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
Making Solar Affordable, One City at a Time
A California nonprofit is creating a program that it hopes would make it easier for cities and counties to offer solar financing to their denizens.
NATIONAL NEWS
A Solar Renaissance
When solar gets cheap, fighting climate change gets a lot easier, says the Vote Solar Initiative’s Adam Browning.
Appel Farm’s Solar Energy Plan Could Mean Big Savings for the Arts & Music Center
Appel Farm recently applied for a variance to mount a “solar array” — a large group of connected solar panels — on the Burlington Road property.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Report: CA Likely Needs More Power Lines
An advisory report says California will likely need more power lines as the state shifts to greener energy sources.
WMECO Solar Energy Plan for Western MA Receives Approval from MA DPU
WMECO today becomes the first utility in New England to receive approval to build large scale solar energy facilities in its service territory.
Utilities Hatch Ambitious Plans to Own and Operate Large-scale PV Projects
As solar technology has improved and as state governments demand more renewable generation through portfolio standards, large-scale projects are becoming more common.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Shakeout in Solar Industry Seems Inevitable
Despite a well-publicized oversupply of products and excess manufacturing capacity for solar photovoltaic equipment and components, some solar power industry watchers are still predicting further robust growth in production capacity.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Waxman-Markey Will Kneecap U.S. Manufacturing, Manufacturers Say
The National Assocation of Manufacturers found the bill would whack U.S. industry, kill about 2 million jobs, and knock about 2% of U.S. GDP by 2030.
The Business and Politics of Carbon
The activity around making markets for carbon continues to grow as climate issues gain more traction in the policy realm under a new administration.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Earnings: Is the Solar Slump Easing Up?
More solar companies report their earnings this week, and investors haven’t been all that impressed with the numbers. Companies remain fairly optimistic for the second half of this year.
JA Solar Announces Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results
Revenue in the second quarter of 2009 was RMB 600.7 million ($88.0 million), a decrease of 51.4 percent from RMB 1.2 billion ($181.1 million) in the second quarter of 2008 and an increase of 159.3 percent from RMB 231.7 million ($33.9 million) reported in the first quarter of 2009.
LDK Solar Reports Financial Results for Second Quarter 2009
Net sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 were $228.3 million, compared to $283.3 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2009, and $441.7 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2008.
Q-Cells Reports 2Q Financial Results; Flat Cell Production; Cuts 500 Jobs
Q-Cells SE today presented its half-year report up to 30 June 2009. Following the considerable decline in business performance for Q-Cells SE in the first six months of the current year, the Board of Management is introducing a comprehensive set of measures to fundamentally improve the company’s performance.
Aleo Solar Reports Second Quarter 2009 Results
aleo solar AG generated revenue of EUR 118.1 million in the first six months of 2009 (H1/2008: EUR 159.4 million).
Solar Maker ReneSola Posts 2Q Loss
Chinese solar maker ReneSola Ltd. on Wednesday posted a second-quarter loss as revenue fell 52 percent from a year ago.
Acro Energy Anounces Shares for Debt
Acro Energy announces it has successfully reached a settlement agreement with a creditor of the Company to re-structure CAD $76,209 in outstanding net debt as at August 10, 2009.
Solar Takes Shine Off Applied Materials Recovery
Applied Materials’ traditional business, making the tools used by companies to make semiconductors, is showing some signs of life after years wading through a brutal market. But its newer business selling a ready-made line of manufacturing tools to solar panel makers appears to be holding the company back.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Shell Exits Solar Venture with Saint-Gobain to Focus on Biofuel
Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Europe’s largest oil company, withdrew from a German solar-panel venture with Cie. de Saint-Gobain SA, Europe’s biggest glassmaker, to focus its renewable operations on the development of biofuel.
A-Power Energy to Acquire Thin Film Start Up
The all-cash transaction is initially valued at $50 million and is expected to be primarily funded through a combination of government subsidies and loans.
EU Commission Approves Subsidy for Ersol Cell Plant Expansion
ersol Solar Energy AG today received the anticipated approval of EU Commission subsidies towards investments in the crystalline sector.
Trina Solar Records Excellent Performance results at Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre
Desert Knowledge is a 3.1 million Australian Dollars public initiative that showcases and demonstrates a range of solar power technologies in commercial-scale installations.
