Source: WaterSupply.com, Jan 16, 2009
http://www.watersupply.com/articles/DOE_Awards_0128382-160109.html
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today that it has made three new technical assistance awards under the Solar America Showcases project, which is run by the Solar Energy Technologies Program. These awards provide technical assistance from solar energy experts to high-visibility, large-scale solar installations. (more…)
Residents can defer cost of installation
By Tanya Mannes Union-Tribune Staff Writer
Solana Beach, CA, January 20, 2009
Source: San Diego Union Tribune
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jan/20/
1m20solar23155-city-offers-solar-financing/
Edging ahead of San Diego, Solana Beach has become the first city in the region – and the third statewide – to launch a financing program that eventually will help homeowners and small businesses buy solar panels without paying the full price upfront. The program will allow residents to pay for the “clean energy” systems over 20 years, with interest, through their property tax bills. Solana Beach is part of a growing number of local governments trying to take advantage of Assembly Bill 811, a state solar law passed in July that authorizes cities and counties to establish the long-term payment plans. (more…)
by Alternative Energy Resource AER Staff, 06 January 2009 /Solar City
http://www.aer-online.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.2225
One Block off the Grid (1BOG), a San Francisco consumer advocacy group for residential renewable energy, and Foster City, Calif.-based SolarCity have announced a new community purchase program designed to extend special pricing and affordable financing options on residential solar systems to residents of the entire San Francisco Bay area. (more…)
Menlo Park, CA,
Source: ABCTV KGO TV -Local News
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/7_on_your_side&id=6482965
Lots of people would like to put solar panels on their homes, but find the investment is too great. But there is a way to do it without the big upfront costs. It can cost tens of thousands of dollars to buy a solar power system. But what if you could rent them instead? A Bay Area company lets you do just that, and possibly save you a lot of money along the way. Yvette and Steve Widdicombe enjoy their backyard swimming pool, but not the huge electric bills they got by running the pool pump. (more…)
Pueblo, Colorado, January 16, 2009
Source: Environmental News Service ENS
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2009/2009-01-16-094.asp
A new solar power system has been installed at Colorado State University-Pueblo that will provide more than 10 percent of the future power needs on campus. The 1.2-megawatt solar power system, one of the largest at an educational institution in the United States, will help the university control utility costs as prices and usage increase over time. The system was built on the east side of the Pueblo campus near the university’s physical plant complex and softball fields. The solar array covers 4.3 acres with more than 6,800 photovoltaic panels, and can generate about 1,800 megawatt hours of electricity per year. (more…)
The latest estimates from the Spanish government show that the new capacity added last year exceeded some expectations by as much as threefold.
by: Ucilia Wang, January 16, 2009
Source: GreenTechMedia.com
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/
spain-installed-more-than-3gw-of-solar-in-2008-5545.html
How big was the Spanish solar market in 2008? Three times bigger than many analysts have anticipated. Spain’s National Energy Commission (CNE) this week estimated that about 3.1 gigawatts of solar power were connected to the grid from January through November 2008, said Gordon Johnson, head of the alternative energy research at Hapoalim Securities in New York City. Since the Spanish program began, around 3.75 gigawatts have been installed there. (more…)
by Martin LaMonica, Indiana Wells, CA, January 21, 2009
Source: CNet News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10146968-54.html?tag=mncol;title
Pacific Gas & Electric, one of the country’s largest and most progressive utilities, will invest directly in solar power plants and solar panels distributed in different California communities. CEO Peter Darbee said the move represents the first time that PG&E–already a large purchaser of solar and other renewable energy technologies–will build and own solar installations. Right now, the utility purchases clean energy from third parties. (more…)
By Matt Nauman, 20 Jan 2009
Source: Sajn Jose Mercury News
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/
ci_11503149?nclick_check=1
Solar-industry executives paint a bright future for their industry, one where photovoltaic panels adorn roofs of homes and businesses and huge power plants capture the sun’s rays to generate electricity. But the industry currently finds itself under cloudy skies and buffeted by threatening winds. The solar tax credits approved late last year gave the industry a boost, and its leaders are hopeful for an even bigger boost by President Barack Obama, who has promised to promote clean technologies and energy alternatives to oil. But it’s far from clear just how much help will come, and when. (more…)
The juwi group commissions the next section of the 40-MW project in Brandis near Leipzig.
Brandis/Bolanden, Germany, February 22nd, 2008.
