Rise & Shine: March 17, 2009
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
Governor Unveils Green Jobs Program for Youths
The idea is to create a 20-month pilot program in at least 10 locations to train at least 1,000 people for jobs such as solar-panel installation and sheet-metal manufacturing for wind turbines.
ENN Produces China’s First 5.7m2 Tandem Junction Solar Panels
ENN Solar Energy has produced China’s first 5.7m2 high-efficiency, tandem junction thin film photovoltaic panels using a SunFab™ Thin Film Line, rated at 60 megawatts per year, supplied by Applied Materials.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Proposes Solar Projects
Newly elected Supervisor Dave Cortese is asking his fellow board members to consider a major solar installation on Santa Clara County lands to generate funds for starved social services and lower the county’s multimillion-dollar electric bill.
Sempra Selects First Solar for El Dorado
The company is planning a 50MW addition to the site and First Solar has once again been selected for module supply.
NATIONAL NEWS
Michigan Unlikely Home for Solar Powerhouse
In early February 2009, when the Dow Corning Corporation announced it was one of the very few industrial companies in the Midwest that not only earned a healthy profit, but had produced double-digit increases in annual revenue in 2008.
Study Says Green Jobs Are Over-Hyped
Analyses from a variety of organizations — including the United Nations Environment Program, the Center for American Progress, the United States Conference of Mayors and the American Solar Energy Society — all over-hyped the potential to create good jobs from industries such as wind and solar power.
Energy Conversion to Halt Solar Equipment Production Temporarily
The company’s stock fell nearly 26 percent after it laid out plans to stop production for two weeks and suspend expansion plans in light of the murky, short-term outlook in the solar market.
More Companies Focus on Utility-Scale Renewable Energy Integration
Last week’s Renewable Energy World North America Conference and Expo proved that utilities are seriously entering the renewable energy game as utility-scale projects and solving problems associated with grid infrastructure, demand response, ramp rates and energy storage dominated many of the discussions.
Solar-power complex atop Colorado Convention Center to be Launched
A 30,000-square-foot solar-power installation on the roof of the Colorado Convention Center, a joint venture of the city of Denver and private investors, will be launched Wednesday.
Project to Test Solar Technology on Fayetteville Library
It is seen as a way to stimulate Fayetteville’s fledgling green economy, while also promoting public interest in adopting solar technologies.
A Solar Lobbying Effort
Newly elected Supervisor Dave Cortese is asking his fellow board members to consider a major solar installation on Santa Clara County lands to generate funds for starved social services and lower the county’s multimillion-dollar electric bill.
Atmospheric Sunshade Could Reduce Solar Power Generation
The concept of delaying global warming by adding particles into the upper atmosphere to cool the climate could unintentionally reduce peak electricity generated by large solar power plants by as much as one-fifth, according to a new NOAA study.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
An Unusual Plan to Offset Carbon Taxes
Earlier this month The Associated Press reported that Tennessee had managed to attract two solar manufacturers in part by agreeing to pay their portion of any future carbon tax.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Entech Solar Announces Fourth Quarter Results
Revenue for the fourth quarter was $7.8 million, compared with $10.9 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2007.
Canadian Solar Loss Wider Than Expected
China’s Canadian Solar Inc. posted a wider-than-expected quarterly loss, hurt by rapid declines in prices for its products and as funding for solar projects dries up amid the global credit crisis.
Solar Energy Initiatives, Inc. Announces Record Financial Results
Revenue for the second quarter ended January 31, 2009 were $521,000, compared to $0 revenue for the period ended January 31, 2008. On a quarterly sequential basis the revenues increased 117%.
Day4 Energy Reports Q4 and FY2008 Results
Fourth quarter revenues of $16.6 million represent a 48% decrease from the prior quarter revenues of $31.7 million and up 141% from $6.9 million for the same period in 2007.
