Rise & Shine: November 5, 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
Supervisors Expected to Grill SolarCity CEO
The state’s largest solar panel installer’s abandoned pledge to provide job training in the Bayview district after receiving taxpayer handouts is expected to come under fire at City Hall Thursday.
First Solar Buys Ausra Solar Project: PG&E Power Purchase Deal is Off
Ausra said today it is selling its Carrizo Energy Solar Farm project, a proposed 177MW project still under development, to industry giant First Solar.
San Diego Region Secures Clean renewable Energy Bonds
The San Diego region has been allocated financing opportunities for 192 solar installations for public facilities, which will promote hundreds of new green jobs and increase by more than 40 percent the capacity of locally produced solar energy with an estimated 20 megawatts of additional solar power.
NATIONAL NEWS
Why we Need a “Local Energy” Movement
Some of the costs are easy to total, such as building and maintaining transmission lines. Writing in the New York Times last February, a Massachusetts state official estimated the cost at between $2-$10 million per mile.
Solar Power International Breaks Attendance Records
The 2009 conference drew more than 24,000 industry professionals, an increase from 17,500 in the previous year.
With Costs Rising, Oregon Modifies Business Energy Tax Credit Program
The Oregon Department of Energy has filed new temporary administrative rules for the Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) program.
Flat-tailed Hored Lizard Gets Boost from Arizona Judge
Listing the lizard as threatened could potentially affect the ongoing rush to build huge solar energy facilities across the desert flatlands of Southern California.
Society Moving Towards Era of Personalized Solar Energy
An international expert on solar energy has determined in a new report that new scientific discoveries are moving society toward the era of “personalized solar energy,” in which the focus of electricity production shifts from huge central generating stations to individuals in their own homes and communities.
EnviroMission Solar Tower Wins SCPPA Approval
US power purchase negotiations to deliver the first of two, 200 MW Solar Tower power stations, have been given the green light from Southern California Public Power Authority.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
SMUD Awarded US $4M DOE Grant
The primary objective of the 12-month pilot project is to examine how the integration of energy storage can be used to enhance the value of distributed PV resources.
GridPoint Providing Software for SMUD’s Smart Grid Solar Project
GridPoint worked with the utility to draft the proposal, which is part of $117.6 million allocated by the U.S. Department of Energy in support of high-penetration solar deployment projects.
FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
STR Holdings to Launch First Solar IPO in 15 mo.
STR Holdings Inc. plans to go public this Friday, a move that would launch the first solar initial public offering on a U.S. index in over a year.
Evergreen Solar Reports Third Quarter Results
Revenues for the third quarter of 2009 were $77.7 million, compared to $63.8 million for the second quarter of 2009.
Terra-Gen Executes US 4240M Refinancing of Debt Facilities
Terra-Gen Finance Company LLC has closed a US $240 million debt facility for its portfolio of 831 megawatts (MW) of renewable generating assets.
TECHNOLOGY
Alarm Systems for Solar Installations Becoming a Must
Solar plant owners are beginning to suffer from “green crime”, with thieves targeting their solar panels which are then sold on eBay and classified ad sites.
Fronius Unveils CL PV Central Inverter at Solar Power International 2009
The Fronius CL combines high-yield power electronics with a unique, modular system design of up to 15 identical power modules in the MIX™ concept.
Introducing the UNI-Solar Power Tilt Solar Rooftop System
Energy Conversion Devices has introduced its new UNI-SOLAR PowerTilt Solar Roof system – the lightest rack-mounted solar system available.
Light Down a Wire for Solar Power
Solar power could be produced cheaply in specially designed optical fibres, say researchers.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Sanyo Opens Module Plant in Monterrey, Mexico
The plant, located in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, will be assembling Sanyo’s patented HIT (Heterjunction with Intrinsic Thin-layer) solar modules.
Isofoton Supplies Modules to Chrysler Project in Mexico
Isofoton has participated in the installation of a new photovoltaic power generation plant with an intelligent energy management system that will supply the car factory of Chrysler in Valle de Derramadero (Mexico).
Day4 Energy to Build PV Plant for Gunther Heiss Solar
Day4 Energy has announced it has executed an agreement to deliver a turnkey 2.4 megawatt (MW) roof-mounted turnkey photovoltaic power plant for Gunther Heiss Solar Gmbh and Co. KG in Germany.
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