Let a Thousand Modules Bloom.

Mark my words: That will be one of the big trends in solar in 2010.

For the past few decades, solar manufacturers have largely concentrated on designing a single panel and selling the bejeezus out of it. A company typically manufactured variations of their core panel, but the differences weren't huge. In fact, it has often been tough to tell the differences between panels from different manufacturers.

Manufacturers in turn have not put that much effort into marketing their panels. What's the difference, they've figured.

But as the solar market grows, manufacturers will come up with different panels for different markets. Suntech is already working on making its commercial panels more distinct from its residential ones. In a nutshell, the commercial panels will be bigger and the residential ones will be smaller, but there will be bigger differences.

"We're looking at optimizing at both ends. We want to focus a bit better. We've been working on it all year," said Steve Chen, chief marketing officer at Suntech.

Applied is trying to get utilities to adopt the amorphous silicon supersize panels that come off its SunFab line.

Soliant makes a PV concentrating system tailored for flat roofs.

Armageddon Energy has a hexagonal panel and racking system to make solar panels easier to install on commercial roofs. Solyndra has its wacky tube-shaped solar panels.

And several companies are combining photovoltaic panels with solar light and thermal energy for solar appliances.

In the end, specialization could lead to increased sales, better price points, and a greater concern for aesthetics. It could even help insulate manufacturers from price competition because it won't be one big generic market. In a sense, the solar market will become more like the PC market – longer take on that argument here.

Keep watching for developments on this trend. Or am I full of it? Tell me what you think.