Rise & Shine: October 21, 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
PV System Completed at Multi-Employer Property Trust Building
The roof of a 458,000-square-foot industrial building in Chino, California is now providing as much as one million watts of solar power to Southern California’s Inland Empire.
Solar Array Causes Conflict with Neighbors
The project at the Kitts’ home on Page Street near Baker Street, however, is being opposed by Maureen Gannon and Rohit Verma, owners of a nearby home.
Nanosolar Hooks up with SunLInk Mounting Systems
SunLink is developing custom mounting technology for Nanosolar that will stick Nanosolar’s thin film flat panels onto rooftops in a three step installation process, with less materials needed and at a lower cost.
Palmdale Parking Lots to Double as Power Plants
In Lancaster, hundreds of acres of desert landscape will be used for a huge bed of solar-thermal panels.
NATIONAL NEWS
Acro Energy Teams Up with SunRun to Offer California Customers Solar Power Purchase Agreements
As part of the companies` agreement, Acro Energy and SunRun will offer solar electricity service agreements to residential customers and Acro Energy will sell solar electricity facilities to SunRun as a preferred solar systems integrator.
One Block Off the Grid (1BOG) Launches Phoenix’s First Community Solar Buying Campaign
By signing up online for free membership to the Phoenix 1BOG community, homeowners can enjoy personalized, impartial advice, and receive solar panels at only $5.70 per watt from local installer partner, REC Solar.
Northwest Bergen County Utilities Authority Turns to Solar Energy
Vanguard Energy Partners and Sharp Solar Energy Solutions, a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, today announce the deployment of a 334-kilowatt solar power system at the Northwest Bergen County Utilities Authority (NBCUA) wastewater treatment plant in Waldwick, New Jersey.
Chipotle Mexican Grill Plans 75 Solar Powered Restaurants
In all, Chipotle has committed to panels that will produce 500 kilowatt hours of electricity, making Chipotle the largest direct producer of solar energy in the restaurant industry.
Hunt Electric Starts Construction on Largest Solar Project in Minnesota
At 400 kilowatts and 1,820 solar panels, this solar project will be approximately four times larger than the states existing largest solar energy system.
Envision Solar Completes PV System for Dell
This configuration of Solar Trees®, called a Solar Grove , is designed to produce more than 130kW of solar power, helping avoid 145,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
FPL to Again Make Case for Increase in Base Rates
Florida Power & Light will resume its pitch to get a 30 percent increase in its base electric rates.
Energy and Health: The $120B Hidden Cost
A National Research Council report quantifies how energy production and use poses a significant and expensive risk to humans.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Solar Declines in Price by More Than 30%, But Don’t Credit the Panel
The average cost of solar photovoltaic power systems in the U.S. plunged more than 30% from 1998 to 2008, with a 4% drop between 2007 and 2008. But most of the time the decline can be attributed to things that aren’t made of silicon.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Solar Alliance Takes Positive Position on Feed-in Tariffs
The Solar Alliance, the US industry trade association for solar PV manufacturers and project developers, has recently posted a position paper supportive of feed-in tariffs (FITs) to their web site.
Solar Leaders Applaud New PV Cost Study that Shows Government Policies Reduce Installed Costs, Expand U.S. Solar Market
The new report found that the average cost of going solar in the U.S. declined by more than 30 percent from 1998 to 2008, a trend that can be largely attributed to the success of market-building policies at the state and local level.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
SMA Reports Interim Third Quarter Results
In the third quarter of 2009, SMA Solar Technology saw strong demand for SMA photovoltaic inverters in Germany and abroad, sales rose by 38 % to c. EUR 312 million in the third quarter.
TECHNOLOGY
Fused Silica Rollers Target Solar Thin Film Processing
Morgan Technical Ceramics has developed fused silica rollers designed for use in solar energy applications.
SMA America Unveils New Sunny Bean PV System Monitor
Sleek Desktop Monitor Now Communicates via Bluetooth® Technology.
5 Technologies that Could Change the Energy Picture
Space-based solar power, advanced car batteries, utility, storage, carbon capture & storage, and next-generation biofuels will help to wean us from dependence on fossil fuels and drastically reduce greenhouse gases.
PV Powered Announces PowerVault
PV Powered, Inc., the industry innovation leader in solar inverter reliability, performance, installability, and serviceability, today announces PowerVault™, a turn-key and fully customizable DC-to-medium voltage platform that provides significant cost savings in multi-megawatt solar installations.
Clean Tech Open Names 6 Cali Finalists: Lost Cost is King
Armageddon Energy won in the renewable energy category. Go to a big-box store, buy a prefab solar kit, and start running your home with solar power within minutes – that’s their pitch.
Suntech Forms Alliance to Launch “Reliathon” for Utility Market
A Platform that Reduces Costs and Speeds Up Development of Utility Scale Projects Across the U.S.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Solea Starts Construction on 1.3 MW on PV System
Solea AG has commenced construction on the solar park project Neuburg am Inn in the district of Passau in southern Germany.
Isofoton Connects Photovoltaic Greenhouse to the Grid
Isofoton has connected a photovoltaic greenhouse to the grid, with 246.16 kilowatts of power.
Solarfun Receives Module Order from Meridian Neue Energien
The PV modules will be applied to six roof top projects, which are expected to be completed and grid connected in December 2009.
Carpevigo AG Starts Construction on PV Plant in Lower Bavaria
The power plant, located in Lower Bavaria, will have a capacity of 1.31 Megawatt (MWp).
OPEL Solar and BETASOL Celebrate the Next Phase of Completion
Utility Grade Solar Farm of 330 kW Continues to Draw Customers to Site.
Australia ‘Should Lead in Solar Tech’
Australia should take a leading role in developing solar energy technology as part of the fight against global warming, the International Energy Agency’s chief economist says.
Satcon Supplies Solar PV Inverter Platforms for Canada’s Largest Solar Power Plant
Satcon announced today that their PowerGate Plus 500 kW solar PV inverters were selected for and are now fully operational at First Light, Canada’s largest solar farm.
ATS Announces Plans to Serve the Domestic Solar Energy Market
ATS and Photowatt, its wholly-owned subsidiary, today announced they will lever their global solar expertise and Ontario presence to advance the Ontario solar market.
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