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.
Utilities Continue to Drive Solar Expansion
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 […]
Groups sue to stop California solar plant
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.
San Diego solar factory moves to Tijuana
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.
Cash incentives for renewables are twice as effective as tax credits
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 […]
How are Homeowners and Businesses Paying for Solar Energy Systems?
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. […]
Solar PV Boosts the Sales Price of California Homes
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 […]
California solar has a sunny week
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 […]
Experts: Solar Installations Expected to Surge as Cost of Solar Declines
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 Completes Phase One of Nation’s Largest Solar Carport Installation, Announces Expansion of Phase Two
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 […]
