Solar panels offer one of the most promising futures for electricity generation. And with future generations of panels, conversion rates will skyrocket while prices drop – allowing solar power to enter into the mainstream.

An article in the New York Times last week about careers in solar energy revealed a shocking number – one that would certainly make me look elsewhere for job. As an investor, this particular number would also call into question the true growth of solar energy over the next few years.

Mother Nature has its own beating in store for already battered solar energy stocks. As if the plunging price of oil wasn’t enough to bring solar stocks to their knees, the new report by the United Nations shows how China’s toxic pollution may hinder the development of the country’s burgeoning solar industry.