which is enough to power about 2,000 homes or to offset the carbon emissions of 550 passenger vehicles.

"The solar pavilions, which can be sized to provide customized clean energy solutions for each school, give students a dynamic, new learning experience while helping Arizona to meet its growing energy needs cleanly and sustainably," said David Crane, CEO of NRG Energy.

NRG also noted that this latest endeavor happens to mark its first venture into distributed solar energy generation, which uses smaller facilities at various locations to generate large amounts of power.