Solar Power and Natural Gas Join Forces in Florida

March 12, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment

The Martin Next Generation Solar Center represents a breakthrough in solar-natural gas relations, or at least a way to make a brown fossil fuel plant a bit greener. Florida Power and Light (FPL), a utility already known for its advancements in wind, solar power and energy efficiency, is building the 75-megawatt concentrating solar thermal plant [...]

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Window-Mount Solar Lamps Meet Modern Design

March 12, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment

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Welcome to the suction cup era of solar lighting. Just last month, we discovered the PowerPlus Spider Solar Light that uses a triad of suction cups to stick to a south-facing window, providing solar-powered LED lighting at night. Turns out that was only the diminutive preamble, as this week we find the Saint Clair Lamp, [...]

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Where in the World is Our National RES?

March 11, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment

Four democratic senators have introduced an initiative urging the Obama administration to suspend a U.S. Treasury grant program formed under the Recovery Act. The program enables renewable energy producers to receive grants in lieu of Investment Tax Credit payments, essentially providing valuable financing up-front rather than over a number of tax years. That program has [...]

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Wal-Mart to Settle Lawsuits by Going Solar

March 11, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment

With an ambitious goal of being 100-percent renewable-powered, Wal-Mart wants to be a green company — but apparently on its own terms. The company has been fighting for more than two years against a pair of lawsuits that demanded that two planned stores get greener. The Center for Biological Diversity and a handful of other [...]

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Solar Power Under Attack in Arizona

March 10, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment

Last week, Big Solar exercised some of its growing clout by killing an anti-solar bill in the Arizona legislature. Here’s what happened: state Republican senator Debbie Lasko introduced a bill that would have gutted Arizona’s renewable portfolio standard as we know it. Thankfully, a threat by Chinese solar giant Suntech Power Holdings to withdraw plans [...]

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Chicago to Launch Nation’s Largest Smart Grid Energy Pilot Program

March 10, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment

The ins and outs of tomorrow’s energy grid will be tested on an unprecedented scale in Chicago. Local utility ComEd, a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, will use $5 million in Recovery Act funding to institute the program, which will initially outfit 8,000 homes with advanced smart meters in order to test how well consumers manage [...]

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SolarWorld Inks Deal in Qatar, Joins Heavy Push for Middle Eastern Solar Investment

March 9, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment

SolarWorld has climbed on-board the new venture investment called Qatar Solar Technologies. Headquartered in Qatar, this will be the first production facility for polysilicon technologies on the Arabian Peninsula. The plant will have an annual production capacity of around 3,600 tons of high-purity polysilicon during its first stage in 2012.

This investment stems from a [...]

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Free Publication: How Do “Green” Claims Affect the Building Products Industry?

March 9, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment

Intertek is now offering a free white paper called, “Green” Revolution: What does it mean to the building products industry? This paper covers the challenges manufacturers face when they make “green” claims about their products, and how to eliminate potential pitfalls in the process. The paper stems from increased public scrutiny in the wake of [...]

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SolarWorld Enters Landmark Partnership with Portland Soccer Team

March 8, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment

SolarWorld, the largest solar manufacturer in the United States, has entered a landmark deal to be the primary jersey sponsor of the Portland Timbers, a professional soccer team in Portland, Oregon. Soccer, the most dominant sport in the world (outside of North America), is nothing new to SolarWorld, but the deal with the Timbers marks [...]

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Controversial “Anti-Solar” Bill Yanked After Industry Uprising in Arizona

March 8, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment

Members and supporters of Arizona’s fledgling solar industry are breathing a sigh of relief after a bill was withdrawn that would have revised the state’s renewable portfolio standard. Just last year, Arizona passed landmark legislation creating tax credits for solar manufacturers and in no time, international solar giant Suntech Power Holdings decided to build a [...]

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