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
One Block Off the Grid (1BOG) Pilots Solar Community Reward Program for Los Angeles Community
One Block Off the Grid today announced a brand new pilot community reward program and partnership with SunWize Technologies to coincide with the launch of the new Los Angeles 1BOG campaign.
School District Enters into Agreement with SunEdison and SPG Solar
The Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) Board of Education today approved a plan to enter into an agreement with SunEdison and SPG Solar to establish energy-generating solar photovoltaic power systems at twenty-one sites throughout the district.
Mendocino College Dedicates SunPower Solar Power System
The system was financed by Bank of America and is expected to save the college $14.9 million in electricity costs over the next 25 years.
The Clean energy Potential in Our Backyard
The promise of energy production today has switched from fossil fuel-based power plants to renewable technologies, such as solar panels and wind turbines.
Job Growth in California is Going Green
From January 2007 to January 2008 green jobs increased 5% while total jobs declined 1%.
NATIONAL NEWS
MD to Buy Wind and Solar Power from 4 Projects
Maryland officials announced plans Tuesday to fill nearly a quarter of the government’s annual electricity needs with power supplied by clean energy projects from the Delaware coast to the Appalachian ridge tops.
Constellation to Build Solar Plant in MD
The company, which is headquartered in Baltimore, said it would construct a 15.9-megawatt thin-film solar power plant that will sit on 100 acres.
Four Big Established US Solar PV Companies You Should Know About
Solar companies have been especially hard hit by this global recession because, in the lead up to this recession there was a massive build out of solar PV production capacity – especially by Chinese manufacturers — that would have probably lead to a situation of over capacity in the best of cases.
Alpha Energy Receives NABCEP Installer Certification
Alpha Energy is proud to announce that two Alpha Project Managers have received PV Installer Certification by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP).
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
AT&T and Silver Spring Hook Up Over the Smart Grid
AT&T and Silver Spring Networks, a 7-year-old company that sells smart grid networking gear to utilities, have announced a deal this morning by which Silver Spring will be able use AT&T’s network to connect its smart grid gear to the utility back office.
Energy Transition: One Change to Get it Right
By the end of this century, America will have an essentially all-renewable economy, whether or not we have planned for it.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Experts Discuss 2010 Outlook at Thin Film Solar Summit
The details of what the industry needs to do to compete with crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV and the outlook for 2010 depended, in part, on which segment each expert was involved.
Solarbuzz Forecasts 6.37 GW Global Solar Photovoltaic Market in 2009
This represents growth of 5% on last year.
US Solar PPA Industry Growth Opens Opportunities
The U.S. solar power purchase agreement (PPA) market will grow to reach an estimated $8 billion in new photovoltaic (PV) solar power generation installations by 2013.
US Solar Market to Double by 2011; Supporting At least 50,000 New Jobs and Over $6.1B in Annual investment
Buoyed by falling solar prices and a domestic economy on the rebound, the U.S. will challenge Germany as the industry’s largest solar market over the next four years.
The Top Ten Emerging Trends of 2009
A lot of little trends perked up in 2009 and they will likely have an impact on what happens in 2010, even when the DOE grants run out.
Italy Reaches 700MW of Grid Connected PV
There are now over 56 thousand grid-connected photovoltaic systems across Italy, with a total installed capacity of 700 MW.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Climate Deal Likely to Bear Big Price Tag
If negotiators reach an accord at the climate talks in Copenhagen it will entail profound shifts in energy production.
Smaller Nations weigh Power of the Walkout
It is one of the grim paradoxes of climate change that nations on the front line of global warming are among those with the least political clout at the United Nations conference that opened this week in Copenhagen.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
TSMC Buys Solar Cell Stake
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest contract chip producer by revenue, said Wednesday it has agreed to pay US$193 million for a 20% stake in solar-cell maker Motech Industries.
Trony Solar to Go Public, Sets Share Prices at $9-$11
The Chinese amorphous silicon solar panel maker is expected to go public on the New York Stock Exchange this week, becoming the second solar company to do so in over a year.
TECHNOLOGY
Should You go Solar Now, Or Wait?
Obviously, solar installers want you to jump in forthwith. Even leaving aside their self-interest, they do make some good points. There’s really no need to wait for technology to improve.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
New Energy Systems and Scheuten Solar to Construct 300kW PV System
New Energy Systems and Scheuten Solar have been commissioned to build one of the Netherlands’ largest PV facilities at ‘s-Hertogenbosch (also called Den Bosch).
Enbridge and First Solar Expand PV Project Size to 80 Megawatts
Enbridge and First Solar have entered into an agreement to expand the Sarnia Solar Project from 20 megawatts of capacity to 80 megawatts (MW), with a total system cost of approximately CDN $300 million for the expansion.
Tokuyama to Invest RM12.5B in Malaysia
Japanese silicon maker Tokuyama Corporation will invest RM12.5 billion over a period of time to produce solar cell components at the Samalaju Industrial Park in Sarawak.
Q-Cells Celebrates Topping Out of 5.4 MW Solar Park
The giant array is being built on a 27-hectare site near Q-Cells’ headquarters in the German region of Saxony-Anhalt.
Solar Photovoltaic Powre Plant Commissioned in West Bengal
The country’s first 2MW solar photovoltaic power plant was commissioned Tuesday at West Bengal’s Seebpur village by Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah.
Strong Dollar Helps Solar Prospects
The Alice Solar City project says the strong Australian dollar and the falling world price of solar panels should help residents access the green technology.
