Today the Department of Energy announced that the first class of marines at Camp Pendleton trained for careers in the solar industry has graduated. They’re the first class of service members trained through a pilot program that will train 200 transitioning military service members for jobs in the solar industry. 

Today (Feb. 12) The Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) introduced A Homeowner’s Guide to Solar Financing: Leases, Loans and PPAs, a guide to help homeowners understand and choose the best solar financing option for their needs. The guide covers direct purchases, leases, loans, and power purchase agreements (PPAs), the most popular mechanisms for financing residential solar power arrays in the U.S.

That’s the time, in business days that it usually takes for a home or small business to go solar from initial consultation to installed and online, according to a new report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The lab analyzed more than 30,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in key markets across the U.S. between 2012 and 2014 to see how interconnection regulations affect project timelines. 

Apple just announced the biggest commercial solar agreement to date for a company’s use. Apple signed an $848 million power-purchase agreement with First Solar for 130 megawatts of solar power from the solar company’s 280 megawatt California Flats Solar Project. Apple will use the electricity from the solar array to power operations at its new headquarters the “spaceship” in Cupertino, Calif.

Yesterday (Feb. 9) Duke Energy acquired a majority stake in REC Solar, which provides commercial solar energy services. Over the next several years Duke Energy also plans to invest up to $225 million in REC Solar commercial solar projects. 

NRG Energy is likely the most solar-friendly energy company in the U.S. The company has continued to make inroads in all forms of renewable energy in the past few years, from giant wind and solar farms to rooftop solar. It also recently announced its intentions to increase this trend during its annual call. Earlier this week it made good on the promise, purchasing the Northeast sales and operations Verengo Solar, which provides residential solar services. 

The Business Council for Sustainable Energy released its Sustainable Energy in America Factbook for 2015, which was produced by Bloomberg. The factbook shows the advances that clean energy is making in the U.S.—and it’s looking pretty positive for the past few years. 

Solar power is great—or at least it should be great—in case the power goes out. But in the U.S. that’s largely not the case. For instance during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 New York city had 672 solar arrays. They weren’t too damaged but they couldn’t supply critically needed in the outage aftermath. Now the state has more than 18,000 solar electric systems.

That’s according to the results of a Solar Washington survey released last month. Basically the survey found that for each dollar the state invested in solar incentives offered by the state in 2013, the return was more than double the incentive. The survey shows that solar incentives are a good investment strategy for a state.

In the last few weeks President Obama (D) has stepped up his efforts to fight climate change and support renewable energy like solar and wind. Now in the 2016 budget he’s proposed something the entire solar industry has asked for for years—permanence in the Investment Tax Credit (ITC). He also proposed making the Production Tax Credit (PTC) permanent. The PTC can be used for solar, but is primarily used to support wind farms.