Even though the president mentioned solar in his State of the Union speech as one of the fastest-growing energy industries, that doesn't mean the technology is mainstream yet. But it's another indicator of how seriously people are taking it. 

Shayle Kann, VP of GTM Research, recently put together a data-driven checklist to help determine if solar is truly an entrenched technology in the energy sector. His conclusion: the industry is very, very close.

"From my perspective, being used to talking about solar and thinking about solar as a niche technology, it's really impressive how close we are to it truly being mainstream," said Kann.

Watch our interview with Kann, which includes charts from his checklist: