Rise & Shine: February 8, 2010
The Rise & Shine is your daily source for all solar-industry news. Brought to you by Sweet Solar Home and the Experts at SunRun.
NATIONAL NEWS
Massachusetts Awards Funds for 4.1 MW of Solar Energy
As part of the Patrick-Murray Administration’s Massachusetts Recovery Plan, Governor Deval Patrick has awarded federal stimulus-funded contracts to install 4.1 megawatts (MW) of solar energy at 12 public water and wastewater treatment facilities throughout the Commonwealth.
SunPower Names Key Equipment Finance as US Equipment Finance Partner
Program Enables Small to Mid-Sized Companies, Municipalities and Not-For-Profit Entities to Obtain SunPower Solar Systems While Conserving Cash.
Scholarships Available for PV Courses for Tucson Electric Power Company Subscribers
Tucson Electric Power Company (TEP) provides scholarships to TEP subscribers interested in Solar Energy International’s photovoltaics training.
Borrego Solar Systems Appoints Bill Bush Chief Financial Officer on the Heels of Record Breaking Fourth Quarter
20-Year Veteran Bill Bush Joins Leading Financier and Integrator of Commercial Solar Systems; Company Completes Record Fourth Quarter with more than $45 million in Contracts.
Austin Energy Introduces New Solar Incentive Program
The Austin, Texas, city council has approved Austin Energy’s solar incentive program, which includes a new approach for commercial, multifamily and nonprofit customers.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
New Bills Challenge Regulators’ Directives
State legislators are aiming to regulate how Arizona’s electric utilities make electricity and what they charge customers, responsibilities traditionally handled by the Arizona Corporation Commission.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
U.S. Solar Market to Double in the Next Year
A number of factors could make growth possible in the United States–especially changes in legislation that give utilities incentives to create large solar farms.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
10 Million Solar Roofs and 10 Million Gallons of Solar Water Heating Act Introduced
This bill, modeled on California’s Million Solar Roofs initiative, would deploy photovoltaic solar panels on 10 million rooftops nationwide and increase the capacity of solar hot water by 10 million gallons over the course of the next 10 years.
US Government Budget Proposal Increase Clean Energy Funding
The proposed budget aims to reduce unnecessary energy use, boost renewable energy sources, and strengthen clean energy research as the United States moves toward a clean energy economy.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Craton Equity Partners Invests in Petra Solar
Craton Equity Partners, a leading California clean technology fund, has made a $15 million investment commitment to Petra Solar, a clean energy technology company that provides solar and smart grid solutions for utilities.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Slovenian Photovoltaic Plant Equipped with SolarMax Inverters
With a total capacity of 81 kilowatts, the free-standing system is also the largest in the region Prekmurje.
Scatec Solar Brings Solar Energy to 32 Villages
The visit comes as the company, together with Indian and Norwegian governments, is about to launch the scaling-up of the solar energy project for rural electrification in India.
Go green, Earn Green: UK Pays People for Wind, Solar Power
The United Kingdom is setting out to lead the world in home energy-efficiency, and on Monday, it unveiled a key incentive: paying homeowners who produce low-carbon power such as solar or wind.
Evolution Solar Establishes Bermuda Subsidy
The company is aggressively seeking to capture opportunities that will be created as a result of the Bermuda Government Solar Photovoltaic Rebate Initiative for residential users.
IPVEA Calls for Cuts in German PV Solar Feed-in Tariff to be Reduced
The International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA) has backed the petition of German solar companies and the Federal Association of the German Solar Industry to scale back the level of planned reductions in the German feed-in tariff for photovoltaic (PV) solar power.
Selection Trials Loom for $1.4B Solar Flagships Program
SOLAR energy developers of all shape, sizes and systems are converging on Canberra this week to lodge their applications — they must be hand-delivered — for the first round of selection trials for the federal government’s $1.4 billion Solar Flagships program.
Arava Power Gets Deals for 15 Mid-Size Solar Fields
Israeli solar energy developer Arava Power said on Sunday it signed long-term contracts with 15 agricultural cooperatives to build mid-size solar fields at an investment of 2 billion shekels ($533 million).
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