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
City Hall Solar Wonderland Moves Forward
Solar panels may be laid above City Hall, but a proposal to allow visitors to track energy savings on electronic displays inside the building won’t move forward, under an interim ruling by a historic preservation group.
NATIONAL NEWS
Taking a Dim View of Solar Energy
Who could possibly be against homeowners using solar panels to power their homes? Utility companies.
Suniva Expands Solar Cell Production, Boosts Efficiency
The silicon solar cell startup is on its way to triple its production capacity, and has produced commercial cells achieving more than 18 percent efficiency.
Officials: Energy Companies Want Closed Ford Plan
Two alternative energy companies want to buy a shuttered Ford Motor Co. factory in southeast Michigan and convert it into a renewable energy park that could employ at least 2,800 workers within five years, officials told The Associated Press.
Fluor Wins Contract to Design Solar Power Plant
Fluor Corp. said Tuesday it won an engineering contract to design a solar power plant for eSolar Inc.
Water Worries Expressed at Solar Plant Meeting
Dozens of people attended a Bureau of Land Management meeting to weigh in on a company’s proposal to build a $1 billion solar thermal power plant in the Amargosa Valley 80 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
CPS, Juwi Team Up in San Antonio Solar Plant
Plans call for Juwi to install 214,500 solar photovoltaic modules, which will generate an estimated 25,345 megawatt-hours of electricity a year.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Sorry, China Isn’t Kicking Our Butts in Alternative Energy
China is clobbering the United States in producing solar panels, and it looks like it will only get worse as time progresses, reports Keith Bradsher at the New York Times.
Clean energy Group and SmartPower Release Groundbreaking Report on Hoow to Make solar Power Marketing More Effective
Clean Energy Group (CEG) and SmartPower have issued a landmark report. The report, based on authoritative research, shows states how they can act more like retail marketers in creating product value and consumer interest in solar power.
Green Tech Brightens
According to Ernst & Young, clean technology investment during the second quarter of 2009 increased by 73 percent in terms of capital to $572 million compared with the first quarter of the year.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Study warns of ‘Energy Sprawl’
A paper published on Tuesday by the Nature Conservancy predicts that by 2030, energy production in the United States will occupy a land area larger than Minnesota — in large part owing to the pursuit of domestic clean energy.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
TGI Solar Receives $1M Credit Line
TGI Solar Group has received an equity investment and a $1 million revolving line of credit from VNG Invest Sprl, parent company of Prime Solar srl, its new strategic partner, with offices in Brussels, Belgium.
InvestorSoup.com Issues Technical Trading Overview for FirstSolar
InvestorSoup.com announces an investment report featuring First Solar Inc. The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and pertinent industry information you need to know to make an educated investment decision.
TECHNOLOGY
UNSW Establishes New Energy Conversion Record of 43% Percent
UNSW solar cell researchers have played the key role in achieving the highest efficiency for solar power, setting a new world record of 43 per cent of sunlight converted into electricity.
New Xantrex and Schneider Electric PV Box Chosen for Canada’s Largest Solar Installation
Xantrex Technology Inc., a subsidiary of Schneider Electric, announces an order for its new PV Boxes to be installed in a 23.4 MW (DC) solar power project in Arnprior, Ontario, Canada.
SMA America Helps Solar Power System Managers Keep Up to Date with Mobile Performance Data
SMA Sunny Portal Web Site now Optimized for Cellular Phones.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Oerlikon’s CEO Steps Down; Swiss Firm to Cut 2,500 Jobs
OC Oerlikon Corp. said Tuesday Chief Executive Uwe Krüger was stepping down immediately as the Swiss engineering company posted a narrower first-half net loss and said it would cut 2,500 jobs.
Project to Power Europe With Sahara Sun Gains Momentum
A €400 billion plan to power Europe with sunlight from the Sahara is gaining momentum, despite warnings about starting a large corporate project using new technologies in countries of northern Africa where the rule of law is weak.
Spain No Longer Leading the Way in PV Solar Energy
The approval of Royal Decree 1578/2008 in September of last year has decimated the Spanish solar industry; paralysing the national market and leading to a sharp drop in demand for photovoltaic solar energy.
ENN Solar Energy Denied Dumping in Europe
ENN Solar Energy Co., Ltd., which is at the forefront of silicon thin film photovoltaic (PV) technology, yesterday denied dumping in European markets, such as Germany, and pointed that it had much advantage in low cost indeed.
Yingli Green Energy to Supply PV Modules to Leading Czech Commercial Property Developer
CTP Invest spol. s r.o. (“CTP”), a Czech-based leading commercial property developer, today announced that they have signed a letter of intent regarding the supply of PV modules by Yingli Green Energy to CTP.
LDK Solar Signs 500MW PV Projects Agreement
LDK Solar has entered into an agreement with Yancheng City of Jiangsu Province for the development of PV power projects.
Colexon Signs 15MW Framework Agreement
Colexon and tnp Mitteldeutsche Fonds Beteiligungs GmbH have concluded a framework contract for the planning and the turnkey construction of solar power plants with a peak total capacity of approximately 15 MW.
