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
Premier Power Continues Dramatic Growth and Profitability in Spain Despite Crash of Spanish Solar Market
ASIF, a Spanish solar PV industry association, estimates that the commercial rooftop market will become the leading market segment in Spain, growing to more than 4.4 gigawatts over the next 10 years.
California Reviewing 85MW Solar Project
The California Energy Commission is beginning to review a large-scale solar project proposed for construction in the desert east of Barstow.
NATIONAL NEWS
Green Ink: Dark Days for Solar, Bright Days for Clean Coal
Falling panel prices could make solar more cost-competitive with traditional power sources in the long run, but promise plenty of pain for solar-power companies in the short term.
Darker Times for Solar Power Industry
The global recession and tight credit conditions have cast a chill on the solar-power industry after years of breakneck growth, and could usher in long-term changes in the industry.
Suntech to Create U.S. Solar Product Manufacturing Base
Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. plans to establish solar energy products manufacturing operations in the U.S.
Solar Farms Are on County Wish List
Jackson County, OR is asking the federal government for $94 million to build solar farms that would generate electricity.
Cascade Technologies Enters Into MoU With Brisk Solar
Cascade Technology is pleased to announce that the Company has moved forward in its proposed determination to pursue opportunities in renewable energy, more particularly in solar.
Solar Farm Has Ground to Halt
Construction of North America’s largest solar farm remains on hold following the sale of OptiSolar Farms Canada, a move that has required a project redesign.
Chandler Courting Solar Power Companies
City officials have been actively promoting Chandler AZ’s high-tech infrastructure and upscale lifestyle to large solar power companies.
Vela Solaris Offers Polysun Products to US Markets
The Polysun family is the world’s most flexible and accurate software for the simulation and design of renewable energy systems optimized for any particular site and structure.
Leasing a Path to Solar Power
By offering homeowners the option of leasing solar systems – a deal that would not involve the up-front costs typical of buying such equipment – Blumenfeld’s new company, Urban Eco Electric, hopes to raise a bumper crop of solar panels across Philadelphia’s rowhouse rooftops.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Oregon Solar Bill Creates Industry Conflict
HB 3039, a solar bill which passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 47 to 11 last week, takes on many of the issues that will be decided throughout the U.S. in the coming years.
Opinion: The Case for Buying Renewable Energy Certificates
The answer to increasing the supply of renewable energy can’t just be “spend money on real power,” as Press suggests. It’s doing it all: setting aggressive goals, creating incentives for rooftop solar — and letting consumers stake their claim to renewable energy by buying certificates.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Venture Capital Shifts to Efficiency from Alternative Fuel
Venture capital is starting to move away from its infatuation with alternative energy and returning to one of its traditional strengths: applying information technology to improve the efficiency of energy consumption.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
The U.S. and China Threaten the European Solar Supremacy
Falling polysilicon and solar module prices have the potential to cement China’s role as a solar manufacturing hub. In terms of installed capacity, the United States is playing a greater role as more and more states are putting the renewable energy standards into existence.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
The Climate Debate Heats Up
President Obama put the weight of his office behind a bill that aims to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, tackle the rise in greenhouse gases and create millions of clean-energy jobs.
U.S. Climate Bill Unlikely to Pass This Year: Experts
U.S. climate change legislation is unlikely to pass this year due to concerns about the recession and contention over the implementation of the program, according to energy and carbon market experts.
Renewable Industry Cheers Obama Budget While Coal and Nuclear Jeer
For many environmentalists and the renewable power sector, President Obama’s $3.6 trillion blueprint released yesterday would provide a flush of new cash to spur thedevelopment of energy-efficient buildings and carbon-free wind and solar farms.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Siemens Installs 1 MW Photovoltaic Plant in Italy
Siemens Energy has built a large ground-based photovoltaic plant in Italy under contract to Ferrarelle S.p.A, the Italian bottled water company.
Abu Dhabi’s Masdar to Save $105M on Solar Plant
Abu Dhabi’s Masdar will save about $105 million on the 100 megawatt Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant it is constructing in the emirate due to falling prices of raw materials, a company executive said on Thursday.
Germany’s Schott Opens New U.S. Solar Facility
Schott Solar, seeking to capture a big chunk of the U.S. solar market, will unveil a new U.S. facility on Monday that will produce both solar thermal and photovoltaic solar components.
China Poised to go all out with Clean Tech
This nation of 1.3 billion people is faced with the daunting task of building on its 30 years of unprecedented economic development without further damage to its environment.
