What's hot, clean and coming soon to one of the state's most well-known landmarks?

A new array of solar panels is being installed at the Salt Palace Convention Center.

The array promises to be one of the largest of its kind in Utah and, in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, surely one of the most visible. Construction crews will attach 104 photovoltaic solar panels to the south side of the new expansion buildings at the convention center, providing power for lighting inside the building's parking garage.

"I think it is a trend. As more governments, as more businesses, as more developers start using this technology, the price will come down and then it'll make sense," said Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon. "Right now we're seeing a return on investment of just a few years and that's really the way we can make things like this work."

The installation will cost $200,000; the energy savings will pay back that cost within about seven years, according to Corroon. Salt Lake County and Utah Power are splitting the project's costs.

"We believe that the future of renewable energy is to diversify our traditional resource mix from thermal generating sources, from coal and natural gas and hydroelectric," said Dave Eskelsen, a Utah Power spokesman.

Solar power is still more expensive than coal or natural gas, but its costs are steadily coming down. Concerns about global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions, combined with rising costs for traditional energy sources, are driving up demand for renewables like wind power, geothermal and solar.

There's even a worldwide shortage of photovoltaic panels as places like California sink billions into solar power.

"Gov. (Arnold) Schwarzenegger is calling for, I think, 40 percent of all new housing to be equipped with solar," said Sarah Wright, executive director of Utah Clean Energy. "Germany, places in Europe are very much promoting photovoltaic energy."

Solar projects are starting to pop up around Utah, too. They include a low-income apartment complex in downtown Salt Lake City called The Ritz, where the building's owners recently added a large solar installment on the roof, and a student demonstration project in front of the state's Department of Natural Resources building.

The 20-kilowatt array at the Salt Palace will supply only a fraction of the Salt Palace expansion's total energy costs, but advocates say the educational and symbolic value is immeasurable.

"We wanted something that was really visible for the public to show the benefits of solar, to show the applications of solar," said Salt Lake City environmental coordinator Lisa Romney.

The installation will begin soon. The goal is to have the panels installed and ready to go by August before the huge Outdoor Retailers convention comes to town.