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
SunPower and Flextronics Partner on 75 MW US Module Assembly Plant
The SunPower and Flextronics partnership is expected to create approximately 100 new jobs this year, and produce 75 megawatts of SunPower solar panels annually.
Solar Panels Stolen from Roof of Pacifica School
Police say sometime between March 24 and April 5 thieves pulled off 108 panels from the school’s roof.
NATIONAL NEWS
Panda Solar Ventures and Con Edison to Develop Utility Scale Projects
The agreement initially calls for the development of two solar photovoltaic farms, between 15-20 megawatts in size, with the prospect of additional solar projects to be announced at a later date.
McCormick Adds More Solar Power from Constellation Energy
This will be the largest single rooftop solar installation in Maryland, and is the second solar installation developed for McCormick by Constellation Energy.
Solar Power to the People, With a Lot of Public Help
In a business arrangement becoming common for solar projects like this, the project developer, Solar Power Partners, installed, owns and operates the system.
IKEA Installing 600kW of Solar PV at Arizona Store
Pending remaining governmental permits, installation of solar panels on the roof of the store will begin in May, with completion expected in the fall.
Catalog Offers Mail Order Home: This One’s Solar
Real Goods Solar Inc. has been selling solar panels for homes for years, but its latest mail-order catalog goes one step further: The Louisville (LOO’-iss-vil), Colo., company offers a whole solar house, with a choice of traditional or cedar siding.
US Solar Industry Urges Action on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day
Resolve to take action says Rhone Resch: install solar energy, signing Solar Bill of Rights and extending Treasury Grant Program are three ways to make a difference now
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Commission Approves 500 MW Solar Program
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today authorized a five-year solar photovoltaic program to develop up to 500 megawatts of solar PV facilities in the range of 1 to 20 MW in Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) service area.
Villaraigosa Blames Bureaucrats for DWP’s Resistance to Change
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had unusually sharp words Wednesday for unidentified high-level bureaucrats within the city’s Department of Water and Power.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Solar Industry Leaders Push to Overcome Technical and Market Barriers
More than 300 solar industry executives spent Earth Day at a summit dedicated to “Accelerating the Solar Economy.”
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
What Ails Solar and Wind? Not Enough Lobbyists
Washington D.C.-General Wesley Clark today called upon the solar and wind developers of the United States to hire consultants from K Street.
Sungevity Calls for Solar PV’s Return the White House
This week, Sungevity and a coalition of other companies and solar industry groups called on the Obama Administration to install solar panels on the roof of the White House for good.
TECHNOLOGY
Solar Cell Film Creation Advanced Reported
U.S. and South Korean scientists say they’ve made a breakthrough in the use of continuous flow microreactors to produce thin film absorbers for solar cells.
REC Introduces Peak Energy Module
Sandvika, Norway-based REC has released the Peak Energy Module, the company’s first commercial product to be produced at its new manufacturing facility in Singapore.
Trina Launches Utility Scale Solar Photovoltaic Module
Changzhou Trina Solar Energy Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Trina Solar Ltd., has released a new utility-scale solar module: TSM-PC14. The company will formally unveil the new TSM-PC14 in May at Solarexpo 2010 in Verona, Italy.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
United Solar Develops a Taste for Coca-Cola in Italy
United Solar Ovonic, and ContourGlobal today announced plans to co-develop rooftop solar systems for buildings in Italy owned and operated by Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company S.A. (CCH).
Renovalia Says Spain Won’t Cut Existing Rates
Renovalia Energy SA, the Spanish renewable-power producer, sees no chance of the government reducing rates earned by existing clean-energy plants, co-owner Juan Domingo Ortega said today.
German Coalition Agrees on Solar Power Cuts
Germany’s ruling coalition will only make slight changes to planned reductions in solar power incentives, sources told Reuters late Thursday, with the brunt of the cuts to remain unchanged.
Is China Putting the Brakes on its Solar Program?
With international demand picking up, the Chinese government will likely curtail its domestic plans.
