Everyone is going renewable.  The amount of energy and finances being pumped into the development of renewable energy power sources is staggering.  Advances and revolutionary thought in solar technology make keeping up very challenging!  Here's a list of some serious possible contenders for tomorrow's solar energy market drivers

(1) Nanosolar (http://www.nanosolar.com/)

Nanosolar uses printing technology to manufacture solar films "100x thinner solar cells 100x faster".  They roll-print thin-film solar cells.  So far, no IPO.  Let me know, guys, I'm saving my pennies!

Image Courtesty NanoSolar, Inc.

(2) Solar parabolic troughs.  In the sunny US western states (e.g., AZ, NM, NV, CA), we can expect to see thousands of acres of mirrored surfaces curved in a parabolic shape focusing the sun's rays on a pipe carrying mineral oil.  Water is heated to make steam (through a heat exchanger), and the steam is used to power a generator.  

Check out the Sandia National Solar Thermal Test Facility in Albuquerque, NM. and this article by TreeHugger. and this comprehensive review at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Wikipedia has an entry as well.  Solar trough farms are, in fact, a reality in CA, Africa and the Middle East.

Image courtesy ecosyn.us

(3) Helostat fields and other Solar Concentrators

Google's recent investment in BrightSource Energy is helping to generate buzz about Helostat fields.    These fields are essentially an arranged circle of mirrors that direct the sun's energy into a solar boiler tower.  Read more at Wired and visit BrightSource Energy, Inc.

Image Courtesy BrightSource Energy, Inc.

Another configuration of this idea is the solar concentrator dish, which focuses the energy to generate steam.

(3) Fresnel Lenses

Another application of concentrated solar focuses the sun's energy on solar cells, and Fresnel lenses, which sit on top of a solar cell, thereby reducing its size.  The gain of such techniques for voltaic systems is apparently enough to allow Sunrgi, Inc. to claim expected wholesale price of US $0.05 / kWh.

(1) Energy Tower

http://inventorspot.com/articles/energy_tower_power_15_earths_9102 

(2)  Revolutionary Turbines

(3) Sky Serpent

http://www.speakerfactory.net/TURBINES/INNOVATIONS/BLUE/PAGES/BLUE.html 

(1) Stations

(2) Residential 

(1) Air Car 

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/02/14/air-car-will-be-released-this-year-thanks-to-30m-from-tata/

(2) Biodiesel from Algae 

http://gas2.org/2008/03/29/first-algae-biodiesel-plant-goes-online-april-1-2008/ 

(3) Methane from dumps to fuel... what else... GARBAGE TRUCKS!

(4) Backyard Ethanol Brewers