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
Solar Contractor Conergy to Move Sacramento Operations to Shasta County
The head count has dropped to fewer than nine in Sacramento, and most of the remaining employees will relocate to the Shasta County office in Anderson or would telecommute.
AMAT’s SunFab Modules Awarded IEC Certification
Applied Materials announced that both the single and tandem junction solar PV modules produced by its SunFab Thin-film Line have met performance and safety specifications under challenging environmental conditions.
Energy Conversion Devices’ Turnaround: Is BIPV Finally Ready to Take Off?
Just a year and a half ago, thin-film solar company Energy Conversion Devices didn’t know when or how it would start to make money.
Solyndra’s Chief Scientist Moves to First Solar
Markus Beck, a well regarded solar researcher, has left Solyndra for First Solar. Let the speculation about Solyndra’s future begin.
Financial Incentives Mean Home Solar is Hot
While many in this troubled economy worry about making investments, Doris Dobkins didn’t think twice about sticking her money on her roof.
Solar Project May See Light With Grant from State
Blight to Bright LLC, a solar energy startup, asked the state Jan. 9 for money to clean up aluminum byproduct piled up across 66 acres by the defunct Newark Processing Co., which ceased recycling operations on Newark?s east side 12 years ago.
NATIONAL NEWS
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Means 37 Million Jobs by 2030
Under the base case (business as usual) scenario, which assumes no major change in policy or initiatives, the green job forecast is for more than 16 million jobs and US $1.9 trillion in revenue in the U.S. by 2030
Hoku’s Dilemma: What Happens When Your Customers Can’t Pay?
The new polysilicon producer in Idaho needs upfront money from customers to help build the factory. But one customer has missed payments, and another won’t be buying as much of the raw material as planned.
Solar Industry Becoming Area’s Largest Employer
The Regional Growth Partnership in Toledo estimates that 6,000 people in the region are employed in the solar energy industry more than the two largest manufacturers combined.
Mayor Lays Out Plan to Boost City’s Fortunes
Mayor Bloomberg of New York will aim to double the production of solar power and find the best places in the five boroughs to generate wind power.
States Invested $1.5B in Clean Energy
According to a new report released today by the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), 20 state clean energy funds have invested $1.5 billion in 12,000 completed renewable energy projects.
Tucson Businesses Get Savvy to Solar
A $200,000 federal grant to the City of Tucson accompanied the title to promote increased use of solar-powered technologies. The city matched that number, and the total two-year grant is now worth almost half a million dollars.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Smart Grid, Broadband Appear in $825B Stimulus Plan
The sprawling, 258-page draft bill includes $32 billion in electric power upgrades, sometimes known as “smart grid” technology.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Greentech VC Hits $2.6B in U.S.
Venture capitalists have spent 46% more on cleantech in the first three quarters than during all last year. Will fears of a bubble raise their ugly head?
TECHNOLOGY
Rudolph Technologies Introduces Solar Fab Management Software
Rudolph Technologies Inc., has introduced Discover Solar, one of the first fab management software tool designed specifically to help solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers increase cell efficiency and reduce costs.
University of Toronto Chemistry Discovery Brings Organic Solar Cells a Step Closer
The team — whose work is devoted to investigating how light initiates physical processes at the molecular level and how humans might take better advantage of that fact — looked specifically at conjugated polymers which are believed to be one of the most promising candidates for building efficient organic solar cells.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Perfectenergy International Signs 50 MW Solar Sales Contract
Abidas will purchase 50 MW of mono-crystalline solar modules from Perfectenergy which are scheduled for delivery over the next four quarters of 2009. Perfectenergy says that the prices reflect market conditions and are fixed until June 2009, when they will be fixed again based on market developments.
Econcern to Install 42MW of Solar PV in Italy
Project Trullo, as it is called, will start with the construction of seven 1-MW solar parks early in 2009.
Chinese Solar Gets a Boost
LDK and Suntech stocks up on earnings news as a new report lauds Chinese solar potential.
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