CA Solar News

In 2006, the Californian legislature passed the sweeping California Solar Initiative, allocating over $2 billion for rebates targeting residential and commercial solar systems. The initiative’s original goal was to expand California’s solar infrastructure by 1,940 megawatts of electrical generating capacity. Last May, all but 477 megawatts of solar capacity had been claimed. At that rate, [...]

California is the Sunshine State, and it only makes sense to try and switch over to as much solar power as possible. So, in order to tempt businesses and homeowners to try and generate more solar power, California solar incentives have been created, such as the California solar rebates that are offered by the California [...]

Californians have been leaders in answering the call for renewable energy. The quest for green energy solutions has been met with solar companies in San Diego and the surrounding area offering some of the best deals for solar energy systems around. Many of these companies offer comprehensive services that include assessment, design and installation. Many [...]

There is a competitive market for solar companies in Los Angeles. Here are some of the best Los Angeles solar companies and what makes each one stand out above the rest. Mimeos Solar – This company is considered on of the top solar companies in Los Angeles due to the follow through of the owner [...]

California is the nationwide leader in consumer-generated solar power as a result of its ambitious solar program, the California Solar Initiative. The initiative is part of the largest solar campaign in the United States, called Go Solar California, and it provides incentives to California residents for installing California solar systems. The program is administered by [...]

For quite some time now, California electric bills have been extremely high. These costs have taken a toll on households and dealing with the additional expense has been quite a burden. There are some ways to lower electric bills and make things a bit more affordable. Below are some tips that will help lower California [...]

There is no denying it. If you live inside the state of California, chances are you probably have seen your monthly service charge go through the roof, each and every time you pay the electric bill. California is actually the most expensive state in the US when it comes to electricity, even higher than Alaska [...]

Apple excels at creating value for investors The late Steve Jobs made Apple the top Northern California company based on value created for investors, according to a Pepperdine University business school study released Wednesday. Thomas H. Werner of SunPower Corp. was last on the CEO list, as his company showed a drop of $333 million [...]

The Obama administration is moving to streamline development of large-scale solar projects on public lands. California will be a big player as a host and a consumer of solar-generated electricity. Read More: Expediting solar on public lands

A place to cut corners on outgoing expenses is to consider the installation of solar energy for electricity in your home. A solar system adds value to your home, reduces electric costs, and locks in your kWh price for electricity. Solar energy is also considered a green energy which allows for tax incentives at both [...]

With summer’s high temperatures come higher energy bills. The cost to cool your home can double and sometimes triple your bill. There are several things you can do to lower your monthly electric bill. Check Your Thermostat Most of us just flip the switch to get the air conditioner running when the temperatures rise but [...]

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have developed a transparent film that may be affixed to glass and other surfaces to capture sunlight and generate electricity. Read More: Clear Solar Film Means Power From Windows for IPads, UCLA Says

Despite a huge pot of incentive dollars available for commercial and residential solar hot water, California’s entire CSI Thermal program remains cloudy. That is, while there has been some limited success in the Northern California commercial program, the rebate remains in its earliest (and richest) step one phase for both residential and commercia Read More: [...]

BrightSource Energy Inc., the U.S. solar-thermal developer, was the top bidder at an auction today in Delaware to buy an unbuilt California power plant proposed by the bankrupt Solar Trust of America LLC. Read More: BrightSource Wins Bid for Solar Trust’s 500-Megawatt Project

A California-based solar panel manufacturer that received a half-billion dollar loan from the federal government before filing for bankruptcy protection is close to filing a proposal for what to do next. Read More: Solyndra close to filing bankruptcy plan

A bill to create feed-in tariffs for the poor and the disadvantaged passed the California Assembly on 30 May 2012. Read More: California Feed-in Tariff for Poor Communities Passes Assembly

California net-metering gained a resounding victory on Thursday when the state’s Public Utilities Commission voted 5-0 to accept a proposal that clarifies how utilities should measure the net-metering cap. Read More: California PUC Rules in Favor of Net-Metering

Californians have sent nearly 60,000 messages asking the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to ensure continued access to the state’s net metering program. That’s pretty impressive for a wonky policy that rarely sees the light of day outside of regulatory proceedings and hearing rooms. Read More: 60,000 Californians Urge CPUC Action on Net Metering

A beautiful time-lapse video taken by a math instructor in Redding, California of yesterday’s solar eclipse. Read More: Incredible Video of Solar Eclipse Reveals Details of the Sun

The deepest partial solar eclipse in a generation is headed to Southern California this weekend. What’s the best way to view it? Where are the best places to go? Check out this Q&A below. Read More: Solar eclipse 2012: The best place to view it in California?

