Solar Cells Info

by Donna Kelly, 16 June 2009
Source. Hepburn Advocate
http://www.hepburnadvocate.com.au/news/local/news/
general/sun-sets-on-solar-rebate-for-hepburn-shire-residents/1542192.aspx

THE sudden scrapping of solar rebates caught environmentally aware residents on the hop last week. The Federal Government decided last Tuesday to end its $8000 rebate scheme for domestic solar PV installation – three weeks ahead of schedule.  Sustainable Hepburn Association Renewing the Earth spokeswoman Anneke Deutsch, who co-ordinated a solar panel bulk-buy offer on behalf of SHARE members, said there had been rumours that the offer was “over subscribed”. (more…)

Aerojet project will be one of the largest industrial installations in the U.S.
Roseville and Sacramento, CA, June 8, 2009
Source. Aerojet Press release
http://www.aerojet.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=173

Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE:GY) company, and Solar Power, Inc. (“SPI”)(OTCBB:SOPW) announced jointly today that they have entered into an agreement to build a 3.5 megawatt solar system at Aerojet’s Sacramento, California facility. The site is located within the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD).  This is the first solar system Aerojet has installed and it is a significant part of the company’s environmental and sustainability initiatives.  (more…)

By Jon Hurdle, Philadelphia, June 9, 2009
Source: Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE5586H920090609

U.S. demand for residential solar power installations is surging despite an economic recession, thanks to government financial incentives, some easing in credit availability, and increasing public recognition of its environmental benefits, industry executives said on Tuesday.  Companies represented at the PV America solar conference in Philadelphia said the volume of their installations as much as tripled in 2008 and they see further gains this year as more people recognize that they can cut their electricity bills by at least 15 percent with an array of solar panels installed on the roof of their homes. (more…)

Source: AFP, Berlin, 16 June 2009
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/
ALeqM5ixHsjUDBaiIC8irTabJOL7oGQsQA

German firms plan to club together next month to turn into reality a dream to generate electricity for Europe in the deserts of north Africa using solar power, a newspaper report said Tuesday.  The 20 or so firms will form on July 13 a consortium that aims to attract an enormous 400 billion euros (560 billion dollars) in investment in the project, known as Desertec, the Suedeutsche Zeitung daily reported.  It wants to place solar power installations in several countries in the region, provided they are politically stable, the paper said, quoting Torsten Jeworek, a board member of insurance giant and consortium head Munich Re. (more…)

Source: Honolulu Advisor.com, June 9, 2009
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/
20090609/GETPUBLISHED/906090355

A Honolulu resident became the 50,000th customer of Hawaiian Electric’s residential Solar Water Heating Rebate program announced Keith Block, director of the Oahu utility’s Customer Efficiency Programs. “It’s a significant milestone for the solar industry and for Hawaii as a state,” said Block, who has been involved in the utility’s rebate program since it debuted in 1996 on Oahu, Maui County and Hawaii Island. The 50,000 systems installed under the utilities’ programs combined with previously installed solar systems brings the total statewide to more than 80,000, making Hawaii a national leader with an estimated one out of three single-family homes equipped with solar water heating. (more…)

By Katie Howell and Greenwire, June 11, 2009
Source: New York Times.com
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/06/11/
11greenwire-technology-advances-price-retreats-spur-new-so-98429.html

Technology advances and falling prices for solar technology have opened the gates for solar installations by businesses with no background in electricity generation.  Real estate managers, developers, hotels, supermarkets and others are tapping solar power alongside electric utilities and getting paid for it.  Energy generation “is not our primary business, but it’s in our best interest,” said Mike Defferding, executive vice president of Forest City Military Communities, a developer. “There’s an economic incentive to make the jump to become an energy company.” (more…)

By Jennifer Kho June 9, 2009
Source: Green/New York Times
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/solar-showdown-looms-in-california/

Rooftop solarMax Whittaker for The New York Times Some critics in California say too much of this too soon could reduce the stability of the grid and raise costs for other customers.  Solar installations could grind to a halt in California, industry advocates say, unless a legislative proposal, which the state Senate is considering this month, passes.  Some opponents, including electrical and utility workers, disagree.

(more…)

Satcon 1 MW Solution Offers Largest Integrated Power Rating in the Industry
Boston, MA, May 21, 2009
Source: Satcon press release/BusinessWire
http://investor.satcon.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=385470

Satcon Technology Corporation (NASDAQ CM: SATC), a leading provider of utility-scale distributed power solutions for the renewable energy market, announced today the availability of the 1 MW PowerGate(R) Plus PV inverter, offering the largest power rating in the industry. The PowerGate Plus 1 MW unit is Satcon’s next generation of utility ready large scale solar power solutions and is built on a foundation of the world’s most field-tested and the proven PowerGate Plus inverter line. (more…)

Partners with SunPower and Castle & Cooke to Deliver 1.2 Megawatts on the Island of Lana’i
Boston, MA, May 28, 2009
Source: Satcon press release/BusinessWire
http://investor.satcon.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=386295

Satcon (NASDAQ CM: SATC), a leading provider of utility scale distributed power solutions for the renewable energy market, announced today that their industry leading PowerGate(R) Plus Spectrum micro grid solution has been selected to power La Ola Hawaii’s largest solar photovoltaic (PV) farm and Micro-Grid on the island of Lana’i. The 1.2 megawatt (MW) installation sits on a 10 acre site in south Lana’i on the Palawai Basin and is the first solar photovoltaic power plant to be controlled remotely by a utility, Maui Electric Company, Ltd. (MECO). (more…)

Teams with Johnson Controls to Deliver More than 1.1 Million Annual Kilowatt Hours of Solar Power to the Orange County Convention Center
Boston, MA, June 16, 2009
Source: Satcon press release/BusinessWire
http://investor.satcon.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=389898

Satcon (NASDAQ CM: SATC), a leading provider of utility scale distributed power solutions for the renewable energy market, announced today that it has installed four 250 kilowatt (kW) PowerGate(R) Plus inverters at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), the largest solar rooftop installation in the southeast of the United States. The Orange County Convention Center 1.1 megawatt rooftop monocrystalline PV system occupies 200,000 square feet and was designed and built by Johnson Controls Inc, a global multi-industrial leader in energy efficiency, sustainability and renewable energy.
(more…)