Rhode Island might be the smallest state in the Union but it made a big commitment to renewable energy last spring, when it said it would add 1,000 megawatts of clean energy by 2020. Now Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) is looking to add 400 megawatts of solar power. 

Solar power continues to be a leading employer in the industry sector, employing 250,271 people in the US in 2017, a decline of 3.8 percent. Still, it’s the first time since The Solar Foundation’s annual National Solar Jobs Census launched in 2010 that the report has seen a decline in jobs and since then the amount of solar jobs in the US has increased 168 percent from about 93,000 jobs in 2010. 

By the end of 2017, 972.2 megawatts of solar power was online in New York, compared to 83 MWs of solar power online at the end of 2011—an increase of 1071 percent in terms of solar capacity in the state, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) office. The state has even more solar in the works and announced a new plan called RetrofitNY to extend the benefits of renewable and energy efficiency to people in affordable housing in the state. 

Last week it came to light that Tesla would begin marketing its solar services at Home Depots and potentially other stores across the US. At the same time JinkoSolar confirmed plans that it would invest in a manufacturing plant in Florida.

Last month rumors began swirling that China’s JinkoSolar was interested in building a manufacturing facility in the US. This week (Jan. 29) the company confirmed its plans to build a solar manufacturing facility. 

Tesla’s marketing of rooftop solar continues to evolve as news outlets say the company will install solar marketing kiosks at 800 Home Depot stores across the US and is in process of making a similar deal with Lowes. It builds on SolarCity’s previous relationships with home improvement store. 

Arizona is one of the sunniest states in the US and it’s become home to some of the largest solar farms in the US and was quick to realize the benefits of renewable energy—even though some of it is being shipped across state lines to California. Now a utility regulator has introduced a plan to transition the arid state to 80 percent clean electricity by 2050 with a goal of reaching 100 percent clean electricity. 

As solar power continues to grow and evolve in the US states and Washington DC are continuing to adapt their policies for consumers, utilities and energy providers. In fact, when the N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) unveiled its annual and quarterly update of its The 50 States of Solar, it found that last year there were 249 policy actions proposed across 45 states and Washington, DC.

The big news in solar power last week undoubtedly was the tariffs that President Donald Trump (R) imposed on imported silicon solar panels and cells. The Administration also announced an innovation contest to bring solar manufacturing back to the US but it’s small compared to the impact the tariffs will have. However, even other conservative developers know the importance of solar as Wynn’s Paradise Park announced its new solar project, which was outside other controversy surrounding its owner. 

When Wynn’s Paradise Park opens in Las Vegas it will be 100 percent powered by renewable energy, with power coming from its solar rooftops and the Wynn Solar Facility, a new, 27 megawatt, 160-acre solar farm in Fallon, NV. It’s a first for a gaming facility in Nevada.