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
Recurrent Energy Awarded 144 MW of Solar Power Projects
Recurrent Energy has been awarded 144.5 MWac (165 MWstc) of distributed solar power projects by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) under a new Feed-in Tariff program that is part of the landmark Green Energy and Green Economy Act.
Corporation Yard Solar Project Complete
A solar panel installation has been completed by the city of Novato at its maintenance corporation yard and the job has been accepted by the Novato City Council.
NATIONAL NEWS
Signet Solar Backs Out of Plans for Belen
A local developer announced Signet Solar has formally withdrawn its commitment to build an $840 million manufacturing center after the company was unable to secure funding for the project.
Arizona to World: Do We Have Solar!
The state is trying to use perhaps its most abundant natural resource — sunshine — to become a center for clean energy manufacturing and generation.
FPL Commissions Space Coast Solar Center
The new solar photovoltaic power facility is the result of a public-private partnership between NASA and FPL. It is located on NASA property at Kennedy Space Center and is producing an estimated 10 MW of power.
Spire to Supply PV Module Manufacturing Line to Solartech
Spire Corporation has entered into a contract with Solartech Renewables LLC (Solartech) to provide a turnkey PV module manufacturing line.The Solartech factory will be located in New York State and will create up to 100 jobs.
US Solar Integrator Acro Energy Technologies Aims to Almost Double Record Q1 Revenues Next Quarter
US solar integrator Acro Energy Technologies said it achieved record revenues for the first quarter of 2010, totaling gross revenue of $3.7m, and aims to nearly double this figure in the next three months….
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Electricity Bills in Ontario Set to Rise $300 per Year by the End of 2011
Ontario is about to rival Prince Edward Island as the province with the highest electricity prices in Canada, and rates will, for the first time, exceed the average cost of keeping the lights on in the United States.
PG&E Must Stop Threats to Public Power Agencies
California energy regulators delivered a rare rebuke to Pacific Gas and Electric Co. on Thursday, banning some of the hardball tactics the utility has used in its efforts to derail Marin County’s new public power agency.
Of Smart Meters and Smart Consumers
But as Green Inc. has reported, ratepayers from Texas to California have reported disappointing results and even higher electricity bills after converting to smart meters.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Polysilicon Industry Facing Major Shakeout
The global solar polysilicon sector will face a major shakeout in 2011, according to a recent research report from Bernreuter Research.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
NREL Using $2.7M Grant to Study Solar Grid Integration
NREL researchers will work on three distinct projects, leading two and participating in another.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
A Novel Way to Thin Film Solar Cells?
Applied Quantum Technology said on Wednesday that it had raised $10 million to bring to market a novel way of making thin-film solar cells.
IPOs May Cut ‘Eye Popping’ Debt at T-Solar, Renovalia
Grupo T-Solar Global SA and Renovalia Energy SA may pay down debt through initial stock sales, reducing credit risk accumulated in becoming the world’s largest and third-largest power producers from solar panels.
World Bank Lends Eskon $3.75B for Power Plant
Eskom Holdings Ltd., the state-owned power utility that supplies 95 percent of South Africa’s electricity, was granted a $3.75 billion World Bank loan to help fund expansion aimed at preventing a repeat of 2008 blackouts.
TECHNOLOGY
Tosoh SMD introduces New Sputtering Targets for Thin Film PV
These high-density ITO targets provide consistent, predictable performance throughout the life of the target and from target to target, ensuring a high-quality transparent conductive oxide (TCO) film, the company says.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
CNPV Signs Long-Term Strategic Partnership with AE Photonics
Under the terms of this strategic agreement, CNPV will supply AE Photonics with a total of 60MWp of high performance PV Modules from 2010 to 2012, which includes 10MWp of scheduled delivery during 2010. The remaining 20MWp and 30MWp are scheduled for delivery in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
ATS Confirms Notice of Solar FIT Application Approvals in Ontario
Last year, ATS announced that it would lever its global solar expertise, and almost one million square feet of facilities and 900 employees in Ontario to advance the Ontario solar market.
IBM, Saudis to Open Solar Desalination Plant
IBM and Saudi Arabia’s national research group are opening a solar-powered desalination plant in the city of Al-Khafji.
China Leads in Clean Energy
Last year China overtook the United States in the race to invest in wind, solar and other renewable sources of energy to become the world’s biggest investor in clean energy, according to a report published by a US-based think tank.
