Rise & Shine: December 15, 2008
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
Solar Financier SunRun Steps into Roof-Integrated Solar Market
SunRun, a San Francisco-based startup that finances solar power systems for homeowners, has formed a partnership with contractor OCR Solar & Roofing, which could help expand the market for roof-integrated solar systems.
Solar Power: A Growing Sunsation in Fresno
Orders for solar panels are going through the roof as homeowners and businesses begin to see the sunlight.
New Ferry Has Solar Panels and a Sonar Whale Director
The ferry built for the Water Emergency Transportation Authority carries two solar panels.
Greek Power Plant to Use New Solar Technology
SolFocus is announcing a deal to help build a 1.6-megawatt concentrating PV power plant in Greece.
NATIONAL NEWS
First Solar Panels Piling Up?
ThinkEquity analyst believes there’s a surplus of low-cost panels from First Solar out there. That could spell trouble for crystalline silicon panel makers as well.
Solar Credit May Be Broader
Homeowners in Anne Arundel County, Maryland could receive another push to go green next year if the County Council approves a tax credit for solar panels.
Up on the Roof, New Jobs in Solar Power
Move over, Joe the Plumber. Spencer the Solar Panel Installer is here. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, based in Washington, there was a 45 percent increase in installed solar energy systems in 2007 over 2006.
The Green Standard
Come January, Connecticut will become the second state, after California, to begin turning its building code green. Points are assigned to various features, like locating the project close to public transportation, landscaping with plants that dont require irrigation systems or installing solar panels.
Solar May Join Ethanol at Riverview Business Park
Solar Array Ventures, a Texas-based company, is looking for a location for a new plant. The Riverview Business Park, the former Miller Brewing facility and home to Northeast Biofuels, is among the finalists for a location for the new plant.
Clarksville Selected for Factory
A Michigan manufacturer has selected an industrial site in Clarksville, Tenn., for a multibillion-dollar expansion project that could represent the largest investment in Tennessee history and position the state as a major player in the solar technology industry.
UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
Renting Rooftops for Solar Power
Some big utility companies are looking at projects using more renewable energy. Some are investing in solar on the rooftops of their customers’ homes.
MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Solar Panel Demand Strong in 2009: Report
Research group The Information Network predicts that: The solar panel market will reach only 7.1 GWatts in 2009, equivalent to a global growth rate of 26%, down 48% in 2008. Panel prices will likely fall between 20-to-30%in 2009 as global supply of polysilicon doubles.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Green is the New Color of Lobbying
Lobbyists for scores of green companies see the stimulus plan as a ripe opportunity. The American Wind Energy Association and the Solar Energy Industries Association want to require as much as 20% of the nation’s electricity to come from renewable sources.
TECHNOLOGY
Bryce Fastener Products Protect Against Solar Panel Theft
Bryce Fastener Inc., Gilbert, Ariz., is now offering the Key-Rex and Pent Nut - two patented locking-system products that protect solar panels from theft and tampering.
Fronius Inverter Receives Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Award
Fronius International GmbH has been awarded the Frost & Sullivan 2008 Best Practices Award for its development of the Fronius IG Plus PV inverter series, as well as for its outstanding service.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Concentrix Solar Inaugurates Concentrator PV Manufacturing Plant
Concentrix Solar today officially inaugurated its new concentrator PV manufacturing plant. Concentrix Solar GmbH was founded in February 2005 as a spin-off company of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, Germany.
Bosch, Ersol Planning Solar Manufacturing Expansion in Germany
With a EUR 530 million investment through 2012, the Bosch Group and ersol Solar Energy AG are expanding manufacturing capacity for crystalline solar cells and modules in Arnstadt, Germany.
Are you in California and interested in solar for your home? Call us at 877.SUN.MOJO or visit our website to learn more.