The renewable energy market is saturated with new ideas and promising technologies. More specifically, there's a healthy bit of buzz around what's on tap for solar power in the coming years.

Thanks to sun-tracking mechanisms and increasingly efficient panels, our society could be on the verge of some massive leaps within the industry.

In the here and now though, a few states stand out above the rest in their commitment to solar energy. In many instances, you can chalk it up to their location on the map; not every state is exposed to year- round, enduring sunlight like certain places in the Southwest.

Still, these states are taking advantage of what they've been given and are using their locale to refine and advance the collection of solar power. Here are the top five in no particular order:

+ California - As the United States' foremost producer of solar technologies, California is actually one of the largest international solar power markets. With particularly enticing incentives for businesses and homeowners willing to utilize solar energy, non-experts are readily encouraged to get involved, as well. Frankly, California is far and away our country's largest asset in the world of solar power.

+ New Jersey - It might come as a bit of a surprise considering its location in the sometimes- frigid northeast, but New Jersey has the second largest capacity of installed solar power production behind California. As one of the pioneers of the solar REC market, New Jersey has also laid the foundation for making solar power a tradable commodity nationwide.

+ New Mexico - With so many sunny days at its disposal, New Mexico has our country's greatest solar power potential. Currently, with its more aggressive Renewable Portfolio Standard and some attractive tax credits, the New Mexico legislature is beginning to take advantage of its situation. Installing a photovoltaic system is now easier than ever in the Land of Enchantment.

+ Colorado - As one of our nation's most environmentally friendly states, it's not particularly shocking that Colorado is among our top proponents for solar power. More industry-related jobs are popping up around the area each year, and it also offers one of our nation's most favorable tax incentive programs for solar producers.

+ Massachusetts - For such a small state, Massachusetts is taking the big picture approach to solar energy. The state has tied solar energy to many of its most recent construction projects, like newly opened schools and businesses. The hope is that in some point in the not-so-distant future, solar energy and architecture will go hand in hand.

Bear in mind, states such as Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Oregon and even some places in the Midwest such as Minnesota are also contributing to our solar power initiative.

Places such as Texas are even promoting solar power through their deregulated energy markets by helping residents indirectly feed solar energy into the grid (check out Compare Electric Rates In Texas for more information on that).

On the whole, the United States is making a push to curtail our reliance on fossil fuels and grow the popularity of solar energy. It's an encouraging approach to the health and stability of our nation's future.