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
Montna Farms Unveils 394 kilowatt Solar Power System
Today Montna Farms, SolarCity Corporation and MMA Renewable Ventures, a subsidiary of Municipal Mortgage & Equity, LLC announced the completion of a 394 kilowatt (kW) solar power system installed at the company’s farm in Yuba City.
LA Unified Launches Solar Energy Program
The school district announces a $350-million goal of putting enough solar panels on schools and other district buildings to generate 50 megawatts of electricity by 2012 and lower its electricity bill.
Clear Skies Solar Announces $8M Solar Farm Project in Badger, CA
Clear Skies Solar has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Badger Creek Development L.L.C. of Beverly Hills, CA for the design and construction of a 2.1 MW Solar Farm to be located in Badger, CA.
Green Industry: A Field With A Future
Want a job installing solar panels? Several Bay Area community colleges and workforce development programs offer training.
NATIONAL NEWS
1366 Technologies & DOE Sign SAI Agreement
1366 Technologies has been awarded a cost-shared, 18-month subcontract with NREL and the DOE for the “Self-Aligned Cell: Scaling up manufacture of a cost effective cell architecture for multi-crystalline silicon photovoltaics” project.
New Jersey Utility Plans Major Solar Project
Public Service Electric and Gas, New Jersey’s largest utility, said it would unveil a five-year, one-of-a-kind plan on Tuesday to install solar panels on 200,000 utility poles in its service territory.
New Jersey Public Utilities Announces 2009 Renewable Energy Incentive Program
The state of New Jersey has established a program offering homeowners rebates to partially cover the cost of installing renewable energy systems in their homes. New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program is accepting applications for the rebates from February 3 through April 30.
PSE&G Proposes $773 Million Solar Energy Program
Program designed to bring solar panels into every town and neighborhood in PSE&G’s New Jersey service territory.
New Rehoboth Building Could Have Solar Panels
City officials in Rehoboth Beach are planning to put solar panels on the city’s new administration building. Under the proposal, the state would reimburse the city for half of the $37,000 panels over the next five years.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
The US Utility-scale Solar Picture
Utilities have mostly stayed out of the picture. However that appears to be changing now as more and more utilities are looking at solar energy as major contributor to their current and future renewable energy portfolios.
Google Taking a Step Into Power Metering
Google will announce its entry Tuesday into the small but growing business of “smart grid,” digital technologies that seek to both keep the electrical system on an even keel and reduce electrical energy consumption.
Farmers Need a Better Grid, Too
The USDA is giving $356 million in loans to rural utilities in 10 states to upgrade their transmission networks.
Utility Company Proposes 28% Drop in Rate – Update
Black Hills Energy’s 28% reduction still needs to be approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.
AC/DC: What’s the True Cost of Electricity?
The debate centers on the cost of renewable energy, which critics charge is still more expensive than traditional energy sources despite decades of research and tens of billions of dollars in federal support.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
2009 – The market, Solar Stocks, & Volatility
Unfortunately the solar industry has been the victim of a number of negative influences simultaneously.
SolFocus Adds $19.28M to Series C
The California concentrating solar developer last month said it had raised $47.5 million and was looking to close Series C between $60 million to $70 million.
Energy Conversion Devices Reports Results to December 31, 2008
Solar product sales were $97.3 million compared to $89.5 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2009 and $49.7 million reported for the same quarter last year. The second quarter average selling price for solar products was $2.99 per watt.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Stimulus Package Could Lead to Renewable Standards
Legislation for establishing a federal renewable portfolio standard (RPS) could ride that momentum and become law by year’s end.
TECHNOLOGY
Ersol Expands Thin-film Product Offerings
ersol Thin Film GmbH, a subsidiary of ersol Solar Energy AG is launching a new thin-film module this year, which has a front panel made of toughened glass.
Are you in California and interested in solar for your home? Call us at 877.SUN.MOJO or visit our website to learn more.
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