The sun seems to be rising on solar power. As environmental regulations put the squeeze on coal power, the energy market seems poised to move toward more “distributed generation” like residential wind and solar installations. Meanwhile, prices for solar panels have dropped considerably since the technology’s inception. While lower panel prices are somewhat bad news for the thin profi t margins of the solar industry, it’s quickly becoming a buyer’s market. To that end, WindSolarUSA is putting together a “group buy” for solar panels in Springfi eld. “One of the things we were looking to do as a renewable energy company was to increase the awareness of solar as a green alternative,” says Michelle Knox, WindSolarUSA founder and president. “As costs continue to come down and the payback windows shrink, we felt now would be a good time to introduce the Go Solar Springfi eld group purchasing plan.” For more information, contact gosolarspringfi eld@ windsolarusa.com or call 217-825-4206. There are large rebates available from the State of Illinois and Springfi eld City Water, Light and Power for qualifying solar installations, potentially lowering the cost considerably. For details, visit cwlp.com/eso/rebates/solarrebate.html. Meanwhile, the Illinois Solar Energy Association is planning its annual Illinois Solar Tour on Oct. 1, and Springfi eld hosts at least 14 sites on the tour. Learn more at illinoissolartour.org.