Rise & Shine: August 4, 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
Weak Economy Makes Solar Panels More Affordable
If you’re searching for a bright spot in a dismal economic climate, look no farther than your roof. The downturn is helping to make solar panels more affordable.
NATIONAL NEWS
Solar Power Purchase Agreements, aka Let Someone Else Deal with the Paperwork for You
So why can’t I get a PPA, too? In some states, homeowners can. Sun Run offers them in California, Arizona, Massachusetts. In NJ, AD Energy offers a leasing arrangement
How the Power of Collective Bargaining Can Reduce Solar Costs
Currently active in six U.S. cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, on Monday the initiative officially launched in the Colorado cities of Denver and Boulder, with REC Solar as the partnering installer.
Colorado State University to Add Solar Power Plant
Colorado State University this fall will install a two-megawatt solar power plant on the university’s Foothills Campus as part of Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards program – enough solar power to meet more than 10 percent of the university’s electric energy needs on the Foothills Campus.
SunEdison to Deploy Solar Systems on Five Walmart Stores
Walmart Puerto Rico and SunEdison are planning to deploy rooftop solar systems on five Walmart PR stores with the potential for 23 stores over five years.
City Land Available for Renewable Energy Tests
When Abound Solar started looking for land on which to test its new solar panels, one of its first stops was Fort Collins Utilities. Utilities officials were enthusiastic about letting the company use city property for testing, and now they’re offering parcels of city land to other companies interested in field-testing solar or other renewable power technology.
Neighborhood is Green ‘Guinea Pig’
Kaemmerlen’s petition before the city’s Design/Development Review Commission has alarmed residents of this socially conscious neighborhood off Millwood Avenue — so much so that they are considering taking the rare step of amending the neighborhood’s architectural design guidelines to incorporate green technology.
Solar Energy Firm Eyes Vancouver
Changes in Washington’s alternative energy laws this year have put Vancouver in the running for a solar panel assembly plant that could employ as many as 100 workers.
Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards
We’ll be looking at a range of municipalities, non-profits and companies in the solar, wind, bioenergy, geothermal and hydro industries to determine which players are leading the increasingly-crowded pack here in North America.
Illinois Governor Signs Bill on Bonding Authority for Renewable Energy
Under this law, the state and the IFA will work in partnership to make available up to $3 billion in guaranteed energy project financing for qualified renewable energy and clean coal efforts.
Registration Opens for Solar Power International ’09 in Anaheim, CA
Largest B2B Solar Event Expected to Draw 25,000 People from 90 Countries.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Cost to Meet Emissions Goal Could Double
Without nuclear power and “clean coal,” the cost of cutting greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity industry could almost double, according to a study released Monday by a Bay Area think tank.
PNM to Solicit Bids to Install 4MW of PV Systems
Public Service Co. of New Mexico will issue a request for proposals on August 7 to build and install 4 megawatts of distributed solar photovoltaic systems that will be owned and run by PNM. Proposals will be due September 1.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Knocked Down But Not Out
A new report reveals that America’s solar photovoltaic (PV) industry has gotten battered since the economy hit the skids last year.
Who Will Survive the Solar Energy Shakeout
Despite climate-change legislation in the United States and a push for cleaner energy worldwide, a global industry shakeout looms, many analysts predict. They anticipate an earthquake of consolidation likely to leave only strong competitors standing.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Senate Denies Obama Bid to Ax Rural Energy Grants
The Senate broke with Barack Obama on Monday as it voted to keep alive a grant program to help people in rural areas receive reasonably priced electricity despite the president’s demand to kill it.
House Will Get Another Shot at Feed-in Tariffs
With the Senate girding for a debate over sweeping legislation that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and spur development of renewable electricity, two House Democrats are preparing a more limited bill with similar goals.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Fotowatio’s Renewable Ventures Completes US $200M Solar Fund V
The fund’s first project is a two-megawatt solar photovoltaic project located in Ft. Collins, Colorado that will sell energy to Colorado State University and renewable energy credits to Xcel Energy.
Clean-tech is on the Rebound from a Steep Plunge in Investments
Venture capitalist Richard Wong, co-leader of the clean-tech practice at Accel Partners, characterized the last two funding quarters in clean tech as the end of a first wave of investments. The second wave will tend toward “demand side” technology investments in energy efficiency, smart grid and consumer products and services, such as solar financing companies like SunRun.
Update on Solar Stocks: Market Rebound?
Solar stocks have recently gotten ahead of themselves. We will likely see them entering a correct phase next.
TECHNOLOGY
Solar Industry: No Breakthroughs Needed
The solar industry says incremental advances have made transformational technologies unnecessary.
BioSolar “Has Developed a BioBacksheet that May Change the Solar Industry” According to Energy Boom
The three layer laminate film consisting of 100 percent recyclable aluminum foil is the center core sandwiched between outer layers of bio-based polymer films, making the product unique in the industry.
“Conductive Ink” Solar Panels Capture Sun Power for Soldiers
This new technology, called Plexcore, developed and manufactured by Plextronics, allows solar cells to form-fit soldiers’ uniforms. It can also be used to print solar panels onto thin films in military tents, Lieutenant Vaiana said.
Ersol Introduces Vega-T Micromorph Thin Film Modules
This technology provides an initial efficiency of approximately 8%, the company says.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
MEMC to Appeal Jury Decision in BP Solar Lawsuit
MEMC Electronic Materials Inc., a maker of silicon wafers, on Monday said it intends to appeal the jury’s decision that returned a verdict in favor of BP Solar International, in a lawsuit over a supply agreement between the two companies.
Infrastrutture S.p.A. to build Photovoltaic Project in Sicily
The photovoltaic project, with a capacity of 1 megawatt-peak, is the first project among Infrastrutture’s photovoltaic development portfolio of a total of 18 megawatt-peak located throughout Italy to start construction.
Centrosolar Withdraws From Solar Cell Manufacturing Joint Venture
Centrosolar Group AG has ended talks regarding the continuation of Itarion Solar LDA, a joint venture originally launched by Centrosolar and Qimonda AG for the manufacture of photovoltaic cells.
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