residential solar installations increasing 51% between 2013 and 2014, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, there’s no question that American homeowners are welcoming the sunshine. It’s partly mindset: At every level — individual, state, federal — renewable energy sources are seen as an attractive solution to environmental and economic challenges. Many states have mandates set by their legislatures with a target amount of energy that must come from renewable sources every year, but the local utility may not have the capital to create large solar-harvesting photovoltaic (PV) arrays to generate the power — so houses have become the tiny power stations that can help the state achieve its renewable energy goals. That’s good news for homeowners. Even more importantly, the price of a completed residential PV system has dropped 45% since 2010, largely because of new, widely available financing and leasing options.