The heads of some California solar companies spoke out about the recent Solyndra scandal and its effect on the industry. They claimed the solar industry is going strong – despite the failure of the company that received a $25 million state tax break and hundreds of millions in federal government-backed loans. Arno Harris is the […]
Solar California
PV solar installations up on utility-scale projects
(Reuters) – Second-quarter U.S. installations of photovoltaic solar panels rose 17 percent from the previous quarter as increases in non-residential and utility-scale projects offset a weakened residential solar market. Installations were also up 69 percent from the same period the previous year at 314 megawatts, according to a report released on Tuesday by industry trade […]
Solyndra Continuing to Impact Solar Industry
Solyndra’s demise is continuing to have ripple effects throughout the solar energy industry. Just last week, the FBI raided the company’s Fremont, CA headquarters further ratcheting up the political fall out over Solyndra’s bankruptcy. With the public and Republican opponents focused on the Obama administration’s role in approving a $500 million loan to Solyndra, the […]
California Bill Favors Solar Panels, Thermal Left Out in Cold
California Governor Jerry Brown is expected to sign a bill that simplifies the permitting process for solar photovoltaic projects and may prompt developers to reconsider solar-thermal plants, which aren’t included in the legislation. According to Senate Bill 267, which Brown has until Nov. 9 to sign, photovoltaic projects will no longer be required to demonstrate […]
Bankruptcy for Solyndra. Is it China’s fault?
Senior U.S. Democrats urged the Obama administration and Congress to take action against Chinese trade policies they said are unfairly hurting America’s environmental technology sector and making it harder to create jobs. “China is systematically deploying an arsenal of trade distorting policies to corner the global market in green technology products, whether it be electric […]
What Does the Solyndra Bankruptcy Really Tell Us?
The announcement this week from solar pv manufacturer, Solyndra, that they will enter bankruptcy has received a great deal of press and consternation from solar advocates throughout the country, including an intense amount of speculation about what went wrong. After learning more about Solyndra’s product and the pv manufacturing market in general, I think a […]
Burbank officials suspend solar rebate program
The popularity of the city’s solar rebate program, combined with tax incentives, forced its closure even before the fiscal year began, officials said, meaning property owners will have to wait until next year to apply. John Joyce, who manages the Solar Support Program at Burbank Water and Power, said it was the first time the […]
Solar power in California is still a hot topic
Abundant sunshine has made Southern California one of the brightest markets for residential solar power in the country. Some might say too bright. Encouraged by federal tax credits and a municipal rebate, so many Los Angeles residents sought to add rooftop solar panels at the start of the year that the Department of Water and […]
Solar Shines On California Public Housing
The nation’s largest solar photovoltaic installation on a government-sponsored affordable housing project was recently unveiled in Santa Barbara County. The ambitious project encompasses 21 sites around the coastal California county, with installations involving 250 separate structures, five municipal permitting jurisdictions and three utilities. The combined 2 megawatts of PV capacity will be owned and operated by […]
Solar-powered homes remain a distant dream for many in the US
It seems like the ultimate in green technology for an emissions-savvy citizen of the 21st century: solar panels on your roof, providing carbon dioxide-free electricity whenever the sun is shining. But as huge utility-scale solar and wind projects continue to make news and the economy continues to struggle, the state of the residential solar sector […]
