Rise & Shine: April 20, 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
Del Monte Foods and SunPower Corporation Dedicate 1.9-megawatt Solar Project
Del Monte Foods and SunPower Corporation will dedicate today a new 1.9-megawatt solar power system installed at two of Del Monte’s manufacturing plants.
UCSD & UC David Form California Solar Energy Collaborative to Help Boost Solar Energy Use
The University of California, San Diego (UCSD), in collaboration with UC Davis will use a two-year, US $700,000 grant from the California Energy Commission to expand the development and use of solar energy in the state.
SPI Modules Get High Marks from CEC
Solar Power Inc. (SPI) announced that its 200-watt solar photovoltaic (PV) modules have been given one of the highest performance ratings ever awarded by the California Energy Commission (CEC).
NATIONAL NEWS
Knoxville’s Solar Grant Aimed at Education, Demonstration
As two heavyweights in the budding solar industry prepare to land in Tennessee, a more grassroots movement is afoot as well.
Solar Power Supporters Split Over Roof Panels
As lawmakers this week debated centerpiece energy legislation aimed at nurturing Nevada’s solar industry, renewable energy advocates and utility executives clashed over a proposed mandate that a small percentage of renewable energy be so-called distributed solar
Soliant Gets Interim CEO
Concentrators face tough times. Soliant has hired Marco DeMiroz as its new CEO. The solar firm wants to build solar concentrator modules for rooftops.
Solar Onsite Renewable Energy Leads Wind, Fuel Cells in Growing Industry
The local market in the Boulder Valley is even more explosive than the global one. Colorado is the fourth-highest state in terms of PV installations.
The Best Way to Create ‘Green’ Jobs
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/16/green-jobs-solar-technology-enterprise-tech-green-jobs.html
I can foresee a world over the next decade in which players like Sungevity do the customer relationship management, while others, like Premier Power, do the actual installation.
Supporters of Solar Tax Break Bill Say it’s too Broad, Needs Revisions
A pending Nevada Senate bill could hurt state and local government coffers by granting a 75% property and sales tax break to home and business owners who install enough solar panels on their roofs.
Interest Grows for solar Plant at City Landfill
More than 60 people packed a tiny room at Phoenix City Hall on Thursday to learn more about a proposed solar plant at a city landfill in the far southwest Valley.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Nevada Utility Finally Meets State’s Solar-Energy Mandate
The utility’s officials told the Nevada Public Utilities Commission they met the entire guideline in 2008, when their operation was scheduled to get 9 percent of its electricity from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.
Next Step for the Smart Grid: Winning Over Consumers
Making the smart grid’s most basic elements — two-way communication between utilities and energy users, advanced control systems and smart devices — appealing to consumers could be key to its success.
For the Electric Grid, Renewable Goals Pose Daunting Task
The vast expansion of wind and solar power planned by the Obama administration and congressional leaders is fraught with challenges for the nation’s aged electricity network.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Earnings Preview: Solar Cos Focus on Financing, Margins
Many solar companies have been cutting production and lowering their outlooks recently to reflect lower demand during the worldwide recession.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Solar Down but not Out, Report Says
The current downturn in the solar industry will make it stronger by winnowing out the weakest players, a market research firm said Friday.
Solar Shakeout Offers Chance for Survival
Despite the global recession and the uneven landscape of the solar industry, the forecast was sunny with a high chance of optimism at Greentech Media’s sold-out Surviving the Solar Shakeout solar conference
TECHNOLOGY
ECN Reaches 16.4% Efficiency with Multicrystalline Solar PV
Researchers at the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) said that they have achieved a premium conversion efficiency of 16.4% (aperture area) on a full-size solar module.
Bringing CPV to Scale
The economy won’t be the limiting factor on the concentrating photovoltaic market, says SolFocus’ Nancy Hartsoch. It’s whether or not the firm can scale its manufacturing and transition successfully into commercialization.
Sunovia and EPIR Announce Expansion
Sunovia Energy Technologies and EPIR Technologies have announced the receipt of a $9 million Defense Department SBIR Phase III contract that allows for the expansion of production capacities and capabilities of the Partners’ cadmium telluride on silicon (CdTe/Si) manufacturing program.
BioSolar Provides Update on Biobacksheet Development
BioSolar Inc., a developer of a technology to produce bio-based materials from renewable plant sources, says it is nearing the completion of the commercialization of its BioBacksheet product and is entering pre-production stage on new versions to address the entire solar flat-panel market.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Pope Pursues Heavely Powre with Plant Harnessing Sun
The world’s smallest state now intends to build the biggest solar plant in Europe for 500 million euros ($660 million) on those same 740 acres near the medieval village of Santa Maria di Galeria.
Click here to subscribe.