Ah, ‘tis the season for solar, well maybe not. But going into the end of the year, solar is buzzing with anticipation of what 2012 will hold. The solar industry in the U.S. as a whole is hoping for a big Santa surprise in terms of extending the 1603 grant program, which has helped solar boom. And Solar Santa’s back with new gift suggestions for the solar fans on your holiday shopping list. But the solar news last week included a lot more from New Jersey to Chicago, to California.

If you’re interested in solar-power gift ideas, head on over to Clean Energy Authority’s Solar Energy Viewpoint where we detail some of the hottest solar toys—ahem tools—for your loved ones this holiday season.

Perhaps the biggest gift for the solar industry—and employment in the U.S.—would be an extension of the 1603 Treasury Grant program, which offers renewable energy developers access to upfront cash rather than waiting for tax breaks that accrue over a number of years. The grant allows easier access to financing for projects. But already people are planning for ways to finance solar projects without 1603. To address the issue, Sustainable Industries recently held a webinar, “A Question of Scale: Financing Solar’s 99%”.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) adopted New Jersey’s Energy Management Plan (EMP). The plan helps to shore up the solar industry in the Garden State, the second largest solar market in the U.S., which was facing destabilization from a flooded solar renewable energy credit (SREC) market. Under the EMP, the state will increase the amount of SRECs power companies are required to purchase—as long as there’s enough solar in the market.

Warren Buffett finally got into solar recently. Buffett-owned Berkshire Hathaway’s MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. bought First Solar’s 550-megawatt Topaz Solar Farm. Mid-American was known for investing in wind projects, but this is the company’s first big buy into solar. The buyout also is notable because it was accomplished without a DOE loan guarantee.

It’s definitely not as big as Topaz, but Chicago-Rockford International Airport will install the largest PV array at an airport soon. New Generation Power will install a 20-megawatt PV array on 70 acres of airport land—with the expectation of installing a total of 62 megawatts of solar at the site.

When you arrive at the Chicago-Rockford airport, you may soon be able to take a solar-powered EV home, thanks to a new project from Chicago’s I-GO car-share program. The organization is introducing 18 PV-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging stations throughout the Chicago-metro area. The stations will charge 36 EVs it’s introducing.

At least one of the recipients of a grant under DOE’s Rooftop Solar Challenge already is working to reduce the soft costs of residential and small business solar installations. PennFuture and its partner municipalities, 23 in all—including Pittsburgh—are working to establish multi-jurisdictional permitting processes that will make it quicker and easier for installers to permit solar projects in an attempt to reduce such costs.

Perhaps no big chain has made more of a solar commitment than IKEA. Last week the furniture giant announced that 75 percent of its buildings in the U.S. will soon be graced with PV arrays. Throughout 2011, the company has continually upped the number, reaching 75 percent in December. In all, when its projects are completed, the company will have at least 26.8 megawatts of solar generation in the U.S.

Image courtesy of NREL.