from the nevada desert to the roofs of wal-mart stores to the legendary plains of spain, solar is entering a bold, bright new era. each week, solar seems to be winning new enthusiasts like forbes, new investors of all stripes, and new large-scale business users like wal-mart, macy's and kohl's. late last month, north carolina governor mike easley signed that state's first renewable portfolio standard into law, which includes a solar set-aside.