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
California FIT and Net Metering Bills Signed
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last week signed two solar bills designed to give added incentive to businesses and homeowners to invest in a solar system and help the state achieve its aggressive renewable energy goals.
Schwarzenegger Vetoes Energy Bills
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a pair of renewable-energy bills late Sunday, saying that an alternative plan he is pursuing to boost the state’s percentage of renewable power sold to 33% is preferable.
Solar Users to Feel Surge in Wallet
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two solar energy bills that will make it possible for consumers and businesses to actually make money if they generate surplus electricity.
Sharp Solar Selected for 1BOG Sonoma County Solar Group Purchase Program
Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group and One Block Off the Grid (1BOG), a solar advocacy group that harnesses the power of collective buying agreements, have teamed up to offer even greater discounts on solar solutions for Sonoma County homeowners.
Santa Clara University Students Demonstrate the Green Life
Team California, with students from Santa Clara University and the California College of the Arts in Oakland, won first place Monday in the architecture contest of the Solar Decathlon.
Orange Charges Residents to Go Green
An Orange resident is calling city officials “hostile” toward solar energy because of what he considers excessive fees associated with installing 30 solar panels on the roof of his home.
NATIONAL NEWS
PSE&G Accepting Proposals for 5MW of Solar
PSE&G is soliciting proposals from developers and third-party-owned sites for the development of 5 megawatts of roof and ground-mounted solar systems to be owned by PSE&G and that will provide rental income to property owners.
Pittsburgh Puts Solar Panels on 5 City Firehouses
Pittsburgh is installing a solar panel on the first of five city facilities that will use heat from the sun to warm water and save taxpayer money.
New Jersey Announces Big Solar Power Gains
The state of New Jersey has emerged as a national leader in solar power installation, according to a recent announcement from Governor Jon Corzine.
GWS Technologies Launches Arizona Solar Power Initiative
GWS Technologies has announced that it has launched an initiative to install solar in Arizona schools and other state and federal government facilities and has submitted its initial turn-key proposals.
Transforming Clean-Energy Industry Into a Local One
As costs of solar and wind come down, the concept’s popularity is looking up, though challenges remain for an industry in its infancy.
Solar Living, Without Compromising on Lifestyle
The Solar Decathalon is meant to get the students to think about solving energy problems in affordable ways — all the projects have to be geared to a specific market, from low to high income.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Drive to Link Wind, Solar Power to Distant Users
Proposed Station Would Connect Separate Grids, Enabling Electricity Generated in Remote Sites to Reach a Wider Market.
Lesson from Cali Clean Power Veto: Transmission Still a Choke Point for Energy Goals
Policymakers, utilities and renewable energy developers at this point largely agree that the U.S., with its aging transmission infrastructure, is overdue for a grid upgrade.
Smart Grid Data About to Swamp Utilities
The result is that the utility sector will need to invest a very sizable amount into data storage infrastructure and information management programs.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Solar Roadmap Bill Heads to Committee
A bill authorizing $2.25 billion for solar research over the next five years, passed through a key House subcommittee.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Western Chinese Province to Invest US $2.2B in Solar Power
Qinghai province in West China is planning to invest a total of 15.5 billion yuan (US$2.270 billion) in the solar power industry by 2010 to build an integrated PV industry chain.
Merkel’s Coalition to ‘Definitely’ Cut German Solar Subsidies
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s future coalition plans to reduce incentives to generate solar power so as to ease costs for electricity users, a member of the team negotiating the next government said.
SolFocus Provides Solar Power to Portugese Utility Through CPV Systems
SolFocus has announced that, in partnership with Dreen Europe, it has reached an agreement with Portuguese utility Águas de Portugal (ADP) for the installation of 8.5 megawatts of peak power (MWp) of Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) technology at the company’s facilities.
