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
Signet Solar and Moncada Energy Group Execute Definitive Supply Agreement
Signet Solar and Italy’s Moncada Energy Group have executed a definitive supply agreement for Signet to supply a minimum of 7.7MWp of its Gen 8.5 thin film modules before the end of 2009 and a continued supply relationship in 2010 and beyond.
SunRun PPA
The cool tool here is creative solar financing.
Sun Sets on Hopland’s SolFest
After 13 years at the forefront of alternative energy festivals, the highly popular Hopland SolFest has been canceled.
NATIONAL NEWS
Vanguard Energy Partners Helps Morristown Launch Its First Solar Energy Project
Vanguard Energy Partners have completed a 578kW solar photovoltaic system at the Morristown Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Kansas Adopts RES, Net-Metering
“More than two-thirds of the country had a Renewable Energy Standard, and Kansas was one of only six states not to allow net metering. With this legislation, we are no longer at the back of the line,” the Governor said.
Alpha Energy Increases Solar Footprint in Arizona
A national leader in turnkey photovoltaic systems, and member of The Alpha Group, Alpha Energy has recently made a big impact on the Phoenix area solar footprint.
Satcon Powers Hawaii’s Largest Solar Farm
Satcon’s PowerGate® Plus Spectrum micro grid solution has been selected to power La Ola Hawaii’s largest solar photovoltaic (PV) farm and Micro-Grid on the island of Lana’i.
A Solar Land Auction in Arizona
A land developer in Arizona has some desert property for you? Don’t laugh – it might work.
Solar Panels in the West Hartford Saved $3493
Solar panels on three municipal building rooftops have cut electric bills by $3,493 since the first one was installed on town hall in July 2006, town records show.
Alabama County Explores Solar Possibilities
Sunrise Solar Corp., San Antonio, Texas, has signed an agreement to assist Macon County, Ala., with the implementation of new alternative energy projects.
Will Oerlikon’s Silicon Rival First Solar?
Solar companies gathered in Munich this week to launch new products and announce breakthroughs. Companies developing devices for monitoring and boosting solar panel performances are making noise.
Homeowners Associations Need to Get With Times
Canton’s Dan Hall wanted to save a little money on his bills each month, plus get on the “green” bandwagon at the same time. But Hall’s efforts to take advantage of federal tax credits by installing solar panels on his roof that could heat his home’s water were grounded by his homeowners association.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Top Ten Solar Utilities Revealed
Will the report indicate new trends, significant shifts of project scale, or perhaps implementation of innovative new business models within the industry? Find out by participating in this valuable webinar on Thursday, May 28th.
The Value of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) for Solar Power
As the CEO of SunRun, which is the nation’s largest provider of solar electricity to homeowners and a recipient of RECs, I strongly support the value that RECs bring to our industry.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
China Sunergy Announces First Quarter 2009 Results
During the first quarter of 2009, revenues decreased 14.4% sequentially to US$37.0 million.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Speculation on Solar Future Hits Overdrive
The global credit crisis has spawned predictions of massive restructuring in the photovoltaic sector and a shift towards an industry dominated by a few giant-sized vertically integrated PV majors.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Department of Energy Provides $117.6M for Solar Energy Commercialization
The Department of Energy will provide $117.6 million in Recovery Act funding to accelerate widespread commercialization of clean solar energy technologies across America.
Obama Announces US $4567M in Stimulus Funding for Geothermal and Solar Energy Projects
President Barack Obama announced that more than US $467 million from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act could be used to expand development, deployment and use of geothermal and solar energy throughout the United States.
Obama Hails Solar Energy as He Trumpets Stimulus
President Barack Obama on Wednesday hailed solar energy as a cost saver for a major Air Force base, one stop on a Western trip devoted to raising political money and promoting his economic policies.
TECHNOLOGY
Spire Receives US Patent for Nanophotovoltaic Devices
Tiny solar cells may provide novel therapeutic action .
Intertek Partners With Photovoltaic Institute-Berlin to Increase Panel Testing Capabilities
Partnership builds upon Intertek’s position as the global leader in testing and certification of photovoltaic modules and related products in the Renewable Energy market.
National Semiconductor and SunEdison Initiate Trials to Optimize Output of Solar Arrays
National’s SolarMagic power optimizers enable individual solar panels to maximize energy-produced independent of performance of other panels in an array.
Harnessing the Sun When it Doesn’t Shine
The design, which approximates the energy-generating chemical reactions that happen naturally in plants, he says, helps overcome what is cited as the most nagging problem of solar energy: the inability to generate electricity when the sun is not shining.
SunPower Introduces T5 Solar Roof Tile
SunPower Corp. has unveiled the new SunPower T5 Solar Roof Tile, which the company says is the solar industry’s most powerful roof overlay system.
Fat Spaniel Teams With MeteoTest
METEOTEST’s solar radiation information is based on satellite data and provides plant managers with insights about sunlight availability related to geographical locations.
Oerlikon’s Advanced Nanotech System SOLARIS Revolutionizes Producition of Crystalline Solar Cells
Production costs of solar energy do not only depend on cell efficiency but also on the productivity of the manufacturing process.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Silex Systems to Acquire BP Solar Australia Facility
Silex Systems Ltd (Silex) has announced the conditional acquisition of all the manufacturing assets and equipment of the Sydney Olympic Park (SOP) Solar manufacturing facility.
Wacker Schott Solar Expands Solar Grade Silicon Capacity
After a construction phase of just nine months, Thuringian Minister President Dieter Althaus and SCHOTT AG CEO Udo Ungeheuer handed over the plant’s ceremonial key to the managing directors of WACKER SCHOTT Solar.
Solar Power in Paradise: Remote PV Systems Offer Power in the Pacific
In late 2008 and early 2009 an EU-funded programme added a new feature to the Micronesian landscape – nearly one thousand solar PV modules.
