Rise & Shine: February 27, 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
California Solar Startups Might Get Help in Unlikely Places
Smaller developers are having trouble securing capital in the economic downturn and the utilities are now eligible for a federal 30 percent investment tax credit under a law passed by Congress late last year.
SMA America Employs the Sun at Corporate Headquarters
SMA America has installed a carport solar power system at its U.S. headquarters in Rocklin, CA. The new array is designed to serve as a demonstration system for SMA’s popular Solar Academy while off-setting a portion of the facility’s energy usage.
NATIONAL NEWS
Cash for Solar Doesn’t Apply to Residential Projects
Residential installations won’t benefit from the cash-payment provision. But they will still get the 30 percent tax credit.
New Solar Company Invites You to See What is Under Their Roof
In addition to technical support, training classes will focus on the business of solar energy, sales and marketing, and product training. Specialized workshops offered through the Earthsponse 360 program will provide continuing education towards earning the NABCEP certification.
FPL Breaks Ground on 25MW Photovoltaic Project
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has broken ground on FPL’s DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, which will bring commercial-scale solar photovoltaic power to Florida for the very first time.
NM Joining Other States in Promoting Green Jobs
Among those potential jobs are solar- and wind-energy system designers and installers, sales people and contractors skilled in retrofitting homes for energy-efficiency.
Georgia: Strapped for Renewables or a Solar Goldmine?
If approved, the rule now moving through the House would require utilities to get 6 percent of their energy from renewables by 2012 and 25 percent by 2025.
SolarPower Restoration Systems Signs Purchase Agreement with SBM Solar
SolarPower Restoration Systems plans to purchase SBM Solar modules over a two-year period starting this April.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Green Transmission Superhighway Needed for Renewable Energy to Reach Full Potential
The American Wind Energy Association and the Solar Energy Industries Association have released a white paper detailing current inadequacies of the U.S. electric transmission infrastructure and offering policy solutions to address them.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Akeena Solar Announces Fourth Quarter and Year End 2008 Results
Fourth quarter revenue grew to $10.9 million, led by strong residential installation revenue which increased 23% over last year to $8.4 million.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Obama Budget Proposes Shift to Green Energy
The budget calls for ‘’significant increases” in cutting-edge research into renewable energy, including solar, wind and geothermal sources.
Obama 2010 Budget Highlights by Agency
The Energy Department’s spending plan would pay for “significant increases in basic research” into developing clean and renewable energy including solar.
TECHNOLOGY
University of Alberta and NINT Researchers Make Solar Energy Breakthrough
They have engineered an approach that is leading to improved performance of plastic solar cells (hybrid organic solar cells).
Solar Collector Coating Formulated to Absorb and Retain Heat
A selective black silicone-based heat resistant coating that is easy to apply to solar panels and withstands weather and repeated thermal cycling is being introduced by Dampney Company, Inc. of Everett, Massachusetts.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Q&A: Ontario’s Green Energy Plan
Three years after launching North America’s first feed-in tariff, Ontario lawmakers this week presented a souped-up green energy plan that promises 50,000 ?green jobs? within three years.
DuPont Doubles Capacity for Solamet Due to PV Solar Growth
DuPont Microcircuit Materials has announced it recently doubled production capacity and made key quality improvements at its European Electronic Materials Manufacturing Facility in Bristol, U.K.
Enfinity Receives 50 million Euro Investment from Waterland
Renewable energy project developer, Enfinity Management has been granted a significant 50 million Euro capital increase by investment company, Waterland.
Feed-in Tariffs
In November last year the 2008 Energy Act introduced powers which will allow the UK Government to create feed-in tariffs for small scale low carbon electricity.
Oerlikon Solar and Tokyo Electron Partner to Market Thin Film Manufacturing Plants
Tokyo Electron (TEL), a supplier of innovative semiconductor production equipment, has announced a strategic cooperation with Oerlikon Solar, a supplier of thin film silicon photovoltaic production equipment.
China Sunergy Closes 20W Solar Cell Deal
China Sunergy will use the multi-silicon wafers purchased from the firm to produce multi-silicon solar cells.
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[...] Originally posted here: Sweet Solar Home » Blog Archive » Rise & Shine: February 27, 2009 [...]
There could be no better investment in America than to invest in America becoming energy independent! We need to utilize everything in out power to reduce our dependence on foreign oil including using our own natural resources.Create cheap clean energy, new badly needed green jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.The high cost of fuel this past year seriously damaged our economy and society. The cost of fuel effects every facet of consumer goods from production to shipping costs. After a brief reprieve gas is inching back up.OPEC will continue to cut production until they achieve their desired 80-100. per barrel.If all gasoline cars, trucks, and SUV’s instead had plug-in electric drive trainsthe amount of electricity needed to replace gasoline is about equal to the estimated wind energy potential of the state of North Dakota.There is a really good new book out by Jeff Wilson called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence Now.
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