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
Solar Energy Interest Grows in Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill is seeing an increase in the use of solar energy, according to the city’s environmental program administrator, Tony Eulo, and it could be a reflection of things to come.
SolFocus Concentrator PV Panels Are CEC Approved
SolFocus has announced that its flagship commercial product, the SF-1000P Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) panels, has met the standards of the California Energy Commission.
Honey, I Think I Shrunk the Solar System
In effect, Borrego Solar/SunRun pay for the system, then lease the sun collectors back to me for the next 18 years. And during all this time, they have total responsibility for maintaining the system, keeping the panels clean and functioning at capacity. I pay SunRun for kilowatts generated at a rate that is about one-third the price of those charged by PG&E at the top-tiered meter rate.?
Utility Industry & Regulatory News
Transforming Rate Structures to Power Energy Efficiency
For utilities to remain in the black while producing less power, the regulations on how they set rates may require a major overhaul. Electricity decoupling is now the rule in CA, CT, ID, MD, NY and VT and is under consideration in AK, CO, DC, DE, HI, IA, KS, MA, MN, NH, NM and WI.
EDF, KKR Bid for Constellation, Compete with Buffett
Electricite de France SA, Europe’s biggest power producer, said it offered to acquire Constellation Energy Group Inc. with KKR & Co. and TPG Capital LP for $6.2 billion, 32 percent more than Warren Buffett agreed to pay.
Financial News & Markets
Funding Roundup: Solar and Wind Startups, Along With Tesla Motors, Seek Capital
Public and private companies announced plans to raise money in the past week despite turmoil in the financial markets.
Open Energy Enters Into $4.7 Million Financing Agreement
Open Energy entered into a financing agreement with The Quercus Trust. Quercus has committed to invest $4.7M in Open Energy, consisting of $4.2M in cash and $500,000 in the form of debt forgiveness on a prior loan Quercus had made to the Company.
German Solar Group Postpones Share Sale Indefinitely
German solar group Schott Solar, which planned to announce the price range for its share sale on Sunday, postponed the initial public offering indefinitely due to the current market volatility.
Government & Politics
Obama, Mccain Supporters Largely Agree on Alternative Energy, Poll Shows
Most of John McCain’s and Barack Obama’s supporters are in favor of government backing for alternative energy such as wind and solar power, according to a national poll released Tuesday.
Senate Votes on Huge Tax Break Package
The Senate is taking up a $100 billion tax bill designed to spur renewable energy investment, give tax breaks to businesses and individuals and protect more than 20 million people from the dreaded alternative minimum tax.
Technology News
New Solar-Assisted Residential Heating and Cooling System
Lennox Industries unveiled SunSource, the industry’s first integrated solar-assisted residential heating and cooling system.
International News
Just A Few More Hurdles to 80MW
Solar Tec AG is planning an 80 MW PV power plant on a 460-hectare piece of land near Brandenburg in Germany.
Multilingual Training System for PV Experiments
The Solartrainer Profi program for training PV installers has been available in Germany for several years now.
Endesa Inaugurates 12.3 Megawatt PV Project
The Guadarranque solar energy project in the Guadarranque industrial estate in San Roque (Cádiz) has been inaugurated.
Quantum & Asola Continue Expansion in Europe
Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc. announced that its German solar photovoltaic partner, Asola has signed an agreement to establish a joint venture in Southern Italy, to enable production and distribution of German-designed solar modules in Italy.
LDK Solar Complete Six Million Safe Work Hours for PV Polysilicon Project
LDK has achieved a major milestone on the 15,000 tons per annum (TPA) photovoltaic (PV) polysilicon project by completing six million safe work hours.
Taiwan Solar Cell Revenues Soar in First Half of 2008
Taiwan’s manufacturers of solar cells used to generate electricity reported revenues in the first half of 2008 that soared by 69.6 percent from the same period a year ago on strong demand from European nations such as Spain and Germany.
