The Rise & Shine is your daily source for all solar industry-related news
California News
Berkeley Council to Vote on Solar Tax District
The City Council is slated to approve a new tax district that residents could join voluntarily to finance solar energy systems for their homes.
Megawatt Storage Farms
If Prop 7 passes, what about the cost for storage infrastructure? The cost to load balance CA include transmission upgrades, nor does it include site acquisition and preparation
Critics Claim Deception in California Energy Measures
California?s Tighter Green Energy California’s two energy agencies Friday endorsed a plan that would require utilities to obtain a third of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
Think Globally, Power Up Locally
San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Marin County are all investigating a plan that would allow them to stay with PG&E for billing, distribution and repair service, but allow local elected officials to choose more locally produced green power.
College of Marin Offers Class to Become Solar Panel Installers
The College of Marin’s course is patterned after a similar program launched in spring 2008 at Skyline College in San Bruno.
SolarMonkey and WS Energia Announce US Manufacturing Agreement on Solar Tracking System
Irvine-based SolarMonkey and Portuguese company, WS Energia , announced an agreement to establish a new generation of high precision, reliable and affordable solar tracking systems in North America.
National News
In Boulder, Solar Power May Get A Little Brighter
The City Council will consider an amendment to their Municipal Code to allow most commercial and residential buildings to cover up to 100% of the roof space with solar panels which is currently limited to 25%.
Fear About Cyberattacks Against Power Grid Prompts Proposal for New Regulation
Fear of an attack against the nation’s aging power grid prompted legislators to propose further government oversight of the electric industry. Under the proposed legislation, government regulators would have the authority to compel power companies to secure their computer systems.
Rebates Help Residents Go Green for Less Green
A growing number of San Antonio residents and businesses are taking part in the Solar Initiative Program from CPS Energy that offers rebates for solar equipment.
JCPenney Launches Solar And Wind Power Projects
The systems will be financed, owned and operated by a third-party financier, from which JCPenney will purchase the solar-generated electricity under a SunPower Access power purchase agreement for 10 stores in CA and NJ.
Duke Energy Donating Solar Panels to Harrison High School
The Tippecanoe School Corporation is using solar power to help students learn more about saving energy.
Solar Firm to Open Factory in Tucson
Tucson subsidiary of Solon Corp. says it will open a 105,000-square-foot factory in the southern Arizona city next month and create 200 green-collar jobs in Arizona by the end of 2009.
Utility Industry & Regulatory News
Leaders Seek Aid for Utility Bills
Two Rocky Mount council members traveled to Washington, D.C., to urge the NC delegation to provide emergency funding for a program helping low-income residents pay their power bills.
Power Plays
Utilities are investing heavily in technology to improve the efficiency of how they manage power across their grids, handing out a flurry of contracts recently to “smart-grid” companies.
Re-thinking the Variability of Wind and Solar Power
Simulations and models have shown that connecting geographically dispersed wind and solar sites can greatly decrease the variability of the whole system and reduce the need for backup power plants.
Nuclear Energy is Enjoying A Renaissance
Xcel has proposed an expansion of the Prairie Island nuclear power plant in Welch, MN. Nuclear energy is enjoying a public-opinion comeback, but not everyone is warming to nuclear as ‘green’ energy.
Greenbox Launches First Product
Energy monitoring software startup Greenbox announced in August the launch of a pilot program with Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OG&E) aimed at helping customers scale back their home energy use.
Iberdola Accepts PSC Terms; Energy East Deal Sealed
Iberdrola S.A. just announced it has accepted the terms and conditions set by the state Public Service Commission for its acquisition of Energy East Corp.
Financial News & Markets
Premier Power Goes Public
Premier Power Renewable Energy Inc. (OTCBB: PPRW) has completed a reverse merger transaction resulting in the firm becoming a public company.
Markets & Market Research
World PV Market
According to solarbuzz.com the world solar pv market grew 62% in 2007 and reached a world record of 2,826 Megawatts of installed solar panels.
Government & Politics
The Sun King
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican, thinks he has a partial solution to America’s dependence on high-priced foreign oil. But he says liberals and environmentalists are rejecting it.
New Studies Shows Extending Solar Tax Credits Will Create Jobs, Increase Investment
A new study issued by Navigant Consulting shows that more than 1.2M employment opportunities and $232 billion in investment would be supported in the U.S. by the solar energy sector alone through 2016 if Congress extends the solar ITC for 8 years.
Technology
Slicing Solar Power Costs
University of Utah engineers devised a new way to slice thin wafers of the chemical element germanium for use in the most efficient type of solar power cells. They say the new method should lower the cost of such cells by reducing the waste and breakage of the brittle semiconductor.
Which Concentrating Solar Companies Are Doomed?
Greentech Media’s senior analyst Eric Wesoff says only about 10 percent of venture-backed concentrating photovoltaic companies will survive.
Day4 Energy Has Introduced A New Solar Panel Technology
The new technology will increase energy efficiency and decrease costs by 25 percent.
Recycled Silicon, ?Beam-Down? Solar and Biofuel Bacteria
Scientists work to turn waste silicon into electricity, reduce the cost of solar-thermal systems and create bacteria that can make cheaper cellulosic ethanol, and without messy byproducts.
Signet to Start Thin-Film Solar Production
The company expects to be the first to ship customers thin-film panels made using Applied Materials’ prefabricated thin-film line.
International News
OpTIC Brings Dyesol to New Research Center
OpTIC, an opto-electronics technology and incubation facility in North Wales, has officially opened its Center for Solar Energy Research. The group said that its goal is to be one of Europe’s major R&D Centers for the solar energy industry.
