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
SolarCity Delays New Installations
SolarCity has notified customers that trouble securing financing has caused the company to delay new installations at least six to eight months.
DWP Solar Plan was Rushed to Ballot Despite Months-Earlier Talks
The utility’s chief discussed a $3-billion energy proposal in February 2008, documents show, but later told council members that he couldn’t provide a financial analysis before it was OKd for the ballot.
Sun Will Run New Senior Center
On Jan. 21, the Indio City Council unanimously approved the installation of solar panels on the new center, at 45-700 Aladdin St.
Grundfos Pumps and SunPower Dedicate 1.1MW Solar Power
Grundfos Pumps Corporation and SunPower Corporation recently dedicated a 1.1 megawatt solar power system at the Grundfos facility in Fresno.
NATIONAL NEWS
Duke Energy Trying to Ditch Rooftop
Duke Energy’s Carolinas subsidy will renege on its proposed $50 million solar rooftop program unless North Carolina utility regulators remove restrictions on how it can pay for the project.
ICP Solar and Integrated Metering Systems Offer Revenue Grade Solar Monitoring
ICP has reached an agreement with Integrated Metering Systems (IMS) of Largo, Florida to market the GreenMeter in North America in conjunction with IMS technology ? providing an accurate, reliable means for net metering.
Carlisle Energy Services and Energy Conversion Devices Sign Supply Agreement
Carlisle Energy Services and Energy Conversion Devices have reached a multi-year agreement for ECD to supply its UNI-SOLAR® laminates to Carlisle Energy Services.
McCormick and Constellation Energy Celebrate Completion of Solar Power Installation
Representatives from McCormick and Company, Inc, Constellation Energy and state and local government joined together recently to recognize the completion of one of the largest solar power installations in Maryland.
German Solar Company Shines in NoCo
A rapidly growing international solar company – Wirsol Solar AG, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany ? will soon make Fort Collins the base of its U.S. operations.
Silver State Solar Powering California Utility Customers
Sempra Energy has expanded its power plant in Boulder City with one of the hemisphere’s largest solar photovoltaic installations.
SOLAR Rally at the State Capitol
Join us to send a message to President Obama, Congress, and Colorado’s leaders to adopt bold goals to repower, refuel, and rebuild Colorado and the county — and to utilize the economic recovery package and federal budget to get us started.
3M Forms Renewable Energy Division
3M says it plans to bring to bear sophisticated solar energy, wind energy, geothermal and biofuel product solutions such as films, tapes, coatings, encapsulants, sealants and adhesives that help reduce the cost of renewable energy.
Solar Power Inc. Receives Follow On Order From German Solar Integrator
SPI has received an additional order from a German solar integrator for the company’s 200 W solar modules.
Lawmakers Look for Ways to Build Solar Industry
Positioning Texas to jockey with other states for green energy jobs, lawmakers are unveiling plans to spur the research and manufacture of solar power in the state.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Utilities Turn Their Customers Green, With Envy
When the Sacramento utility conducted its first assessment of the program after six months, it found that customers who received the personalized report reduced energy use by 2 percent more than those who got standard statements ? an improvement that Alexandra Crawford, a spokeswoman for the utility, said was very encouraging.
Washington State Introduces Feed-In Tariff
Washington State’s HB 1086 calls for a full system of feed-in tariffs for all renewable energy technologies. The bill is modeled after Germany’s highly successful Renewable Energy Sources Act and includes differentiated tariffs not only for solar energy but also for wind energy as well.
European Delegation Touts Feed-in Tariffs in Florida
This week, a group of European solar professionals will be in Florida, sharing best practices about how to implement a FIT in the state and around the country.
GE Ups Smart Grid Ante With Super Bowl Ad Campaign
The planned campaign isn?t just about branding; it?s also about GE positioning itself for a slice of the $4.5 billion dedicated to updating the national power grid in the stimulus bill headed for the Senate on Monday.
Sun Power: Kickstarting Solar-Hybrid Power Plants
The hybrid solar idea got fresh legs this week, when the Electric Power Research Institute announced two new pilot projects to fuse solar power with coal-fired plants in New Mexico and North Carolina.
5 More Questions for EnerNOC?s CEO Tim Healy
Demand response is extremely attractive in part because it doesn’t need mandates. It doesn’t need subsidies, it simply needs a regulatory construct that allow for demand response to flourish.
What’s Sexy in the Downturn: Smart Grid Software
In an economic downturn, the so-called smart grid sector, which often has been labeled not sexy by investors and analysts, is becoming ever more attractive.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Robert Fishman Talks about Funding Solar
There’s a lot of versions floating around, but one of them is letting the tax credit (for solar projects) become a grant. It’s kind of like getting your tax refund up front. The net cost to the government is the same. It just allows the tax credit to become something more liquid to get projects moving.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
PV Technology, Production and Cost, 2009 Forecast
To comprehensively lay out the causes and implications of recent dynamic shifts within the PV industry over the next few years, GTM Research and the Prometheus Institute are releasing PV Technology, Production and Cost, 2009 Forecast: The Anatomy of a Shakeout.
Report: CIGS Could Supply 3GW of Solar Panels by 2012
This year is critical for copper-indium-gallium-selenide panel makers to show that all those huge private equity founds and factory plans will make them formidable competitors in the global solar market in the next few years, says report.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Tax Break Would Foster Renewable-Energy Jobs
Congress is beginning to fear that the Obama administration’s push for renewable energy will produce more jobs in Asia and Europe — where most wind turbines and solar panels are made — than in the U.S.
Beyond Reach
The industry is, for the first time in years, preparing to take a break from a seemingly endless battle with Congress over tax credit renewals.
Solar Developers Look for More Federal Money
Lyndon Rive, chief executive of solar installation giant SolarCity, is circulating an open letter to Congress and went to Washington this week to meet one-on-one with legislators in an attempt to persuade lawmakers to pass legislation giving renewable energy companies more flexibility in how they use federal tax incentives.
TECHNOLOGY
Akeena to Introduce AC Solar Panels
Akeena and Enphase Energy have announced a strategic partnership to develop and market Andalay solar panel systems with ordinary AC house current output instead of high voltage DC output.
Shade Happens
Many solar installation owners and customers remain unaware of the degree to which the array in which they may have invested US $30,000 or more might be failing to realize its full potential due to partial or temporary shading.
Morningstar Introduces Solar String Calculator
Morningstar Corporation is pleased to annouce the introduction of a string calculator for estimating the proper sizing and configuration of photovoltaic (PV) modules when used with the Morningstar charge controllers.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Sechilienne-Side Inaugurates Largest Rooftop Solar PV Plant in France
Séchilienne-Sidec, an alternative energy producer that is 43.1% owned by Financière Helios, says it has inaugurated the largest rooftop photovoltaic power plant in France, located in Saint Pierre, Réunion.
SolarWorld Offers Solar Bonus for Economic Incentive Program
SolarWorld AG is to back the German government’s economic incentive program for public buildings by offering a solar construction bonus for schools amounting to ?2,500.
Phantom Solar Credits Scheme will Increase Dirty Energy Generation
The federal government’s proposed solar Credits scheme, for roof-top solar, is equivalent to giving homeowners bogus money and will reduce the amount of renewable energy generated in Australia, says the Alternative Technology Association (ATA).
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Im so glad i read this. I will be back for more. Others I know will be interested also. TY
Hey! While searching for Blogs about government grant for home improvement I found your site Rise & Shine: February 2, 2009. Thank you for the effort you have put in.