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
REC Solar Gives IDEC Corporation an Energy Makeover
Lime Energy and REC Solar together with IDEC announced the completion of a 162kW solar electric system as part of IDEC?s mission to ?green? its US corporate headquarters in Sunnyvale, CA.
NATIONAL NEWS
SunEdison Partners with Developers Diversified Realty on Shopping Center PV Deployment
SunEdison has the rights to deploy solar energy systems at more than 200 shopping centers, covering up to an estimated 30 million square feet, located in 24 states and in Puerto Rico. The potential capacity of the program is up to 259 MW.
REI Goes Solar
Photovoltaic (PV) solar installations on three of its Portland-area locations are the latest move by outdoor gear retailer Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) toward its energy efficiency targets.
Council Delays Solar Panels Bonds Vote
The City Council did not vote Tuesday on approving $7.6 million in bonds to build new solar panels on seven city buildings, opting instead to delay for three weeks to find out more about the cost.
Hamilton Seeks Solar Park at Old Dump
Local officials want to convert the township’s old landfill into what they say would be the biggest solar-energy park in NJ. Preliminary plans involve covering the 16-acre site with enough solar panels to power about 6,000 homes.
SpectraWatt stops construction on Solar Cell Plant in Oregon, May Relocate, Local News Story Says
SpectraWatt, the solar cell spinoff from Intel, has stopped construction on its Hillsboro, OR, manufacturing facility and may seek another plant location because of financing difficulties.
Sunrise Solar to Provide Solar Energy for Brazilian Hospitals
San Antonio-based Sunrise Solar Corp. says it has been selected to provide solar power resources to four major hospitals in Brazil. The project is part of a multimillion dollar alternative energy development initiative.
Interest in Energy Sustained
Wyoming’s average energy price is the lowest in the nation. California has more than 150 programs to make purchasing sustainable energies more affordable. Wyoming has about 15. In spite of this, people are still buying renewable energy.
Solar Energy Firm Has City in Sights
An alternative energy firm is eyeing sites in the city to lease for a planned $750 million solar power project.
Grand Canyon Goes Solar
The Grand Canyon’s Visitor Center, located near the Canyon’s south rim, will soon have a portion of its energy provided by the sun.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Smart Meters Gaining U.S. Foothold
Smart meters now represent 4.7% of installed meters in the U.S., up from 1% in 2006, according to a new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) report on demand response and advanced metering programs.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Forbes.com Sees Bad Year for Entire Solar Sector as Solar Stocks Fall
Forbes.com notes that the stock prices of major solar power companies like LDK and JA Solar Holdings fell yesterday, as the companies continue to face difficulties from reduced demand and lack of credit.
TECHNOLOGY
Start-up Claims it Can Halve the Cost of Residential Solar
The company’s major product is a solar panel mounting system that uses brackets to weave in with roof shingles. These can be installed during construction or retrofitted. After the brackets are installed, the solar panels quickly snap into place.
Thin Film Technologies Changing the Solar PV Business
Since they were first developed in the 50′s there have been no major changes to the basic crystalline silicon solar cell. But significant improvements are now taking place with several competing innovations vying for position.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
AES Solar Closes 70 million for Spanish PV Projects
The loan was extended by UniCredit Mediocredito Centrale of Italy and Rabobank of the Netherlands. The financing is at an initial margin of 255 bps to EURIBOR per annum and it is amortized based on an underlying tenor of 18 years.
Masdar PV Signs Letter of Intent with Parabel AG
Masdar PV GmbH, producer of large-scale PV modules, has signed a letter of intent for the delivery of silicon based thin-film modules with Parabel AG, a German system integrator marketing green-field and rooftop solar power plants as well as a technology leader in the area of large solar thermal installations.
Suntech Achieves 1GW Solar Cell and Module Production Capacity
Suntech announces ppening of new, state of the art headquarters powered by world’s largest on-grid solar facade system.
Q-Cells Confirms Aggressive Growth Targets
Q-Cells said it is still on target to produce 1 GW of solar cells in 2009 even after Elkem Solar, a supplier of upgraded metallurgic silicon, announced a delay in production that will cut deliveries.
AU Optronics to Create Thin Film Solar Pilot Line
Taiwan-based AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) has established an energy project office that will concentrate on renewable energy solutions, including setting up a pilot line for thin-film solar technology at its Taichung, Taiwan, site this year.
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