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
Goal to Drive up Renewable Energy Lauded
Hoping to add “green” jobs to a beleaguered state economy, California lawmakers are poised to take up new rules dramatically increasing the amount of renewable power used in the state over the next 10 years.
SDG&E’s Plan Has a Bottom Line: Cash
The California Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to meet in San Francisco today to decide whether it will reject SDG&E’s proposal or let it go forward on a trial basis.
NATIONAL NEWS
Solar Energy Systems Completes PV System in Brooklyn
The 68.4 kW system will provide 100% of the electricity needs for City Merchandise, New York’s largest national tourist souvenir company based in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
$4.1 Billion in Orders for Thin-Film Solar
On Wednesday, Nanosolar pulled back the curtain on its thin-film photovoltaic cell technology — which it claims is more efficient and less expensive than that of industry leader First Solar — and announced that it has secured $4.1 billion in orders for its solar panels.
APS Gets $20M for School Solar, Scottsdale Projects Move Forward
Arizona Public Service Co. will get to count about $20 million in incentives paid to outfit schools with solar power as part of its residential allotment this year.
Electric Rate Hike Kicks In
Effective this month, Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative customers in Arizona will be paying a little more for the electricity they use.
100 Jobs at Closed Auto Plant Look Good to Michigan
The chief executive of Clairvoyant Energy, David Hardee, said Michigan was an ideal location for his solar-energy company because of the availability of so many skilled workers and its manufacturing background.
Three Courses on Solar and Wind Energy Set at Chesapeake College
Chesapeake College will offer three courses on solar and wind energies for $10 each, with the first course scheduled to start Sept. 23.
Google Plans New Mirror for Cheaper Solar Power
Google is disappointed with the lack of breakthrough investment ideas in the green technology sector but the company is working to develop its own new mirror technology that could reduce the cost of building solar thermal plants by a quarter or more.
PA Governor Introduces Green Energy Works! Program
Gov. Edward G. Rendell, D-Pa., has unveiled Green Energy Works!, the first in a series of competitive grant programs to designed help fund large-scale renewable energy projects.
Spire & UNICOR Team Up for Federal Solar Systems
Spire Solar and UNICOR teaming will strengthen Spire’s presence in the federal market as well as provide UNICOR with the engineering support they need to provide quality systems to their customer base.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Distributed Solar PV Will Approach Capacity of 2.5GW by 2012
Within the Renewable Distributed Energy Generation (RDEG) market, sub-utility scale solar photovoltaics (PV) systems are by far the largest and most significant segment.
Premier Power: Italy is No Doubt the Hottest Market in the World Today
Premier Power Renewable Energy (OTCBB:PPRW) announced today that it has broken ground on the first phase of its 20 mega watt (MW) solar pipeline in Italy.
Optimism Over China’s Green Technology Market
A group of Western companies says it can foresee a $500 billion to $1 trillion market annually for clean technology in China, according to a report published Thursday meant to highlight how a big new industry might develop in the world’s most populous nation.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Is a Reverse Auction Feed-In Tariff “Market-Based”?
In what might be a world first, the California Public Utilities Commission proposed letting developers bid on contracts to install green energy projects. A solar company that offers to sell electricity to one of California’s three big utilities at a rate lower than its competitors would win a particular power purchase agreement.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Watchdog Says Energy Department Not Prepared for Stimulus Funds
The Department of Energy isn’t fully prepared to successfully manage $38 billion in Recovery Act funding, despite restructuring its protocols, the agency’s inspector general said Wednesday.
The One Bi-Partisan Issue: Jobs
Obsolete Cold War weapons systems have lingered on for decades for lack of a suitable job-creating substitute. Renewable energy is it.
TECHNOLOGY
OPEL Solar Inc Announces USA Manufacturing for Two of its Solar Tracker
The major benefit of these trackers in the OPEL product line to the end user is the possibility of increasing the amount of kilowatt-hours that can be produced per unit of area.
Solectria Renewables Adds Advanced, Innovative Features to Commercial PV Inverter Product Line
Features include a standard, smart, user-navigable, low energy LCD display, standard RS485, MODBUS RTU, Ethernet jack and pre-configured ports for revenue-grade monitoring options.
Dow Corning Unveils New Adhesive, Sealant & Encapsulant for Solar PV
Solar cell modules assembled with Dow Corning PV-6100 Encapsulant Series pass UL Class “C” flame testing and engineering evaluations in accordance with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Isofoton Starts Work on 1 Megawatt PV System
Isofoton has started a photovoltaic roof installation in the Italian island of Sardinia. This facility has a capacity of 1.09 MW and is in Ottana.
LDK Solar Completes First Polysilicon Production Run
LDK Solar has successfully completed the first production run and initiated production ramp-up of operations of its first 5,000 metric ton (MT) train in its 15,000 MT annualized capacity polysilicon plant in Xinyu, China on September 5, 2009.
Canadian Solar Receives 10MW Order from LG
Canadian Solar has entered into a second memorandum of understanding with LG CNS Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of the LG Group of South Korea, to implement a minimum 10 MW of PV power projects in Korea in 2010. LG CNS has been a customer of Canadian Solar since early this year.
Enfinity WIl Build 10MW Solar Project in Dunhuang
Enfinity, a Belgian solar energy company with U.S. headquarters in Sacramento, has been selected to build a major photovoltaic power station in China, in partnership with two China companies.
Mitsubishi Electric Launches New Family of Solar Modules for European and US Markets
Mitsubishi Electric today launched ten new models of photovoltaic modules – five for the European market and five for North America and Asia. The new lineup comprises modules with outputs of 210, 220, 225, 230 and 235 watts.
Sino-US Solar Power Deal Generates Optimism
China and the US will work together on $12.38-billion of agreements and contracts – including the largest solar power project between the two countries – deals that illuminate the healthy state of bilateral trade ties.
REC ASA Calls Upon Bank Guarantee and Terminates Contract
REC has decided to terminate a long-term take-or-pay contract with the China Sunergy for deliveries of mono wafers. China Sunergy has not renewed the required guarantees and the parties have not agreed on revised terms.
Solar City ‘Unaffected’ By Industry Turmoil
The organisation behind a solar park in Ballarat says it has not been affected by the recent turmoil in the solar power industry.
Indian Solar Project May Help SA
India and the Clinton Foundation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build the world’s largest solar plant as part of a project called Integrated Solar City. Experts say it could be good news for South Africa.
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