Free Hot Water often highlights California’s generous subsidies for solar hot water installations, but it’s not the only state committed to solar water heating. Arizona’s utilities all offer different — but valuable — solar hot water incentives for both residential and commercial installations. Of course, these are Read More: A Review of Arizona’s Generous Utility [...]

As California pushes the leading edge of renewable energy adoption in the United States, it’s also approaching new legal hurdles that are slowly beginning to define the roles that solar developers and utilities will play in the year ahead. Read More: From Deserts to Rooftops: Solar’s California Battleground

Emerging Australian company CBD Energy has an agreement in place to acquire California-based Westinghouse Solar in an all-stock deal that will give the company better access to the growing American solar market. Read More: Australia’s CBD Acquires Westinghouse Solar; CEO Out

When California funded the CSI Solar Thermal program in 2010, part of the funding included a carve-out for marketing the program and educating the public about solar hot water’s benefits to consumers and businesses. That public awareness program finally launched on Earth Day. The first step was a media release that outlines the CSI Thermal [...]

The good people at the Vote Solar Initiative and SEIA need about a minute of your time, and believe me, that minute will be well spent. If you already know about California’s net-metering ticking clock, just click here now before it’s too late. If you don’t know what’s happening, read on: There’s a little solar [...]

It’s a daunting reality, yet one that’s been years in the making. And it’s a scenario that’s shaping up from the wind-swept coasts of California to the solar rooftops of New Jersey. The renewables industries — all of them — are not only approaching a subsidy cliff. They already have one foot dangling over the [...]

Once again, California is leading the way for solar hot water with a new solar thermal incentive, this time for low-income single-family properties and multi-family dwellings. California’s original CSI Thermal rebate program was introduced in 2010 and is perhaps the most generous solar water heating rebate program in the United States, off Read More: California [...]

In November, the California Appellate Court upheld a trial court decision that homeowners improperly installed a solar energy facility on their home in contravention of the community’s covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs). As more and more single-family residences have sought to take advantage of affordable solar installations, they have been aided in their goal by [...]

As California continues to inch toward its 33 percent renewables target, a particularly contentious battle over the future of net-metering could soon be finding a resolution. Read More: PUC May Decide California’s Fight Over Net-Metering

SolFocus announced the launch of Mexico’s first 50 MW solar power plant in Baja California, a joint project between Mexico’s Grupo Musa, and US-based Synergy Technologies and SolFocus. Though Mexico’s renewable energy sector has historically focused more on wind energy, the launch of this new solar power plant opens the doors to new solar energy [...]

Southern California Edison has won approval to modify a photovoltaic program that won praise for its intent to promote distributed, rooftop generation when it received the initial thumbs-up from state regulators in 2009. With the changes, though, the utility will look for larger and more ground-mounted projects and scale back the plan to build some [...]

Which would you rather have- a closet or a solar panel? A builder in California makes some interesting choices. Read More: Sunia Homes Are Modern, Affordable and An Interesting Demonstration of Changing Priorities

Burbank Water & Power opens a sustainable power plant campus as a model for re-adapting industrial sites from water reclamation to solar Read More: California Utility Opens First Sustainable Campus as Model Utility Site

Energy Department Announces Student Teams, New Location for Solar Decathlon 2013 U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the 20 collegiate teams selected to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 and unveiled the competition’s location, the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. Read More: Energy Department Announces Student Teams, [...]

Sen. Barbara Boxer on Thursday urged Southern California Edison to expedite interconnection agreements with national parks and forests, where renewable energy projects have been sitting idle for years while federal agencies wrangle with the utility. Read More: Boxer urges Edison to hook up to publicly funded solar projects

Early indications are that 2011 will be the strongest year ever for solar installations, although not quite as strong as most people believed. For the third quarter of 2011, solar installations in the U.S. were approximately 449.2 megawatts which was an increase of almost 40% over the prior quarter, 324.3 megawatts, according to Solar Energy [...]

A promising ray of sun shines down on the solar industry in California. Warren Buffet, in the guise of MidAmerican Energy Holdings, recently entered into an agreement to invest $2-billion in a photovoltaic farm. Buffet’s vote of confidence in the solar energy segment of the fuel industry speaks volumes about its projected success. The 550-megawatt [...]

