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
Berkeley Solar Mapping Portal from CH2M HILL
H2M HILL has completed Berkeley’s Solar Mapping Portal, enabling residents and business owners to estimate the solar potential of their rooftops and view existing solar installations.

Utility’s Letter May Have Cast Cloud Over Solar Power Bill
A letter of opposition from Southern California Edison may have helped scuttle a Palm Desert-authored bill allowing the city to pay solar users for the excess power they generate.

Solar Panel Plant and Headquarters Could Bring 3600 Jobs to Orange County
‘Green energy’ facility would increase scientific developments near airport.

NATIONAL NEWS
Progress Energy Carolinas, Carolina Solar Energy Partner to Develop Solar Park
Carolina Solar Energy will design, build and operate a 500-kilowatt solar PV plant and sell the energy produced to the utility for distribution to its customers.

First Solar Supplies Modules to Australian Rooftop Project
The solar power system, installed on six separate buildings at the Adelaide Showground in South Australia, will be the largest PV installation in the country.

Dark Times for Solar Players
Industry experts yesterday insisted that the solar sector remained a good long-term bet for investors, despite a series of disappointing announcements by troubled panel manufacturers.

UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
AEP Doubles Renewable Energy Goal to 2000MW
American Electric Power (AEP) is doubling its goal of adding 1,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy to 2,000 MW by the end of 2011.

FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Canadian Solar Announces 3 Credit Facilities; Shares Up
Canadian has signed agreements with three Chinese state banks. Shares of the company rose 6.3 percent in early electronic trade after the announcement.

SunPower Sells Off Shares to Raise $400M
SunPower is now selling 9 million shares of common stock and $175 million in convertible debt in an attempt to raise about $400 million.

WebEx Founder Backs CHint Solar, Contributes to $50M Round
Chint Solar, a Chinese startup, has raised part of the round from Cybernaut, founded by WebEx founder Min Zhu.

Is it Time to Invest in Solar Stocks?
Solar stocks have literally exploded and are up an average of close to 40%.

ICP Solar Announces Fiscal 2009 Fourth Quarter Financial Results
Sales were $0.9 million for the fiscal fourth quarter, up 39% from $0.7 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008.

MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Emerging Markets Offer Opportunity, Challenge for Renewables
Considerable regulatory and financing hurdles remain for those looking to develop projects in emerging markets.

Texas Voters: We <3 Free Renewables
According to the poll, 85% of respondents favored increasing the production and use of renewable energy in Texas.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
South Korea Taps Germany to Help Grow its Solar Industry
Once an importer of Germany’s solar technology, South Korea is now partnering with the world champion to help build up its own home-grown photovoltaic (PV) industry with an eye on supplying the growing Asian market in the future.

Sunfilm AG and Sontor GmbH Merge Operations
Sunfilm AG and Sontor GmbH have merged to become one of the world’s largest providers of tandem junction silicon based thin film modules.

Soltec Starts Construction of 6 MW Italian PV System
During the next month, Soltec Energías Renovables will begin installation of a 6MW PV system in the Italian region of Puglia utilizing the company’s new solar tracker: The SA60.

BP Solar Signs Module Supply Agreement with EWS GmbH
BP Solar Deutschland GmbH and EWS GmbH & Co. KG have reached agreement on a supply contract this month. EWS will receive 33 megawatts of BP Solar modules, mainly monocrystalline products.

Photowatt France Announces Temporary Shutdown
ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. today announced that its Photowatt France operation will halt production for three weeks in response to lower demand for solar modules and systems.

Q-Cells Shortens Work Hours
Sluggish solar market demand is prompting Q-Cells to cut work hours for about 80 percent of its staff.

Hitachi Eyes Solar Cell Tie-Up with Showa
Hitachi Ltd is considering entering the solar cell business through a partnership with Showa Shell Sekiyu KK.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 at 7:21 am and is filed under Solar Industry News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.