Rise & Shine: February 13, 2009

Posted by EcoFriendly

Feb 13

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

Nanosolar Broke Ground on 1MW Power Plan, Launched German Panel Factory
The CIGS startup’s CEO provides an update of the company’s production and project development plans in response to a scathing story in the magazine Photon International, which says Nanosolar has had little to show for.

How Stimulus Could Boost Green Technology
The stimulus bill’s tight focus on alternative energy could help California in two big ways.

Montna Farms Adds Acres of Panels to Ease Off the Power Grid
Montna Farms, which is one of the largest suppliers of short-grain rice in the United States, plans to supply 65 percent of its energy needs with two acres of solar panels.

GoGreenSolar.com to Show Off at Twiistup5
The Twiistup panel reviewed over 100 companies that applied to showoff at the event, only 11 companies made the cut. And, for the first time a green energy company, GoGreenSolar.com has been selected as a showoff to demonstrate their products and services.

Solar Energy: Q&A With LA Mayoral Candidates
Contestants in the March 3 primary describe their stances on Measure B, a solar energy measure that proposes putting photovoltaic cells on roofs and parking lots across Los Angeles.

NATIONAL NEWS

SunPower and PPL EnergyPlus Sign 10 Year Power Purchase Agreement for Renewable Energy Credits
Under the agreement, PPL EnergyPlus will purchase SRECs issued as a result of solar power generated at SunPower installations in the state. SunPower expects to use revenue from the sale of the SREC’s to finance the construction of approximately 2.5 megawatts of new solar power projects in New Jersey by 2010.

Industry Poised to Create 119,000 Jobs Over the Next two Years
Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) President & CEO Rhone Resch today issued the following statement upon hearing that a bipartisan agreement was reached by Congressional Conferees on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009:

WMECO to Launch Solar Energy Plan for Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) yesterday filed with the Department of Public Utilities a plan to implement an integrated, large-scale solar energy program in its service area that can begin to generate power from photovoltaic facilities as early as 2010.

Spire to Present at Piper Jaffray Clean Technology & Renewables Conference
At the conference, Mr. Roger Little, Chairman and CEO of Spire Corporation, will discuss Spire’s business strategy and review the company’s recent accomplishments.

Spire Selected to Provide Advanced Solar Simulator to TUV Rheinland
TÜV Rheinland of North America chooses the Spi-Sun SimulatorTM 4600 Single Long Pulse for integration into their new test laboratory established with ASU in Tempe, Arizona

Solar Panels to be Installed on New Rehoboth Official Building
In an effort to go green, the city has proposed a project to install solar panels on the new administration building, currently under construction on Rehoboth Avenue.

UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS

New Green Public Private Partnership to Produce Solar Energy in 2009
Conectiv Energy has announced that they intend to enter an agreement with the Vineland Municipal Electric Utility (VMEU) and the Landis Sewerage Authority (LSA) to create a public/private partnership focused on developing a green energy project, in the state of New Jersey.

MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH

Go East, Solar Companies
Asia’s dominance in producing solar cells and panels is expected to grow as more European and American companies set up factories while Asian companies do the same, says a new solar report from Greentech Media.

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

Congress Spares Energy Spending, Credits, in Compromise Stimulus Bill
The House and Senate have made a tentative deal on the stimulus bill, and plan to vote on a compromise version of the package today.

Udall Introduces 1st Bill in Senate
Sen. Tom Udall has introduced his first bill in the Senate. It would require utilities to generate 25 percent of their electricity from wind, solar and other renewable sources by 2025.

Timeline Revealed for DOE Loan Program: Don’t Get Your Hopes Up
In testimony before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, David Frantz said that while the program will begin disbursing loans this year, guarantees for projects that require environmental impact statements will not go through until 2010.

Rohrabacher Re-Introduces Emergency Solar Power Bill
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) has re-introduced H.R. 964 , The Emergency Solar Power
Permit Act, (H.R. 6527 during the 110th Congress) in response to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) effective freeze on approving solar project applications.

TECHNOLOGY

Dyesol & Cornus Present Performance Results
The dye solar cell integrated into steel roofing promises to be the first solar cell technology that can be grid competitive in the normal light conditions experienced in most cities around the world as compared to full sun conditions needed for other solar technologies.

Carmanah Parnters with Shin Micro to Combine Solar=Powered Marine Lanterns with AIS Technology
New integrated disconnect, plus an innovative wire raceway design, make the industry’s broadest, most reliable, line of US-made string inverters even easier to install.

Securify Your Solar Panels
Heliotex, a company based out of Palm Desert, CA has recently announced their solar panel security fasteners product line which stops thieves dead in their tracks by creating a lock and key bolt that only the owner can unscrew.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Moser Baer Thin Film Modules Now IEC Certified
The certification confirms that the thin-film modules to be produced at the plant in Greater Noida will meet IEC’s stringent requirements for functional and mechanical capabilities for long-term operation and safety specifications under challenging environmental conditions.

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