Rise & Shine: March 2, 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.
CALIFORNIA NEWS
What Berkeley Can Teach Us About Taking Clean Energy Programs to Scale
With Berkeley’s pilot program now completed, it is time to take stock of what was learned through the experiment.
Generate Renewable Energy on Bay Bridge Span
Imagine, for instance, that experimental wind turbines dotted the structure, corkscrews whirling in the stiff afternoon wind. Or a thin-sliced row of photovoltaic solar panels stretched across the top of the span, harvesting the sun on all but the foggiest days.
NATIONAL NEWS
Konarka Announces Business Collaboration and Strategic Investment with Konica Minolta
The companies reached agreement to start full-scale collaboration in April in the joint development and distribution of organic thin-film photovoltaics.
Second Large-Scale Solar Project Completed at Denver International Airport
1.6 MW System at Airport’s Fuel Facility is Comprised of more than 7,300 Sharp Solar Panels.
Xcel Energy Launches Solar Rewards in Minnesota
Xcel Energy is now offering incentives to Minnesota electricity customers to install solar panels on top of their homes and businesses.
Illinois Green Energy Finance Initiative
A recent initiative from Illinois may serve as a model for other states that hope to attract green energy projects and stimulate economic development.
Solar Energy Initiatives Announces rand Opening of Technical Solar School
The new school is funded by stimulus dollars provided to the Company by collaborating public partners.
NPD Group Acquires Solarbuzz Market Research Firm
Market research firm The NPD Group said Monday it has acquired Solarbuzz, a solar energy market research and consulting company.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Utilities Push Back on FERC’s Transmission Authority
The Coalition for Fair Transmission Policy — an industry group made up of 10 big utilities including Southern Co., Consolidated Edison, Alliant, DTE Energy, PPL, Progress Energy and PSEG — says it will lobby to change proposed Senate legislation that it says could unfairly spread the costs of building big new transmission lines across multiple states.
PG&E Plans to Spend $7B to $10B on Projects Over Next 2 Years
PG&E Corp. (PCG) executives said Monday the company’s utility plans to spend between $7 billion and $10 billion over the next two years, on its electricity and natural gas distribution system, building new transmission and generation facilities, installing smart meters and other projects.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Solar Market Competition Set to Intensify
Even though installations of photovoltaic solar systems will rise in 2010, a sharp drop in solar components prices will lead to intense competition, as per iSuppli Corp.
TECHNOLOGY
Renewables Well Represented in MIT Technology Review’s 2010 TR50
The energy companies in the TR50 reflect both the invention of exciting new technologies and progress in deploying more mature technologies.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Kyocera Plans 1 GW Production Capacity by 2013
Kyocera Corporation has recently completed construction of a new solar cell manufacturing plant; further increasing the company’s production capacity to meet the growing demand for solar energy products in the global market.
India Proposes Coal Tax for Clean Energy
The Indian government proposed a coal tax Friday aimed at creating a fund for promoting clean energy.
Qatar to Tap Solar Power in a Big Way
A state-run foundation in the natural gas-rich state of Qatar says it is setting up a joint venture plant with Germany’s SolarWorld to produce the main ingredient in solar panels.
Yingli Green Energy to Supply 10MW of PV Modules to SunDurance Energy
Under the terms of the agreement, Yingli Green Energy will supply more than 10 MW of PV modules to SunDurance Energy through the third quarter of 2010.
Sustainable Energy Bets on Ontario Solar Market
The company, whose shares have risen 150 percent in the past year, also expects to announce a tie-up soon with a top European solar panel maker to supply the Ontario market with thin-film panels carrying Sustainable Energy’s power inverters, its chief executive said on Monday.
GTZ Plans 15,000 Solar Projects Per Month
The GTZ is planning to install 15,000 solar systems per month in Ethiopia, where only less than one per cent of the rural population uses solar power because of low investment in the sector.
Maratifer Solar’s Solar Roof System Resists Hurricaine Force Winds
Martifer Solar, the Portuguese photovoltaic (PV) specialist, has developed a new solar roof system capable of withstanding winds of up to 200 km/h.
Suntech Recognized for its Bold Business Strategy
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., the world’s largest producer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules, was recently handed the 2009 FT ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Environment Award in London for its inspired approach to business.
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