As Congress returns to Washington to battle over the fiscal 2012 budget, the wind and solar lobbies are scrambling to preserve the tax breaks their industries depend on–just not the same breaks.
Solar advocates say a special provision to allow conversion of investment tax credits (ITC) into cash grants, enacted in the 2009 stimulus, must be extended or solar investment will be halved. While the ITC continues through 2016, the conversion option expires at the end of 2011. Keep reading →
A new report shows that China, considered the looming threat for competitors in the renewable energy business, may not stand a chance against the booming American solar sector.
Written by the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research, US Solar Energy Trade Assessment 2011 claims that the US solar industry exported a net of $1.9 billion in solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar heating and cooling (SHC) components in 2010 globally, with $240 million of orders coming directly from China. Total exports totaled more than $5.6 billion, according to the report. Keep reading →
Financing is the first and final word on solar projects. And in these straitened economic times, one company in San Francisco’s Bay Area is aiming to spark a rooftop solar revolution–one tile at a time.
Solar Mosaic, based in Berkeley, will this week unveil its pilot community PV program in neighboring Oakland. Instead of turning to expensive lending rates at major banks, Solar Mosaic’s financing adopts a crowd-sourcing model through the sale of “tiles,” each worth $100. Keep reading →
Consolidation and scale are the buzzwords in the solar component manufacturing world today as companies fight the impact of falling costs. But in the assembly and installation parts of the supply chain, the US industry is showing signs of fragmentation.
As traditional contractors retrain to green standards and chase increased demand for small-scale and domestic solar installations, many are taking market share from larger installers even as the total number of installations climbs. A new company freshly arrived from the world’s largest solar market, Germany, has landed on US shores to bring clarity to what it says is an American solar industry teetering on the brink of market maturation. Keep reading →
AOL Energy recently interviewed John Conklin, president and CEO of New Energy Technologies, Inc. that has just developed a newly enhanced solar spray that can be used to create transparent photovoltaic films for windows.
AOL Energy: Can you explain the technology the spray-on mechanism relies on? Keep reading →
From motorbikes to motorboats, solar has been increasingly powering devices small and large.
With some nudging from the Brazilian arm of a solar company, Gehricher Ecoluz do Brasil, the Pituacu soccer stadium in Bahia in the Salvador state of Brazil will now be powered by the sun as well. Keep reading →
Promising the potential of widespread use, spray on solar panels are now a reality.
Cleantech research and development firm New Energy Technologies announced on Monday that its newest SolarWindow technology is now fully operational, complete with new and improved coatings that can enhance transparency and color of windows if covered in the solar spray. New Energy Technology’s President and CEO John Conklin said the improvements were critical for widespread customer adoption. Keep reading →
Though prices for solar panels are continuing to drop, the US government is bolstering the industry with another slew of loan guarantees.
On Friday, the Department of Energy announced $197 million in loan guarantees for SoloPower, a San Jose-based solar photovoltaic panels manufacturer that specializes in flexible ultra thin film solar cells. The guarantee will support construction and operation of three new solar farms that will produce approximately 400 MW in total. Keep reading →
Though some are struggling to make ends meet in the renewable energy business, China’s Yingli Solar reported that the second quarter of 2011 was the strongest in its history in terms of PV module shipments.
Yingli’s reported profit increased to $375.6 million, compared to $368.3 million in the first quarter of the year and $217.8 million in the second quarter of 2010. Keep reading →
When Evergreen filed for bankruptcy last week, saying its finances were mostly in pieces, others were already sharing the pain.
The Massachusetts state government provided Evergreen with million of dollars in tax breaks and incentives over the last few years in hopes of encouraging development of renewable energy within the state. The company’s Devens factory, which was closed in January, was built with $58 million in state incentives. Keep reading →
