The Journal’s “Environmental Capital” blog notes the following on solar tax incentives:

[T]he impending demise of subsidies for solar power in the U.S. is driving a last-minute stampede. The subsidies’ renewal is still on Congress’ wish list after several failed shots at renewal. That means a banner year for the solar industry, and bodes well for the future — since the same scenario will probably be repeated next year, after Congress pushes through an eleventh-hour but short-term extension of the tax credits. From Dow Jones’ Clean Tech Investor:
Commercial customers are rushing in with orders to ensure that solar panels get installed before Dec. 31, when the federal investment tax credit for solar is due to expire. This rush is both filling up order books and driving up prices for solar panels. Granted, that’s just a silver lining to an otherwise dark cloud. SunPower Corp. executives call it “one flavor of good,” noting higher demand and more pricing power for the next few months. Then what? “[T]he expiration of the credit makes it difficult to allocate resources to the U.S. market for the long-term,” says SunPower’s vice president of public policy Julie Blunden. That’s what happened to Japan – when solar subsidies disappeared, so did the industry.