Meanwhile, President Obama has announced new measures to promote solar energy including bolstering a federal program to help people switch to using rooftop solar panels to generate their electricity. Obama’s speech at the National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas Monday came on the heels of the administration’s announcement earlier this month of a plan to cut carbon emissions by an average of 32 percent.

President Obama: “So we’re taking steps that allow more Americans to join this revolution with no money down. You don’t have to share my passion for fighting climate change. A lot of Americans are going solar and becoming more energy-efficient not because of tree huggers — although trees, you know, are important, just want you to know — but because they’re cost cutters. They like saving money. And I’m all for consumers saving money, because that means they can spend it on other stuff. Solar isn’t just for the green crowd anymore. It’s for the green eyeshade crowd, too.”