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
PG&E BrightSource Deal for Solar Energy OK’ed
California energy regulators on Thursday gave Pacific Gas and Electric Co. permission to buy electricity from two large solar power plants that an Oakland firm plans to build in the Mojave Desert.
NATIONAL NEWS
Maine Town Approves US $25,000 Solar Lease
The Saco City Council has unanimously approved an option for GridSolar to enter into a 20-year lease with the city to install solar panels on city-owned land as part of its GridSolar Project.
Solar Farm Will Energize Small Business Across W. Tennessee
A plan to generate solar power in West Tennessee should produce significant benefits for area small businesses, state Sen. Lowe Finney said during a Wednesday visit to Memphis.
DuPont to Invest $120M to Expand Tedlar Line
Chemical giant DuPont said Thursday it will invest $120 million to increase production of a component used in solar cells as the company anticipates rapid growth in the photovoltaic market in the next several years.
Richardson Mum as North Korea Delegates Depart NM
Gov. Bill Richardson escorted two North Korean diplomats to a waiting aircraft Thursday after two days of meetings and a tour of New Mexico renewable energy projects.
Solar Thermal Heating: Quietly Ramping Up
It might not be as cool as solar PV for electricity or those massive solar thermal plants being built in the deserts, but it’s pretty solid.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Meter Reader: Wading into the Controversial Net Metering Debate
Net metering rules have turned out to be surprisingly controversial. But utilities argue that these homeowners still rely on power from the grid some of the time and need to pay their fair share for upkeep of transmission lines.
Utilities: Scaling the Clean-Teach Mountain
Most utilities strive to be providers of reliability and economic growth for the communities they serve. Increasingly, they are also being called on to provide their products and services in a more environmental, low-carbon or zero-carbon framework.
Sun City Taxpayers Group Rips APS, Rate Hike Request
Sun Citians found an ally Wednesday on the Arizona Corporation Commission in their fight against a proposed rate increase by APS.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Capitol Dome Could Be A Glowing Example of Energy Efficiency
A project headed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is underway to replace lights with bulbs expected to use 70% less energy. But some Republicans say the $1-million cost is too pricey.
More Fake Letters to Congress on Energy Bill
Congressional investigators have uncovered five more letters sent to members of Congress that falsely claimed to be from charities expressing opposition to climate change legislation.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
ReneSola Lands $706M Solar Project, Share Jump
Shares of ReneSola Ltd. jumped on Thursday on news that the Chinese solar maker scored an exclusive right to develop a $706 million, 150 megawatt solar power plant in China.
Plextronics Bags $14M for Organic LED, Solar
Plextronics said Thursday it has raised an equity round of $14 million to commercialize its technology in the LED lighting and solar markets.
Jeffries Downgrades Evergreen Solar, China Sunergy to Underperform
Jefferies cuts Evergreen to underperform from buy; Jefferies cuts First Solar Inc to hold from buy; Jefferies cuts SunPower Corp to hold from buy.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
China Will Have Solar Feed-in Tariff in Place in 2009
The Chinese government is readying a feed-in tariff (FIT) for utility-scale solar plants that will dwarf the country’s previous solar subsidies, and drive a wave of investment into the sector, according to Suntech.
Germany Turns on World’s Biggest Solar Power Project
This week, two of Germany’s most important solar energy projects came online — the second biggest solar power project in the world and one of the first solar thermal “power towers.”
PV Crystalox Reports Interim First Half 2009 Results
Despite the difficult trading environment, PV Crystalox revenues for H1 2009 were broadly maintained year on year at €121.6 million (H1 2008: €126.3 million).
Renesola Signs LOI for 150 MW Photovoltaic Project
ReneSola has been granted the exclusive right in a Letter of Intent with the Taiyangshan Development Zone in Wuzhong city, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, to develop a 150 megawatt on-grid solar power project with a budgeted total investment of RMB 4.8 billion.
Renewable Tax Down Under
Australia generates about 85% of its electricity from coal because it has a lot of it and it’s cheaper than any other form of energy. Yesterday, political parties on both the right and left decided that was a bad thing, and passed a law to make Australians pay more for energy.
Japan Aims at 40 Fold Solar Power Output by 2030
Japanese businesses stand to pay as much as 9 billion yen ($95 million) more in monthly electricity bills under a new plan to encourage solar-power generation.
Lieberose Solar Farm Becomes Biggest of Germany
The Lieberose solar farm under construction in Brandenburg on Thursday became the world’s second biggest solar power plant and Germany’s biggest.
