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
Tofu Manufacturer House Foods America Goes Solar
House Foods America Corporation, one of the largest fresh tofu manufacturers in the United States, has contracted Blue Oak Energy to install a new 215kW photovoltaic solar array on their state-of-art manufacturing facility in Garden Grove, California.
Solar Powered Plans for Lafayette BART Station
All the talk of solar-powered gadgets and gizmos here at EastBayDaze must be rubbing off as we are hearing of plans to install a solar carport at the Lafayette BART station.
Borrego Solar Systems and Sunwheel Energy Partners Bring More Than 645kW of Solar Energy to Five Affordable Housing Sites
Borrego and Sunwheel Energy Partners today announced a partnership to bring more than 645 kW of solar energy to five affordable housing facilities across Southern California.
NATIONAL NEWS
Company Installing Solar Power for Free in Colorado
SunRun Pays For Install; Homeowner Pays For Power.
Two New Enemies: Solar and PACE
A program designed to make energy efficiency cheap has pit solar installers against retrofitters. The problem is that solar panels generally can’t qualify for PACE funding until other fixes have been accomplished.
Massachusetts Awards $4M Stimulus Money to 56 Solar Project
Massachusetts has awarded $4 million in rebates from the second round of its Commonwealth Solar Stimulus program to 56 solar power projects representing 4MW of generating capacity.
Energy Conversion Devices Wins Contract from Lidl Supermarket
Energy Conversion Devices today announced that its United Solar Ovonic subsidiary has been selected to install flexible light weight UNI-SOLAR(R) brand solar photovoltaic laminates on mutiple logistics buildings operated by Lidl, a European discount supermarket chain that operates more than 8,000 stores.
Helio Micro Utility Acquires Simple Energies
Helio Micro Utility (Helio mU) announced the acquisition of Simple Energies LLC, a renewable energy project development company with a 50-megawatt (MW) global pipeline.
NABCEP Releases Job Task Analysis for New Photovoltaic Technical Sales Certification
The new credential will target those involved in the non-installation aspects of the sale and commissioning of a PV system.
From the Inevitability Dept: Dow Debuts Solar Shingles
Dow Chemical says it is ready for its thin-film solar roofing shingles to go on sale next year — one of the first technologies to make solar panels and roofs one and the same, and a step toward increasing the affordability and physical appeal of going solar for residential consumers.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
State Needs to Keep Closer Eye on SmartMeter
Why didn’t PG&E conduct a more thorough pilot test before installing 5 million SmartMeters in California? What was the oversight role of the California Public Utilities Commission?
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Research and Markets: Bulgaria Solar PV Market Eastern Europe’s Most Lucrative PV Destination
Bulgaria is the new found hotspot for solar PV technology in the world. In 2009, the country became one of the fastest growing solar PV markets in the world with an expected cumulative PV installed capacity of 86.41 MW.
Who is Winning the Clean Energy Race?
Whereas Chinese investment in clean energy jumped by 50% from $23.1 billion to $32 billion, American investment in renewable energy fell by 42% to $18.6 billion due to recessionary pressure.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Tenesol Announces Financial Results for 2009
The TENESOL group, specialists in solar photovoltaic energy, showed strong growth and improved profitability in 2009. Compared to 2008, the Group achieved a 29% increase in profit in 2009 on a turnover of €249 million.
Renewable Energy Helps Fuel Dow Above 11,000
The rebound in investor and trader confidence seems to be taking renewable energy and clean technology stocks with it.
TECHNOLOGY
Saflex Collaborates with Oerlikon Solar to Develop New Reflective Solar Encapsulant
The new product, called Saflex® Radiant White PA27, represents a new class of value-added encapsulants and is based on collaboration between Oerlikon Solar and Saflex to rapidly drive thin film PV technology towards grid parity.
Staying Out of the Shadows
PV*SOL Expert, the professional tool for PV system calculation from Valentin Software, has been improved to enable better modelling of shadows and shading. The improved tool is now also available in five languages: English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Phoenix Solar Completes 400 kWp PV System
Singapore based Phoenix Solar Pte Ltd, has completed Singapore’s largest photovoltaic plant built with thin-film modules with a peak output of 380 kilowatts (kWp) on the new company building of Applied Materials Inc. in Singapore.
LDK Solar’s Acquisition Strategy Doesn’t Have a Bright Future
Chinese solar-panel maker LDK Solar (LDK) is looking to contain costs and improve margins by controlling more of its value chain, from wafers to solar modules.
