Happy new year. 2013 is done and gone. The sun celebrated by flipping. And here on earth it was a pretty good year for solar, the best yet, as we will see in the coming months when all the numbers are tallied and investigated. But now its 2014 and if you thought solar power was slowing down, it’s just getting warmed up like a concentrating solar power system in the desert and the industry is looking forward to another record year as solar continues to evolve. 

First off, any list that claims “the biggest” of anything is up for speculation unless you’re talking about the award-winning hog at the local 4-H contest. That said 2013 has been a great year for solar with some dynamic shifts in the U.S. and the world. So here are some of the biggest solar energy news stories to cap off a great year in almost no particular order. 

People love creating fun holiday cards around this time of year, whether it’s the annual holiday family update letter or e-card, or even a video. While some of the zaniest holiday videos this year of a guy named Paul and a white, upper-middle class family rapping to Will Smith’s Miami, SolarEdge gets a serious nod for their “Scream & Shout” video. 

Earlier this week Principal Solar, a company vying to become the first solar distributed utility in the U.S., got a nice Christmas present in the form of a new partnership with Carlyle Capital Markets Inc. (CCMI). The latter has agreed to serve as Principal’s financial consultant as the solar energy company pursues its strategy of acquiring solar projects in 2014. The company will sell the solar power produced to customers like data centers and perhaps even residents. 

Last week the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA) and the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School released a new report which found that the majority of more than 1,300 solar rooftop and 1,000 geothermal system were highly satisfied with their renewable energy systems. But the report also pointed out some key factors limiting the solar rooftop market in the state. Chief among them lack of financing options in the state. 

It’s close to the end of the year and while children are waiting to hear the sound of reindeer on rooftops, businesspeople are looking forward to 2014. Among them the solar industry, which is hoping to put the sound of boots on rooftops rather than hooves, and it's anticipating continued growth into the new year as international markets continue to expand. 

The waves and wind caused by last year’s ravaging Hurricane Sandy are long gone, but the devastation left in its wake is still painfully evident in some of those towns and coastal areas affected. People are still rebuilding in places like Breezy Point, N.Y. Now the Breezy Point Green Committee has launched the Breezy Solar Bank and partnered with Admirals Bank and EmPower Solar to offer financing opportunities for solar arrays. Under the partnership every homeowner that goes solar through the offering in Breezy Point, Rockaway Point, and Roxbury, EmPower Solar will add $200 to a Breezy Solar Bank project. 

Solar's popularity is growing in Massachusetts. That’s the finding of a new poll released on Dec. 19 from Princeton Research Associates, which follows up on a poll the organization did earlier this year. The poll shows that now 67 percent of all voters in Massachusetts believe that the solar industry is important to the commonwealth’s economy, up from 57 percent in June 2013. The polls come after Gov. Deval Patrick (D) announced that in reaction to the state’s success with solar power that it would quadruple the amount of solar power planned for its grid network. 

Texas is known for going big. In a state with so much land and so much sun it’s no wonder that the state is starting to warm to solar. And while much of the news surrounding the giant solar farms (100 megawatts or more) in the U.S. and world is coming from California and Arizona, the 400 megawatt Alamo Solar Project will shine some of that light on the Lone Star state. 

Want to get that special someone on your list something that reflects their love of the sun and solar power? Something other than sunscreen, but aren’t ready or able to put a solar system on your home? Thankfully there are all sorts of great gift ideas out there to get a little more use out of the sun.