Jun. 9--Consumer incentives, an infusion of federal stimulus funds, and a favorable political climate have created a golden moment for solar power.

Some homeowners could quickly recoup savings from their solar systems, a longtime industry goal.

Meanwhile, the technology is progressing. Solar collectors can even be disguised to look like roofing material.

In about two years, smaller arrays could be plug-and-play -- like room air conditioners -- well within the realm of the average handyman.

Although the economy has clouded many a venture, officials yesterday declared a bright new day at the opening of the nation's premier solar-power conference at the Convention Center.

"The industry has opportunities that people could only dream of five years ago," said Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Last month, President Obama announced $117.6 million in federal stimulus funds for solar, on top of the $175 million solar appropriation in the 2009 federal budget.

The funds "come at a time when they're most needed," said JoAnn Milliken, the Department of Energy's acting solar program manager, a chemist with degrees from La Salle University and the University of Pennsylvania. "A lot of companies are having trouble getting venture capital funding."

Even so, the industry saw a 16 percent rise in installed capacity in 2008, according to an association report, and the number of new solar photovoltaic installations rose more than 50 percent.

Officials said they selected Philadelphia as the host city so they could showcase the region's advances and potential.

Although Pennsylvania has lagged far behind New Jersey in overall solar installations, the commonwealth recently announced a $100 million rebate program that would fund 35 percent of the cost of solar installations for homes and small businesses.

Convention officials also used the occasion to formally recognize Philadelphia as one of 25 cities selected for the Energy Department's Solar America Cities program.

Announced last year, the selection comes with $200,000 in grant money and, perhaps more important, $250,000 in technical assistance from the department's solar experts.

Some of the money was used to fund a new position. Kristin Sullivan, who formerly crisscrossed the nation extolling the virtues of wind power for the Spanish firm Iberdrola, now is the city's program director for the Solar Cities initiative.

Her mission? Get more solar. Get it on city buildings, on office buildings, on homes, and on open space.