Thanks to legislation passed into law at the State Capitol Thursday, solar power will be jumping into business in Minnesota, according to the Star Tribune.

More than $3 million was passed to provide solar rebates for homeowners and businesses,   $6.5 million in grants to school districts and local governments to purchase and to install solar energy systems, and closer to home, about $3 million to invest in solar development along University Avenue between Minneapolis and St. Paul, and another $2.1 million to build a solar lab at the University of Minnesota.

 "If you want to be a leader in solar, you’ve got to grab that market now, and that’s exactly what we have done in the 2009 session," Sen. Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul told the Star Tribune.

On University Avenue, Xcel Energy is encouraging solar-generated power along the proposed Central Corridor light-rail route. "We’re actually looking to create an energy showcase that goes along with the transportation showcase," Xcel regional vice president Judy Poferl said. "If the streets are ripped up, we should be putting in the infrastructure that meets the next generation of smart and renewable technology."