Rise & Shine: October 21, 2008
The Rise & Shine is your daily source for all solar-industry news. Brought to you by Sweet Solar Home and the Experts at SunRun.
CALIFORNIA NEWS
Spire to Provide Components for 25MW XsunX Thin Film System
XsunX Inc. has entered into an agreement with Spire and Shuttleworth, who will provide components to complement the company’s thin-film solar photovoltaics (PV) manufacturing system.
Lithographix Goes Solar with Solar Array from ThinkSolar
National solar integrator, ThinkSolar is managing the 650kW turnkey project, which represents not only the first PV installation in the City of Hawthorne but one of the largest commercial roof-mounted PV systems in California.
GreenVolts Wins PIER Grant for Low Cost Installation of Concentrating Photovoltaic Proposal
GreenVolts was the recipient of a $250,000 grant from the California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program.
SunPower Names Utility Exec CFO
Solar panel module producer SunPower has named electric utility veteran Dennis V. Arriola as its chief financial officer, who was previously CFO of SDG&E.
Oakland’s Green Collar Economy to Get to Work with SolarCity
The city of Oakland is launching the Green Collar Jobs Corps program, which will provide training and employment opportunities for program graduates.
NATIONAL NEWS
FedEx Express Breaks Ground on PV System at Cologne Airport
http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsEUPR516.htm
FedEx Express broke ground on its largest solar facility and first outside the U.S. at the Cologne/Bonn, Germany, airport. The hub is slated for completion in 2010.
Evolution Solar Receives Purchase Order from Atlantic Energy Solutions
Evolution Solar received a purchase order to provide solar panels for a 700kW project in upstate New Jersey from Atlantic Energy Solutions Inc.
Clear Skies Solar Signs $8M Solar Energy Deal in India
Clear Skies announced an $8 million USD agreement with Prayag Green Solar Power Private Limited to develop and construct a two megawatt solar power project in Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh, India.
US Solar Boom to Include Manufacturing, Too
Solar companies have determined that it makes economic sense to manufacture close to your market, because among other factors it reduces shipping costs.
Farming Sunlight
Local utilities in St. George, UT are building a large solar PV facility. Homeowners can buy into the farm, and receive credit on their power bills proportionate to the energy created by their share of the facility. Tax credits are also available for those who buy in.
groSolar to Distribute Motech Inverters in North America
The agreement provides groSolar with the exclusive right to distribute Motech’s PV inverters to its network of solar dealers across North America.
Evergreen Solar Signs Contracts For More Than 160MW
The first is with Mainstream Energy Corporation and AEE Solar, a leading wholesale distributor in North America; the second contract is with, one of the top-tier general trading companies in Japan.
Taking the Red Tape Out of Green Power
The Network for New Energy Choices (NNEC) released a report in Sept. detailing how some towns and cities undermine local investment in green energy, and frustrate residents and business owners, by making it difficult to install small-scale solar and wind systems.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Hawaii Outlines Renewable Energy Goals
Hawaiian Electric Co. plans to create 70% of Hawaii’s energy use from clean energy sources by 2030. They commit to not build any new coal plants, integrate up to 1,100MW of renewable energy and convert existing fossil fuel generators to biofuels using locally grown crops.
Oregon Case Highlights Trouble With RECs
Problems arise when a generator doesn’t already have a deal in place with a utility that’s a QRE. It all comes down to the fact that there aren’t enough qualified people out there to evaluate and certify renewable energy projects.
Landis+Gyr Inks Four Year Smart Meter Contract With PG&E
Landis+Gyr will provide a major portion of the 5 million smart meters set to roll out to PG&E customers over the next 4 years as part of its $1.7 billion SmartMeter program.
Excelon’s Power Play for NRG Could Create Nuclear Giant
Exelon’s $6B bid for NRG Energy may have been prompted by short-term concerns about raising capital and cash flow, but the deal could reshape the nuclear industry’s landscape.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Suntech to Announce Third Quarter 2008 Financial Results on November 20 2008
Suntech will announce its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2008, before the U.S. market opens on Thursday, November 20, 2008.
Funding Roundup: Closing Deals in Tough Times
While the financial crisis continues to undermine investor confidence, a few greentech companies, including solar firm Soliant Energy, announce decent-sized deals.
Solyndra Still Raising Cash
The company, which has raised $600 million in equity funding since 2005, plans to expand manufacturing capacity as quickly as possible and is continuing to talk to investors.
Evergreen Solar Files Suit Against Barclays, Lehman Brothers
Evergreen has filed suit against Barclays PLC, Lehman Brothers, declaring that Lehman Brothers did not have title to shares of Evergreen Solar’s common stock and seeking their return.
TECHNOLOGY
Manz Partners with US Firm to Improve Lasers for Thin Film PV
Manz Automation announced a partnership with laser specialist Rofin-Sinar and Masdar PV, which recently announced to start thin-film module production in Germany and the United Arab Emirate
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Moser Baer Secures Orders of $500M
Moser Baer will supply solar modules to two major European solar system integrators – Ralos Vertriebs and Colexon Energy.
Wacker to Raise Polysilicon Capacity
Wacker will construct a new polysilicon production plant in Saxon, Germany. The first batch of polysilicon from this capacity expansion phase 9 project is scheduled for Q1 2011.
Energosolar Delivers Equipment for Bulgarian Thin-film Factory
Energosolar has started to ship the first production equipment for Solar Pro’s new amorphous silicon (aSi) thin-film PV module manufacturing plant in Bulgaria.
REC Secures a NOK 2.9 Billion Silicon Powder Contract
REC has entered into a long-term take-or-pay agreement with a PV-company based in Asia for the supply of fine particulate silicon from the FBR-process.
LG to Build Solar Cell Lines in Old Plasma Panel Plant
LG Electronics will set up two solar cell production lines at the site of its suspended plasma panel plant, as the company seeks to find a new growth engine in the renewable energy business.
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