Senate Bill Would Speed California Energy Projects
A bill approved by the state Senate could help the California Energy Commission speed up permits for 11 large renewable energy projects to help draw more federal stimulus money.
Solyndra Signs PV Distribution Agreement with Advanced Green Technologies
Solyndra, Inc., a manufacturer of innovative cylindrical photovoltaic (PV) systems for commercial rooftops, has announced that it has signed a distribution agreement with Advanced Green Technologies.
Incentives Would Power Solar Sector
That is our best chance of creating solar-panel manufacturing jobs in the United States. But it is already late in the game. Half-measures won’t work anymore.
SEIA’S Stanton Departs for SolarCity
John Stanton has left his post as a top lobbyist and attorney for the Solar Energy Industries Association and will begin a job in March as vice president of government affairs at SolarCity.
Sanders: It’s Time for a Solar Revolution
That is why I was joined by 10 of my colleagues in introducing the Ten Million Solar Roofs Act. The bill is all of nine pages and is pretty straightforward. It calls for 10 million new solar rooftop systems and 200,000 new solar water heating systems during the next 10 years.
NATIONAL NEWS
U.S. Offers Solar Project a Crucial Loan Guarantee
The United States Department of Energy offered a $1.37 billion loan guarantee on Monday to a California company planning to build a large-scale solar power plant in the Southern California desert.
Advocates Envision Texas as Solar Power Leader
The sun could rival the wind as a clean power source in Texas’ near future, if the state gets serious about tapping the potential of pollution-free solar energy.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Utilities Finding Peer Pressure a Powerful Motivator
National Grid, the electricity and gas provider to several Northeastern states, last week announced the expansion of its Home Energy Report program, which delivers energy-use statements to homeowners showing how they stack up against their neighbors in similar-size homes.
Count the Ways to Connect Consumers to the Smart Grid
Beyond those pilots, utilities aren’t turning on their smart meter-home communications just yet in any widespread way.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Size of US Solar market Set to Double as Industry Poised for Growing Investment in 2010
The 2010 event has a new and important emphasis on Case Studies from those who have done it, with examples of successful First Round Investment, Tax Equity Financing in partnership with a utility.
The U.S. Solar Market: Assessing the Potential
Declining costs and stronger tax and investment incentives are making solar power more cost competitive with the fuels that America’s utilities have traditionally used to generate electricity.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Q-Cells Reports Preliminary Fourth Quarter 2009 Results
Preliminary earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) for the fourth quarter, adjusted for one-off items and start-up costs, improved to EUR -20 million compared with EUR -36 million in the third quarter.
TECHNOLOGY
Innovalight Awarded US Patent for Silicon Ink Solar Cells
The company has a development roadmap to ultimately bring conversion efficiencies of solar cells to over 20% using its platform for silicon ink and processing technologies.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
GT Solar Wins $20M Contract with China’s Jiangxi
GT Solar International Inc. said Monday it has received a contract worth more than $20 million to deliver equipment and services to China’s Jiangxi Sornid Hi-Tech Co.
Fotowatio Renewable Ventures to Develop 10 MW Photovoltaic Plant
Expanding its solar power business in Italy, FRV (Fotowatio Renewable Ventures), a global independent solar power producer, will develop a 10-megawatt photovoltaic power plant in Fiumicino, Rome.
Italy Softens Planned Solar Incentive
For large solar plants of over 1 megawatt, the proposed tariff as of Jan. 1, 2011, is 0.313 euros per kilowatt hour in the latest draft decree compared with the 0.298 euros/kWh in the previous version
Australia Group Rolls Out Plan for 100% Renewable Energy by 2020
A report to be released in the first half of this year finds that Australia can use solar and wind power to produce 100 percent of its electricity in 10 years using technologies that are available now.
Q Cells Outlook Hit by German Solar Subsidies Threat
Germany’s Q-Cells (QCEG.DE), the world’s fourth-biggest maker of solar cells, warned of an uncertain year on Tuesday as it prepares for Berlin to cut back on subsidies which has made Germany the biggest solar power products market in the world.
New PV Manufacturing Line for Ontario
Heliene in Canada, which is the result of the alliance of the Spanish “Helios Energy Europe” (Heliene Europe) and several Canadian entrepreneurs, has announced that it will construct a photovoltaic (PV) panel manufacturing line in Ontario (Canada). The plant will have a capacity of 80 MW.
