ar panel installations in the U.S. more than doubled from the year prior; nonetheless, some analysts contend that number could climb higher if some inefficiencies in the permitting and testing processes were streamlined. A newly opened research lab aims to boost the number of solar thermal installations this year by testing products before they go on the market.

Before a solar thermal energy system can be implemented, they must first be tested in a research lab; currently, only five solar research labs exist in the U.S., but North Carolina State University announced this week it will soon open a laboratory dedicated to testing solar thermal energy systems. Because of the dearth of such labs, there are often wait times of up to two years, analysts affirm.

The NCSU facility is scheduled to open by June of this year and will be certified by the government by the beginning of 2012. To fund the lab's construction, the school received a $95,000 grant from the North Carolina Green Business Fund; students at the university helped to design all of the equipment that will be used to test the solar systems, resulting in cost savings and providing a learning experience for the undergraduate and graduate students.

The lab's manager, Michael Ross, told The Daily Tar Heel the solar testing industry is "a lot of trouble to break into" because "it doesn't make any money when you're setting it up." However, there is demand for the lab's services and the school expects companies from around the world to use the facility to test their equipment.