Source: Juwi Group press release
http://international.juwi.de/information/press/
008PRGridConnectionpartIIofBrandis2008_02.pdf
The juwi group based in Bolanden in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate (southwest Germany) set yet another milestone in the development of the world’s biggest photovoltaic power station. Today another section of the Waldpolenz energy park was commissioned. Now
with more than 12.7 megawatts (MW) of production capacity connected to the electricity network, it is the biggest solar power station in Germany. Located in Brandis, east of Leipzig, the juwi group is building a 40-MW solar park based on the most sophisticated thin-film technology. The park is due for completion by the end of 2009. By now some 17,500 steel posts have been put into place and nearly 5,000 aluminum sub-structures constructed which support more than 215,000 solar modules facing south.
Upon completion the solar power station located in the Muldentalkreis
district in the eastern German state of Saxony will generate approximately 40 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually, displacing about 25,000 tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) every year. “At a time when the whole world is discussing climate change we are demonstrating the capabilities of renewable energies,” says Matthias Willenbacher, co-head of the juwi group. “Solar electricity is not only good for the environment, it also builds independence from expensive energy imports and creates new jobs. Freestanding installations are an affordable segment of photovoltaics and contribute greatly to that success,” states Willenbacher.
As general contractor juwi is in charge of the planning, logistics and construction site management. The project is creating impetus for the regional and national labor market. During the construction phase up to 100 people, primarily from the region, are involved in the assembly of the Waldpolenz solar power park. Juwi employees are responsible for the operational management, service and maintenance of the park. Solar projects such as this one also create many jobs nationwide in related supplier sectors, such as the solar module, inverter and metal construction industries. Most of the 550,000 First Solar modules for this project, for instance, are being produced in Frankfurt (Oder) in eastern Germany. The inverters and sub-structures are also made in Germany.
Investment in the Waldpolenz solar park amounts to some !130 million. SachsenFonds GmbH has been offering owner’s equity of the project in the form of closed-end funds since late summer 2007. So inhabitants of the region also have the opportunity to participate in this unique project with investments starting at just 5,000. The juwi’s group philosophy is to produce solar electricity at competitive prices as quickly as possible. “With the Waldpolenz station we are demonstrating that there are no longer any limits to photovoltaics,” comments Willenbacher. The solar industry anticipates that in just 8 – 10 years solar electricity will have achieved grid parity, meaning that it will be equal in price or even cheaper than the regular
rates private consumers pay in their electricity bills. A key partner in this endeavor is world-leading thin-film technology company First Solar, which like juwi is actively pursuing speedy market penetration of solar electricity.
The innovativeness of this project is once again underscored by its selection as a designated site in 2008 in Germany’s “Land of Ideas” image campaign. “Germany – Land of Ideas” is an initiative co-sponsored by the German government and commerce and industry, represented by the Federation of German Industries (BDI). German President Horst Köhler is the patron of the initiative. Its mission is to convey positive arguments associated with Germany both at home and abroad and also to highlight the country’s strengths as a business location. The core message of all the campaign’s activities emphasizes “Germany’s leadership through inventiveness”. As part of the campaign juwi will host another open house at the Waldpolenz energy park on June 22nd, 2008. In all likelihood Germany’s Minister for Transport, Building and Urban Development, Wolfgang Tiefensee, will take part in the event.
The world’s largest solar power station at a glance:
Peak power: ca. 40,000 kilowatts
Module area: ca. 400,000 m²
c. 550,000 First Solar thin-film modules
Annual production: ca. 40 million kWh
(enough to serve more than 10,000 homes)
CO2 savings: ca. 25,000 t/year
Investment sum: ca. EUR 130 million
The Top Ten solar power stations in the world:
– Jumilla, Murcia, Spain; 20 MW
– Beneixama, Andalusia, Spain; 20 MW
– Nellis, Nevada, USA; 14 MW
– Salamanca, Spain; 13.8 MW
– Brandis, Saxony, Germany; 12.7 MW*
– Lobosillo, Murcia, Spain; 12.7 MW
– Arnstein, Bavaria, Germany; 12 MW
– Serpa, Alentejo, Portugal; 11 MW
– Pocking, Bavaria, Germany; 10 MW
– Milagro, Spain; 9.5 MW
Source: www.pvresources.com
(*: under construction)
Tokyo, Dec 24, 2008
Source: Reuters
Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Hugh Lawson
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4BN1U820081224
Japan plans to bring back subsidies for solar panel equipment from January, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Wednesday, as the world’s fifth-biggest emitter struggles to cut its greenhouse gas emissions. METI said the government would offer 9 billion yen ($99.6 million) in the first quarter of 2009 and possibly more in the fiscal year starting next April to foster use of solar panel equipment in homes. (more…)