Think solar is only for the 1%? Not so fast. New data from California shows that two thirds of solar PV installations from 2009 to 2011 were in zip codes with median household incomes between $40,000 and $84,000, according to analysis from PV Solar Report and SunRun. Read More: Solar For the 99%? Two Thirds [...]

Energy Secretary Steven Chu fiercely defended a $535 million government-backed loan guarantee to failed solar panel manufacturer Solyndra today, and denied GOP lawmakers’ charges that the California firm won the financing because of its political connections. Read More: Chu denies political considerations in Solyndra loan

Should consumers pay more for renewable energy in order to promote a certain technology? That’s an interesting question raised by California regulators on Thursday, when they approved what they acknowledged to be a pricey contract for Abengoa Solar to sell power to Pacific Gas & Electric. Read More: California Approves Solar Contract Despite High Cost

Solyndra, after given a controversial $535 million federal loan guarantee went bust casting a shadow over the solar industry. As in many, the debate is weighting more over political issues. Two questions are at the center of the debate.  Whether the loan given was optimal stimulus policy and whether it was a sound investment in [...]

California has installed enough rooftop solar panels to generate more than 1 gigawatt of electricity, a milestone only five countries worldwide have reached. And California has the potential to add perhaps 79 gigawatts… Read More: State’s solar energy output reaches milestone

One report says California is making great strides in residential energy, while another study says growth will do little to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. California is on track to meet an ambitious goal of putting solar panels on up to 3 million Golden State homes by 2016, according to a new report by an [...]

In perhaps the first sign of a changing relationship, China’s largest solar developer told international reporters on Monday that it was delaying plans to develop $500 million of solar projects in California, Texas and New Jersey. Read More: Asia Report: China Developer Puts U.S. Solar Plans on Hold

Array Technologies has announced the first shipment of solar tracking systems for a utility-scale PV project in southern Sacramento County, California. The New Mexico-based manufacturer is providing horizontal, single-axis trackers and ground-mount racks for the 50 MW DC installation being developed by Recurrent Energy for Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Developer Recurrent Energy is using Swinerton [...]

California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. visited the new headquarters of SunEdison yesterday, to mark the company’s decision to establish its world headquarters in the state. The company, currently headquartered in Maryland, has decided to make the move following actions by Governor Brown and the state Legislature to create a friendlier business environment in California. [...]

Solar power firm SolarCity is to develop a 1.6-megawatt solar power project spread among five school district sites in California. The project for the Chico Unified School District was announced along with the launch of SolarChico on Friday, a collaborative community initiative offering residents and businesses discounts on solar power. SolarCity will also donate a [...]

Energy Department Finalizes $646 Million Loan Guarantee to Support Innovative Solar Power Plant Project Funds Hundreds of Jobs in California and Deploys Innovative Technologies that Improve Efficiency and Reliability of Solar Power Read More: Energy Department Finalizes $646 Million Loan Guarantee to Support Innovative Solar Power Plant

Energy Department Finalizes Loan Guarantee to Support California Solar Generation Project California project expected to fund over 550 jobs and generate clean, renewable solar power Read More: Energy Department Finalizes Loan Guarantee to Support California Solar Generation Project

Amidst intense scrutiny of the Department of Energy’s loan guarantee program via the Solyndra scandal, September has still emerged as critical for a series of solar companies that hope to close federal loan guarantees and start construction on solar farms by the end of the month. First Solar, for one, received the final permit for [...]

In a potentially damaging move for San Diego solar customers, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has recently asked permission to bill its customers for the use of its electric grid. The goal is to effectively unbundle grid use from the cost of electricity through a “network use charge” that would be based on the [...]

FREMONT, California (Reuters) – California political leaders chose a site near the headquarters of Solyndra to kick off hearings on how the state’s growing cleantech industry can proceed in the wake of that solar company’s dramatic collapse. The solar industry is especially reeling now that its stand-out champion, First Solar Inc, just ousted its boss [...]

SACRAMENTO — One in every four solar energy jobs in America is held by a Californian, and growth in the clean-tech industry is burgeoning nationwide, a new study said. In August, California had an estimated 25,575 solar-related jobs out of 100,237 for all 50 states, according to the National Solar Jobs Census 2011. The census [...]

Recently, the PV Solar Report released findings that indicated the top cities for solar power in California in 2011. From first to fifth, the results were as follows: San Jose, San Diego, Bakersfield, San Francisco and Fresno. What is interesting is that other than San Diego, all of the top cities are in Northern California. [...]

