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
DWP Chief Pitches Solar farm Plans to Owens Valley Residents
The head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power tonight told Owens Valley residents that the utility plans to explore the viability of installing massive solar arrays near Lone Pine that potentially could generate the equivalent of a million household’s worth of power.
Tradable RECs in California Expected to Launch in March
A proposed CPUC decision would let homeowners and out-of-state projects compete in the California RPS market, bringing increased flexibility to California’s utilities in meeting their RPS goals.
California Ties Cash to Energy
On Monday, a state panel proposed that the lion’s share of new fees California plans to impose on greenhouse-gas emissions should be returned to consumers in the form of annual dividend checks that eventually could exceed $1,000 for a family of four.
Police Recover Solar Panels Stolen from School
Police have recovered more than $70,000 worth of solar panels stolen from the roof of an El Cerrito private school known for its eco-friendly architecture.
Valley Firms Reap Millions in Clean-Tech Tax Credit
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of new clean-tech jobs should be created in Silicon Valley in the wake of the Obama administration’s award of $2.3 billion in tax credits for manufacturing projects that both stimulate economic recovery and help curb greenhouse gas emissions.
NATIONAL NEWS
Borrego Solar Systems Partners With Reading Electric on 5 Megawatts of PV Systems
These projects will greatly expand the solar capacity in the region and across Pennsylvania. At the end of 2008, the entire state had fewer than 5 MW of solar installed.
PetersenDean Partners with SunRun to Offer Revolutionary Solar Leasing Program to Benefit Homeowners, Buyers, and Environment
New Solar Leasing Program to Deliver Fixed Prices and Green Energy to California Homeowners.
Solar Parts Plant to Open in Arizona
Tower Automotive of Livonia, Mich., declined to announce a location for the facility, pending final lease negotiations, but did confirm it will employ about 200 people.
Progress Signs Biggest Solar Energy Deal to Date
Progress Energy today announced its sixth and biggest solar energy contract to date, a solar farm to be built in Laurinburg, about 100 miles southwest of Raleigh.
Degerenergie Will Start to Manufacture Solar Trackers in Arizona “Within a Few Months”
It has also announced that its office in Barcelona will start to serve the Portuguese market.
Spire Receives NREL Go Ahead for Phase II of High Efficiency Concentrator Solar Cell Contract
NREL green-lights Spire Semiconductor for Phase II of development of triple junction GaAs 42% efficiency “triathlon” concentrator cells.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Panel of State Lawmakers Debates Net Metering Expansion
A panel of state lawmakers began a debate Monday on whether Indiana should expand its net metering policy to give homeowners, businesses and local governments greater financial incentives to produce their own renewable energy.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Rooftop Solar Growing Faster than Utility-Scale Solar
In just two years, (about the same length of time it takes to get a pair of 250 MW solar power plants approved in California, for example), homeowners and businesses have added that much power to the Californian grid, just from individual rooftops throughout the state.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
China Makers Hike Spot Prices for 6-inch Solar Grade Poly-Si Wafers
Major China-based solar wafer makers have raised their spot quotes for 6-inch polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) wafers by 5.1-5.3% from US$2.85-2.9 to US$3.0-3.05.
Solar EnerTech Announces Fiscal Year 2009 Fourth Quarter and Annual Financial Results
Revenue increased 22% to $13.2 million compared to $10.8 million in the fourth quarter of the prior year period.
TECHNOLOGY
Lock-in Thermography Enables Solar Cell Development
Lock-in techniques greatly increase the sensitivity and image resolution of thermography used in PV cell defect detection.
Mitsubishi Launches Barrier Sheet for Solar Cells
Exploiting what it calls the world’s highest level of water vapor barrier properties, Mitsubishi Plastics Inc.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
CNPV Inaugurates Two PV Plants in Czech Republic
The ground mounted solar systems were built for individual investors in the Czech Republic, locations Kosorin (2.0MWp) & Malsice Cenkov (1.1MWp) and financed by Unicredit Leasing and Volksbank respectively.
Solarfun Awarded Three Module Contracts Totaling 12.65 MW
The first contract was with Xuzhou Xie Xin PV Power Co., Ltd.. to supply 10 MW PV modules for a project based in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province. These modules were delivered during the fourth quarter of 2009.
EDF Energies Nouvelles Commissions the Arnprior Solar Plant
EDF EN Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles has ommissioned the 23.4 MWp Arnprior Solar plant in Ontario.
Ormazabal’s Research and Technological Development Center
For this centre the initial investment made was of 25 million euros and is the worksite of 25 first class researchers and technological developers and has received during the year 2009 more than 160 national and international visits.
Germany Could Cut Solar Aid Early, Asbeck tells Ft. Deutschland
Germany could bring forward a 9 percent cut in solar subsidies to the middle of the year from the end of 2010.
India to Boost Support for Solar Power
India aims to install 20 million square meters of solar thermal panels and 20 million solar-powered lights as part of a plan to add 20 gigawatt of solar-based power generation capacity by 2022.
New Legislation Leads to Surge in Italian PV Sector
This week, Gestore dei servizi energetici S.p.A (GES), the publicly-owned company promoting and supporting renewable energy sources in Italy, has published details of grid-connected PV systems registered by GES in Italy.
Paralex Unisolar PV System to Power Home Improvement Giant
The solar plant, which is being developed by the Environmental Consulting Division of Grupo Inel, is scheduled for grid connection by the end of first quarter of 2010.
