Solar power appears to be making a move in the marketplace. High prices and weak consumer interest have hampered the industry in the past. But those trends are starting to reverse themselves, USA Today reports.

Pacific Gas and Electric in California said last week it intends to purchase 800 megawatts of solar-generated electricity from two companies. The utility will buy its solar energy from OptiSolar and SunPower, firms that are planning to build two large solar farms in California.

The electricity generated will be enough to light 239,000 homes. The project by itself will double the country's solar-panel capacity, the newspaper reports.

Solar power accounts for less than 1 percent of U.S. power generation. For the most part, the panels have been installed by enterprising homeowners and businesses. But once utilities start to buy into the technology, its use could rise to 10 percent of power generation by 2025, according to one estimate.

In general, solar power has been twice as expensive as electricity generated from fossil-fuel-fired plants. But PG&E Vice President Fong Wan said the prices are now more affordable. "The cost has come down to a point where we're comfortable doing it," he said.

Increasing manufacturing capacity, technological upgrades and state alternative-energy incentives are factors making solar-generated electricity more affordable.

There are other projects afoot in the United States: Florida Power & Light and Sempra Generation plan to construct solar farms in Florida and Nevada, respectively. Other energy companies are planning to buy solar power from suppliers. Several utilities are placing panels that feed into the grid on neighborhood roofs.

These pioneering efforts are admirable. We need to explore a variety of energy options.