Solar Stocks: Factoring in the Boom & Bust Cycle of the Market
Solar stocks have a bright future, a very bright future. But investors have to understand a number of things about the current stock market and solar stocks in particular in order to fully take advantage of this long-term trend.
Lonestar Capital Corp. to Acquire Light Energy Systems
Lonestar Capital Corporation, an emerging aggregator of Solar Energy Integrators, has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire Solar Self Help, Inc. dba Light Energy Systems of Concord, California.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Gartner Sees Solar PV Poised for Long-term Growth
After years of double-digit growth, the modern incarnation of the solar industry has run into its first major market cycle, but remains well positioned for long-term success, according to report by Gartner Inc.
Global Solar Industry Ranked in $37.1B in 2008
Solarbuzz’s new report shows that Spain overtook Germany as the largest market in 2008, although the installation number differs from reports by other research firms. Worldwide installation reached 5.95 gigawatts last year.
Japanese PV Power: New Support Framework Boosts the PV market
Japan’s ‘Fukuda Vision’ programme created plans for a new support framework for the dissemination of PV systems and technology.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Renewable Energy A Policy Priority in Washington DC
John McKinsey from Stoel Rives says that the renewable energy industry is on everyone’s radar in Washington, D.C. and that the stimulus package is just one part of what could be a great policy year for the industry.
TECHNOLOGY
Thin Film Solar Cells Get a Boost from Nanotechnology
A new European Union funded research project called “ROD-SOL” aims to improve the efficiency of thin-film solar cells using nanotechnology. The three year project has a budget of EUR 4 million and may yield a breakthrough for solar power.
GreenVolts, NREL to Team Up on Solar Cell Tech
GreenVolts plans to use NREL’s solar cell patents to develop a new solar cell for its concentrating solar system over the course of two years, and to help commercialize the NREL patents through GreenVolt’s manufacturing partners.
Austra Co-Founder Returns With Solar Air Conditioner
Using the sun’s heat to cool a room isn’t as much of a contradiction as it sounds. Chromasun, from Ausra’s former CEO, says it can run air conditioners on solar power.
Morgan Technical Ceramics Offers PBN for Solar Energy Apps
Morgan Technical Ceramics’ CVD Materials business (MTC – CVD) is now offering its Performance Pyrolytic Boron Nitride (PBN) material for use in manufacturing the photo absorption layer in thin film photovoltaic (TFPV) cells.
Two-Wire Saw Lowers Solar Cell Cost
Applied Materials today released a new wire saw platform that cuts thinner wafers while overcoming growing issues with load capacity for crystalline silicon (cSi) photovoltaics manufacturing. The net effect is improved throughput, lower silicon use and cost reduction of up to 18 cents per watt.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Government Accused of Putting Solar Jobs at Risk
Public buildings respond to government calls to apply for renewable installation grants.
China Sunergy Signs 10 Year Solar Cell Sales Framework Agreement
China Sunergy, a specialized solar cell manufacturer based in Nanjing, China, has entered into a ten year Sales Framework Agreement with asola Advanced and Automotive Solar Systems GmbH, a module producer based in Erfurt, Germany.
HelioSphera Secures 9MW of Solar PV Modules
Greek solar module manufacturer HelioSphera, has signed a long term supply agreement with Tecno Spot, an Italian distributor of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules and components.
A Multi-step Approach to Community Energy Planning
A comprehensive, multi-step approach to assessing solar energy opportunities for regional development and community energy planning will be presented by Green Power Labs (Canada) as part of the e-learning program offered by Leonardo Energy.
Click here to subscribe.
[...] Sweet Solar Home » Blog Archive » Rise & Shine: March 17, 2009 [...]
Well, this article is actually the best on this laudable topic. I concur with your conclusions and anxiously look forward to your upcoming updates. Just saying thank you will not be sufficient, for the extraordinary clarity in your writing. I’ll immediately grab your feed to stay informed of any updates. Solid work and much success in your business dealings!