The nearly $800 billion stimulus package has lit a fire under the renewable energy industry. The solar industry specifically is beaming after a relatively rough year in investing and an economic crash that sent booming solar companies into precautionary mode. Now, however, renewable energy industries can expect cash to start flowing heavily out of D.C.

That prospect is helping to spawn a new calling for some solar companies. Energy consulting is a rising niche in the renewable energy market due in large part to the increase in federal attention to sustainable technologies and the wide array of financial resources now available to companies in wind, solar, geothermal, and other green sectors.

The function of these newcomers to the playing field lies primarily in the identification and apprehension of available resources for clients, along with project management. As an example of this growing trend, Sunrise Solar Corp, a San Antonio, Texas-based firm, recently expanded its operations to include a new energy resources consulting division. CEO and chairman Eddie Austin wants to "help other companies create jobs and benefit from the expansive financing soon to be available..."

Austin went on to echo a larger consensus among many of his peers: "We expect the stimulus grants to act as a booster rocket to the already rapidly growing solar industry."

Indeed the solar industry has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years, but is expected to slow in 2009. Some solar companies even began laying off employees after the markets crashed and millions of homes went belly up. Then came the renewal of federal solar tax credits, the recent stimulus package, and an overall commitment to renewable energy from the new White House.

It is this sudden surge of positivity and projected prosperity that is allowing this new consulting niche to form. The fact is that for all the federal dollars made available, there will be as many companies vying for that cash. Staying on top of your game will be a necessity for success, and energy consulting firms like Sunrise Solar aim to provide that service.