Rise & Shine: September 23, 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
SolarCity Installs Electric Car Chargers Along Cal Highway
The solar energy system seller is entering the electric car charging business by buying SolSource Energy and doing a demonstration project with Tesla Motors and Rabobank.
Zep Solar Launches Ultra-Efficient Solar Mounting System
High Sun Engineering Spin-off Debuts at Solar Power Int’l 2009.
NATIONAL NEWS
Hoku and JH Kelly Agree on Path Forward to Complete Construction of Polysilicon Plant
Hoku Materials has entered into a change order cost plus incentive agreement under its construction contract with JH Kelly, LLC, to confirm the plan for JH Kelly to complete construction of Hoku’s planned 4,000 metric tons per year polysilicon production plant.
MEMC and Gintech Amend Wafer Supply Agreement
MEMC have entered into amendment number 4 to the solar wafer supply agreement between Gintech Energy and the company’s subsidiary, MEMC Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Solar Panel Seminar Tuesday
There is increasing interest in taking advantage of renewable solar technologies, particularly with the incentives available from APS and from the federal and state governments.
UTILITY INDUSTR & REGULATORY NEWS
Western Massachusetts Electric Issues RFQ to Over 100 Prospective Vendors
WMECo plans to install up to 3 MW of photovoltaic facilities during 2010 and will begin its solicitation of potential sites in the coming weeks. WMECo today issued a Request for Qualification (RFQ) to over 100 prospective vendors who may be participating in the initial phase of the program.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Fed Issue 4550.4M Green Energy Cash Grants
The Treasury is doling out a second round of money for its cash-instead-of-tax credit program, benefiting not only renewable energy developers but also manufacturers such as Solyndra and Vestas.
How to Get Renewable Energy Grant Money from the U.S. Government
The entire application is online. First, you go to the United States Department of the Treasury’s Application Submission Page for payments in lieu of tax credits for specified energy property.
Top 5 Things Cleantech Startups Should Know Before Heading to Washington
Cleantech startups need to be careful when it comes to dedicating their limited resources to these efforts.
Climate Legislation is a Bargain
The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has released its analysis of the clean energy legislation passed by the House, asserting that is a “bargain,” for U.S. Households.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Ascent Solar Shares Rise on New Supply Deal
Shares rose 53 cents, or 8.3 percent, to $6.91 in afternoon trading.
ReneSolar Buys Firm, Eyes Stronger-Than-Expected Revenue
ReneSola Ltd. said Wednesday it’ll buy Dynamic Green Energy as the Chinese solar-panel manufacturer moves to bulk up as the business shows signs of recovery.
Sungevity Powers Up with New Funding
Sungevity, a Web-based solar panel installation company, said Tuesday it raised $6 million in a second financing round led by a new venture firm called Greener Capital.
TECHNOLOGY
Sanyo Claims 98 Micron-thin HIT Solar Cell with 22.8% Efficiency
The company has not yet decided when it will start volume production of the cell.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Schiller Automation & Merck to Develop Edge Isolation for PV
Schiller Automation and Merck this week, announced the official start of construction on a line for edge isolation of crystalline silicon wafers.
Bringing Solar Power to Africa’s Poor
Off-grid solar is seen as one of the continent’s strongest options, capitalizing on Africa’s abundant sunlight without the need to invest in expensive grid networks.
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