Despite the high-profile collapse of Solyndra, the Bay Area’s solar industry continues to grow. Case in point: SunEdison, a worldwide developer of large solar-power projects, is moving its headquarters from Maryland to Belmont. Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday joined the company at its new home, a formerly vacant office building that will hold more than [...]

A news release was recently issued on California’s 10 leading residential solar cities. The information was released by solar company SunRun, citing data compiled from its PV Solar Report. The list of top solar cities list is based on the California Solar Initiative’s (CSI) database of residential rebate reservations through August 31, 2011. Of interest, in [...]

The heads of some California solar companies spoke out about the recent Solyndra scandal and its effect on the industry. They claimed the solar industry is going strong – despite the failure of the company that received a $25 million state tax break and hundreds of millions in federal government-backed loans. Arno Harris is the [...]

(Reuters) – Second-quarter U.S. installations of photovoltaic solar panels rose 17 percent from the previous quarter as increases in non-residential and utility-scale projects offset a weakened residential solar market. Installations were also up 69 percent from the same period the previous year at 314 megawatts, according to a report released on Tuesday by industry trade [...]

Solyndra’s demise is continuing to have ripple effects throughout the solar energy industry. Just last week, the FBI raided the company’s Fremont, CA headquarters further ratcheting up the political fall out over Solyndra’s bankruptcy. With the public and Republican opponents focused on the Obama administration’s role in approving a $500 million loan to Solyndra, the [...]

California Governor Jerry Brown is expected to sign a bill that simplifies the permitting process for solar photovoltaic projects and may prompt developers to reconsider solar-thermal plants, which aren’t included in the legislation. According to Senate Bill 267, which Brown has until Nov. 9 to sign, photovoltaic projects will no longer be required to demonstrate [...]

Senior U.S. Democrats urged the Obama administration and Congress to take action against Chinese trade policies they said are unfairly hurting America’s environmental technology sector and making it harder to create jobs. “China is systematically deploying an arsenal of trade distorting policies to corner the global market in green technology products, whether it be electric [...]

The announcement this week from solar pv manufacturer, Solyndra, that they will enter bankruptcy has received a great deal of press and consternation from solar advocates throughout the country, including an intense amount of speculation about what went wrong. After learning more about Solyndra’s product and the pv manufacturing market in general, I think a [...]

The popularity of the city’s solar rebate program, combined with tax incentives, forced its closure even before the fiscal year began, officials said, meaning property owners will have to wait until next year to apply. John Joyce, who manages the Solar Support Program at Burbank Water and Power, said it was the first time the [...]

Abundant sunshine has made Southern California one of the brightest markets for residential solar power in the country. Some might say too bright. Encouraged by federal tax credits and a municipal rebate, so many Los Angeles residents sought to add rooftop solar panels at the start of the year that the Department of Water and [...]

The nation’s largest solar photovoltaic installation on a government-sponsored affordable housing project was recently unveiled in Santa Barbara County. The ambitious project encompasses 21 sites around the coastal California county, with installations involving 250 separate structures, five municipal permitting jurisdictions and three utilities. The combined 2 megawatts of PV capacity will be owned and operated by [...]

It seems like the ultimate in green technology for an emissions-savvy citizen of the 21st century: solar panels on your roof, providing carbon dioxide-free electricity whenever the sun is shining. But as huge utility-scale solar and wind projects continue to make news and the economy continues to struggle, the state of the residential solar sector [...]

Via SolarMosaic.com More good news in solar: the California Solar Schools program recently unveiled its plans to connect K-12 and state colleges with solar panel installations. While the project will save the state $1.5 billion in energy costs, it will also help California students access professional opportunities in the solar industry. This project is a [...]

Via Electroiq US PV installations will spike 166% in 2011 to 2.4GW, doubling the 80% growth seen in 2010, with California leading the way, according to new reports from IHS iSuppli. The number of PV installations will climb 25% this year to 49,000, according to the firm. Ground-mount installs make up a little more than [...]

Via Bloomberg U.S. government support for renewable energy may plunge from record levels, setting back the use of wind and solar power before they can compete on their own with oil, gas and coal. Direct spending, tax breaks and research funding pushed federal renewable-energy subsidies to $14.7 billion in 2010, according to Alan Beamon, director [...]

By Energy Matters California’s massive push for solar and related support will see many of the state’s K-12 schools and higher education institutions installing solar panels – and saving approximately $1.5 billion in electricity costs over 30 years. U.S. solar panel maker SunPower has partnered with the California School Boards Association to establish a Solar [...]

