SEIA Solar Update

Study: Distributed solar energy provides $34 million in benefits to Arizona ratepayers

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

A study shows that distributed solar generation and net energy metering will provide Arizona Public Service customers with $34 million in annual benefits. The study was commissioned by the Solar Energy Industries Association and was authored by Tom Beach of Crossborder Energy.

California towns pass law requiring new buildings to have solar panels

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

Two towns in California have passed laws requiring newly built homes to install solar panels. California is already a solar-power-friendly state, currently ranked first in the country with the most solar jobs (third highest per capita) by the Solar Foundation. Is mandating green energy the wave of the future?

Hyundai Motor plans 'largest' rooftop PV array at Asan Factory

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company is planning to install what it claims will be the nation’s largest rooftop photovoltaic power plant at its manufacturing factory in Asan, in South Chungcheong Province. Korea Electric Power Corporation will purchase the electricity generated from the 10-megawatt plant and sell it to areas near the plant, including Asan city.

Solar power industry sees bright future in Massachusetts

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

Sometime this summer, what had been 17 acres of useless space atop a capped landfill on Holyoke Street in Ludlow, Mass., will start generating 2.7 megawatts of power with solar panels. And sometime this fall, kiosks in each of the Ludlow's schools will start showing students in real time just how much power the landfill solar array is generating and how that energy gets translated into dollars, said James "Chip" Harrington, chairman of Ludlow's solar energy project and chairman of the Ludlow School Committee.

Bill to phase out solar energy tax credits in Louisiana

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

When the state of Louisiana passed a tax break designed to encouraged solar energy, they got more than they bargained for, losing out on almost $40 million in tax revenue in just a three year period. But proposed legislation could soon end that break. House Bill 705 is on the path to phase out Louisiana's solar energy tax credit program.

Solar power: The next energy step in Minnesota?

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

Minnesota could soon take another step ahead in the transition to renewable energy. The state's utilities already are replacing coal-fired power plants with windmills, prompted by the state's landmark 2007 Next Generation Energy Act. Partly as a result, the state has a healthy wind power industry. To continue the renewable energy effort, state legislators have introduced bills in the House and Senate that would increase the use of solar systems in homes and businesses.

Los Angeles utility to seek bids for 250 megawatts of solar power

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

Los Angeles' power utility, which serves about 1.5 million customers, will seek bids from developers for 250 megawatts of solar power to comply with a California requirement to get 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the end of 2016. The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power plans to issue a request for proposals in June, said Anh Wood, who manages three of the utility's solar development programs. Its board may approve contracts in the first quarter of 2014, she said.

Solar energy investment attractiveness of Sunbelt countries

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

The solar investment attractiveness of a country is based on many factors. Some important ones are the overall investment attractiveness of a country, solar policies in the country and the natural solar power potential of a country. Putting these figures together, here is a solar photovoltaic investment attractiveness index for Sunbelt countries created by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association.

Better batteries could revolutionize solar, wind power

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

The battle to build a better battery is intensifying as the United States and other countries, faced with growing global demand for electricity and a need to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that worsen climate change, look to expand carbon-free renewable energy such as wind and solar.

Photovoltaic panels beating other technologies

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

Photovoltaic panels appears to be the winning technology among large-scale solar energy developers. Photovoltaic panels make direct current electricity, which goes to an inverter that turns it into grid-ready alternating current.

Generating solar power on unusable industrial park land

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

Tennessee solar energy developer Vis Solis Inc. and the German Energy Agency recently dedicated its first U.S. solar project with several well-known officials.

California council votes to require solar power on new homes, buildings

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

Sebastopol, Calif., burnished its liberal credentials by becoming the second city in the state to require solar power systems on new homes and commercial buildings.

Renewable energy standards face challenge from fossil fuel interests

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

A funny thing is happening on the way to conservative attacks on solar energy. Some conservatives are championing renewable energy over fossil fuel interests. The reason is simple: It's called employment.

First-of-its-kind solar energy plant being built in Tri-States area

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

Solar power in the Tri-States: it's not the future, it's happening now. A first of its kind solar electric facility is being built in Scott County. Officials recently broke ground south of Winchester, Ill., on a $1.8 million solar plant. The Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative says about 2,500 solar panels will be installed over four acres.

Solar power installation on sailboat 'Groovy'

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

A sailboat named "Groovy" has been equipped with a solar power system that powers the boat’s refrigerator, freezer, laptops, a 22-inch television, a stereo and more — and this isn't the couple's first solar-powered mobile home.

Dowa boosts silver output to meet Japan's post-quake solar demand

16 May 2013 12:20:19 CDT

Dowa Holdings Co., Japan's biggest silver producer, will raise output 40 percent this year to meet solar-cell demand after the 2011 Fukushima disaster crippled a nuclear power plant and sent fossil fuel costs higher. The Tokyo-based company plans to produce 500 metric tons of silver in the year that began April 1 from 357 tons in the previous year, said Hiromitsu Takagi, manager of the strategic planning and public relations department at Dowa Holdings. That would be the most since 2006, the company said.