Rise & Shine: August 7, 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
Marin College Begins Green Energy Projects
The work is part of the school’s commitment to green energy principles, and will involve installing solar panels and energy-efficient heaters and air conditioning systems in existing buildings as well as in two new facilities.
Plan for Solar Academy Singed
The planned academy would charge $1,000 per person to train at least 30 people every two months as solar-panel installers, with guaranteed jobs. Those workers were then to be deployed nationwide to work for the company at starting wages of $15 to $25 per hour.
NATIONAL NEWS
Los Alamos, Sandia Get Federal Funds for Projects
Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories are getting $56 million to fund three projects under a new initiative called Energy Frontier Research Centers.
Sierra Nevada Forms Joint Venture With GA Solar
Through this partnership, called GA-SNC Solar, the companies will design, build and install photovoltaic solar generation facilities that generate energy for its customers.
SRS Energy Receives State Funding for Pennsylvania Factory
SRS Energy, a developer of sustainable solar roofing products, has been awarded $2,805,000 in grant and loan money from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to support the production of its Sole Power Tile system, which is designed to integrate with curved clay tile roofs.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
U.S. Used Less Energy in 2008 But More Renewable Energy
Americans used more solar, nuclear, biomass and wind energy in 2008 than they did in 2007.
House Bill Will Spur 20% Electricity Price Hike by 2030
The average U.S. electricity customer would face a 20 percent price increase in 20 years under climate legislation passed by the House last month, according to a draft analysis by the Energy Information Administration.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Cash for Clunkers Extended Despite Controversy
Also, the additional $2 billion in funding to extend the program would come from a loan guarantee program for deploying renewable energy projects, such as solar and wind farms
Salazar Again Urges Climate Action in Senate
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is talking climate change on a trip to a solar energy factory in his home state of Colorado.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Real Goods Solar Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2009 Results
Revenue for the second quarter of 2009 increased 43.8% to $12.7 million from $8.8 million recorded in the same period last year, primarily due to acquisitions.
Canadian Solar Reports Second Quarter 2009 Results
Chinese manufacturer, Canadian Solar today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter of 2009 ended June 30, 2009 and its outlook for third quarter 2009 shipments.
TECHNOLOGY
Boosting Cell Phone Batteries with Solar Plastic
The El Monte, Calif.-based startup hopes to extend mobile phone battery life with strips of organic thin-film solar plastic, which it plans to bring to market in the next 18 months.
Applied Materials Designs Mounting System for Supersized Panels
The thin-film factory equipment maker plans to release a reference design to help speed up the adoption of its customers’ ultra-large amorphous silicon solar panels.
SemiSouth Helps Drive Fraunhofer ISE’s PV Inverters to World Record Efficiency
Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (FISE), based in Freiburg, says it has set a world record of 99.03% for the efficiency of inverters used in photovoltaic systems.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Solar-Fabrik AG Sells Wafer Division
Solar-Fabrik AG has sold its 80 percent holding in Solar-Fabrik Silicon Services Ltd. (SFSS), which itself holds 100 percent of the shares in Poseidon Solar Services Pte. Ltd.
Sanyo to Double Solar Panel Output Capacity at Shiga Plant Nikkei
The firm intends to construct a new building for about Y4.2 billion, including the costs for equipment.
Amtech Announces $6M in Solar Orders
Amtech Systems announced that its solar subsidiary, Tempress Systems has received approximately $6 million in solar orders for its diffusion processing systems from two new customers in Asia.
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