By: Todd Woody – Green Wombat at Forbes.com It doesn’t exactly mark the Age of Aquarius, but amid the partisan rancor paralyzing Washington, two Republicans and a Democrat have joined forces to introduce legislation to revive a popular residential solar financing program scuttled by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac last year. Called Property Assessed Clean [...]

Solar in Southern California just received another boost. After shutting down its solar incentive program in April, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest municipal utility, has announced that it will restart its solar incentive program once again. LADWP initially shutdown its solar program in April is it was overwhelmed with applications [...]

Why should have all the fun on the water? That’s the idea behind designer new , the Float, which he designed for students and young professionals. The craft is designed for relaxing: up to 4 passengers can recline on a mesh hammock material that is supposed to mimic the feel of sitting on the beach. [...]

Photo: . 2 Concentrating Solar Project in California Google isn’t the only one in . The U.S. Department of Energy has just announced new conditional loan guarantees that should inject about $2 billion into two large-scale solar thermal projects…. … Source: DOE Awards $2 Billion Loans to Double Concentrating Solar Capacity in the US.

By Mark Pabst, San Francisco Utilities continue to be a major driving force behind the expansion of solar generated electric power in the United States according to a recently released report by the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA). In 2010 the ten utilities with the highest number of megawatts generated collectively accounted for 561 megawatts [...]

LOS ANGELES – Two conservation groups and a California resident have sued to stop construction of a SunPower Corp solar power plant, saying the project would harm the rural area’s wildlife, air quality and natural beauty.   Sa… Source: Groups sue to stop California solar plant.

A Spanish firm which once employed 130 people assembling solar panels in Otay Mesa has moved manufacturing to Tijuana…. Source: San Diego solar factory moves to Tijuana.

by John Farrell. This post originally appeared on , a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s . Using the tax code rather than cash incentives to support wind and solar power costs ratepayers significantly more. because project developers were selling their federal tax credits to third parties at 50 to 70 cents on the [...]

Editor’s Note: This entry has been cross-posted from . We commonly think that the sun provides free energy. That’s true, but photovoltaic panels and other equipment to harvest that energy aren’t free. The question is: how are they paid for? U.S. residential and commercial solar system customers have historically paid the old-fashioned way: with cash. [...]

A recent report by the Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) provides the latest and greatest evidence that the addition of solar panels on homes increases the resale value of these homes. The LBNL analyzed date from the sale of over 72,000 homes in 31 California counties from 2000 through mid-2009, approximately 2,000 [...]

by Todd Woody. It’s only Tuesday but two milestones have been reached this week in the long march toward a carbon-free future. On Monday, BrightSource Energy became the first solar power plant developer to complete the financing of a large-scale project in two decades. The United States Department of Energy finalized a $1.6 billion loan [...]

Solar industry executives expect the number of solar installations across the U.S. to surge over the next two years as the cost of solar comes down. Bloomberg New Energy Finance recently estimated that photovoltaic projects will cost $1.45 a watt to build by 2020, half the current price. Electricity from coal costs about 7 cents [...]

SunWize Systems, the premier installation group of SunWize Technologies, Inc., announced today it has completed the first phase of the nation’s largest solar carport for the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) at its Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ. SunWize will offer a free solar tour on the VA grounds of the [...]

The popular (CSI) program, which provides rebates for solar installations or pays for solar energy generated from installations, has been so popular among residents, businesses and public agencies that it is set to run out of money sooner than expected. What will happen if state lawmakers decide not to extend funding for the program? Aside [...]

California has led the country in solar policy and solar rooftop installations, but keeping its lead won’t be easy. It will take more public money, for one thing, and that could be a tough pitch to make in light of the state’s big budget shortfall. The president of the California Public Utilities Commission, Michael Peevey, [...]

The electric grid wasn’t designed for a million solar roofs. It was designed to work with big power plants, substations and wires leading to every house and business and for the power in those wires to flow from the generation plant to the customer. But what happens when the customer is the generation plant? And [...]

If you’re a residential customer of Southern California Edison (SCE), you’ve got more than SoCal’s sunny days to be happy about. You’re also sitting on what is arguably the state’s best solar rebate. Here’s the deal. In 2006, the state’s public utilities commission launched the California Solar Initiative (CSI), a multi-year program aimed at providing [...]

In 2002, California adopted a Renewable Portfolio Standard which required that 20% of California‘s electricity come from renewable resources by 2010. On top of all of this, in November of 2008, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed California Executive Order S-14-08 which requires “all retail sellers of electricity [to] serve 33 percent of their load with [...]