Rise & Shine: February 17, 2009
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
Yes on Solar, No on This Solar Program
A partial transcript of remarks to The Times’ editorial board by opponents of Measure B, the solar program on the March 3 L.A. city ballot.
A New Gang Comes to Los Angeles: Solar-Panel Installers
In a tough economy, Homeboy Industries trains ex-cons for brighter prospects.
Clear Skies Solar Begins Preliminary Engineering on Solar Farm in Cantil
Clear Skies Solar has initiated project engineering on an $11 million, 3.2MW solar farm in Cantil, CA, to be built on 34 acres of company-owned land.
City Wins Solar Award
The City of Sonoma has won first place in the City Solar Awards for Watts per Capita and Total Watts Installed among small cities from the Northern California Solar Energy Association.
SunRun Solar Stimulus Package
Currently, SunRun is trying to stimulate the stimulus by offering three months of free electricity to new customers.
National Development Council Funds Solar Installation At California Nonprofit
The National Development Council (NDC) says it is providing groundbreaking support for an innovative solar installation project at the Gasser Foundation’s headquarters in Napa Valley, Calif.
On the Future of Solar 2009
Premier Power Renewable Energy will be discussing the future of Solar in 2009 with Fox Business Network.
NATIONAL NEWS
Oncor Launches Solar Photovoltaic Incentive Program
Oncor’s Solar PV Program offers cash incentives to qualified homeowners, businesses and governments to add solar photovoltaic power systems. Oncor expects to install about 1,400 new solar systems through this $16 million, four-year program.
LIPA to Spend $14.4 Million on Efficiency Energy Programs
The Long Island Power Authority is moving ahead with an ambitious effort to generate more solar energy from commercial and industrial sites and increase spending by 80% to $14.4 million for residential rooftop solar power systems and other renewable energy programs.
Rainy Oregon’s Sunny Future
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski introduced a trio of bills to the 2009 state legislature that, if passed, would give solar energy in the state a significant boost.
Thin-Film Solar Manufacturer HelioVolt Prepares For Commercial Production
HelioVolt has announced additions to its executive management team as the company builds out its US manufacturing capacity.
Evergreen Solar Panels Used in Installation At DuPont Research Facility
Evergreen Solar has announced that a new 250 kilowatt solar energy power plant using its solar panels is now operational at DuPont’s Pioneer Hi-Bred Waimea Research Center in Kauai, Hawaii.
Dow Chemical Plans to Sell Solar Shingles by 2011
The Midland-based chemical giant has been at work for the past year on a $50 million project called Dow Solar Solutions.
City Delays Vote on $200M Solar Array Project
Austin City Council voted Thursday once again to delay a vote on the $200 million solar array project.
Steinway & Sons Begins Installation of solar Power System in Long Island City
The Steinway plant’s 27,000-square-foot roof is flat and ideal for the seven rows of parabolic mirrors that constitute the system.
Groups Partner to Turns Solar Companies on to Midland, Saginaw, Bay Counties
Bay Future Inc., Saginaw Future Inc. and Midland Tomorrow were to launch their first project, a Solar Initiative, at an event this morning at Saginaw Valley State University.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
The Power Behind Figuring Footprint
Xcel Energy customers in Colorado soon will have the ability to access their usage information online and calculate their so-called carbon footprint, or the amount of carbon dioxide emitted to generate their power and heating needs.
Tendril Moves to Link Up Old-School Meters
The maker of in-home energy monitoring equipment and software is in five utility trials to bring data from a previous generation of AMR meters ? ones that can send but not receive information ? into its ZigBee-enabled home networks.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Why Have Investors Flocked to CIGS?
The promise of CIGS cells is that high-efficiency cells can be achieved using less than 1/100th the semiconducting materials required for silicon-based PV cells.
Deutche Bank Completes 70 Million Refinancing of Four PV Power Parks
Deutsche Bank has completed the ?70 million long-term refinancing of four 8.3MW PV power parks on the island of Mallorca, Spain.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
The US Solar Photovoltaic Market Analysis and Forecasts to 2013
Research and Markets has announced the addition of GlobalData’s new report “The US Solar Photovoltaic Market Analysis and Forecasts to 2013″ to their offering.
Booming Photovoltaic Industry to Stumble Before Resuming High Growth
The photovoltaic industry has quietly boomed over the past decade, growing at a rate of more than 35% per year as demand for solar power has been driven by concerns about climate change and energy independence.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Stimulus Packages Gives Big Boost to Municipal Solar Financing Programs
Congress changes tax code, authorizes bonds to support program allowing residents and businesses to pay for solar and energy efficiency projects through their property tax bill.
Solar Shines in Economic Recovery Package
The recovery package will immediately spur job creation along each link in the solar supply chain- from PV panel manufacturers to solar hot water system installers.
Green Growth: How the Eco Stimulus Can Generate Jobs
Cascadia Capital’s Michael Butler and Jamie Boyd weigh in on the stimulus bill and what it means for the greentech industry.
TECHNOLOGY
Freescale: Harvesting Energy from Each Solar Cell
The company says plans to launch a chip that can extract and amplify ultra-low voltages, making it possible to charge devices with a single solar cell.
Solar Cells to Generate More Energy
New research sheds light on the efficacy of solar panels, and indicates that we may soon be able to get more bang for our buck when it comes to solar energy systems.
Bekaert Introduces Rotatable AZO Targets for PV
Bekaert is building on its rotatable sputtering technology in glass and photovoltaic applications by developing a new range of rotatable sputter target materials for the deposition of TCO layers used in PV cells.
Research Highlights Potential for Improved Solar Cell Efficiencies
The research shows the possibility of solar cells that create more than one unit of energy per photon.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Sanyo to Raise Cell Capacity to 600MW
Sanyo will increase production capacity for HIT solar cells by building new production facilities to meet active demand for solar power generation equipment around the world.
IEC Approves Arava Company?s Proposal for World?s Largest Photovoltaic
The Israel Electric Company has approved the Arava Power Company’s proposal to build an 80MW solar photovoltaic field on kibbutz land in the Arava, Arava Power announced on Sunday.
Centrosolar Group Boosts Module Sales 50% in 2008
Preliminary financial results published by Centrosolar Group AG reveal a new revenue record of ?331.8 million in 2008, more than a 50% increase in revenue of ?220.3 million for 2007.
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