Solar Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com

Rethinking Solar Array Field Conventions

Michael Crowley, Contributor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:14:00 GMT

How strange that the development of many solar array fields has largely become an exercise in massive excavation, grading and stormwater management. This is ironic when we consider that such projects carry the “sustainable” tag. Yet there is a better way. Such terrains can be developed with minimal disturbance to the site footprint, within an existing regulatory framework and with less impact to sensitive environmental features.

Three Key Features of Los Angeles' New Local Solar Program

John Farrell — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:11:00 GMT

Officially launched in January after years of development, a new CLEAN (feed-in tariff) program from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (the city’s municipal electric utility) promises 100 MW of new local renewable energy by 2016. In absolute size, the program will be among the largest CLEAN programs in the U.S., but compared to the siz

Renewable Energy in Myanmar: Not Just Clean, It’s Necessary

Tim Ferry, International Correspondent — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Myanmar is blessed with an abundance of natural resources and a youthful workforce, but with many of its people living in extreme poverty, the newly opening economy is attracting the interest of investors and aid workers alike. In the middle of the fastest growing region in the world, East Asia, Myanmar holds great promise as the next big market. Growth rates have exceeded 5 percent since 2010 when the country released human rights icon Aung San Suu Kyi and held elections, and 8 percent growth rates are within reach. McKinsey analysts estimate that Myanmar could quadruple its GDP by 2030 to US$200 billion.

Women in Power – It’s a Natural Fit

Paula Mints, SPV Market Research/Strategies Unlimited — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Women in power — it’s not just a play on words. With all the talk about ‘leaning in’ it’s time to recognize all the women that leaned in, reached back, pulled forward, marched and continued marching for themselves, their families, their industries and their peers. Women in high-profile positions are honored (though the fickle limelight that can shine or glare), and the scrutiny that comes with this honor can be uncomfortable. Brave women march through this fickle limelight because it is important to them to make a difference.

Shoring up Solar in Massachusetts

Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Massachusetts officials are preparing to take a number of steps to shore up one of the state’s key solar power subsidies, including spending millions of dollars to buy up the credits developers use to help finance their projects.

Qatar Solar Technologies Plans to Acquire 30% Stake in SolarWorld

Cornelius Rahn, Bloomberg — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:51:00 GMT

SolarWorld AG (SWV), Germany’s biggest maker of solar panels, rose the most in four months after newspapers reported that Qatar Solar Technologies will help finance a restructuring by acquiring a 30 percent stake.

Kenya Launches Renewable Energy Portal

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:05:00 GMT

The lack of access to comprehensive, accurate and reliable information on the renewable energy regulatory landscape in Kenya has been a significant barrier to private sector participation. Types and number of licenses/clearances, application procedures, associated costs, contacts of related government agencies, expected turn-around time and the s

Siemens Will Shut Solar Unit on $1 Billion in Losses Since 2011

Alex Webb, Bloomberg — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:39:00 GMT

Siemens AG will close its solar power unit after struggling to find a buyer following losses of at least 784 million euros ($1 billion) euros since 2011 amid Chief Executive Officer Peter Loescher’s failed push into that business to expand renewable energy offerings.

Asia’s Biggest CSP Plant Sells Power at Half Price in India

Natalie Obiko Pearson, Bloomberg — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:48:00 GMT

Godawari Power & Ispat Ltd. started Asia’s biggest CSP plant as India limps toward clean energy targets with prices almost half the global average.

Summer: The Time to Donate to ASES, IREC, the Solar Foundation and Vote Solar

Tor 'Solar Fred' Valenza — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:24:00 GMT

The summer solar selling season may be upon us, and as your sales heat up, I hope you’ll take some time to contribute to the organizations that have supported our industry and our businesses. While there are many worthy solar charities, I’d like to focus on four that have been of great value to me, and probably to you too. The American Solar Energy

Solar Likely on 20% of New Homes in California in 2013

Chris Meehan — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:26:00 GMT

As SunPower prepares to install its 10,000th residential system, the company says that it anticipates that solar will be on 20 percent of all new homes built in California this year. That’s based on recent trends, like the doubling of solar on new homes between 2011 and 2012, renewed efforts through the California Solar Initiative (CSI) under the N

Big Apple Anticipates Solar Explosion for 2013

Chris Meehan — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:53:00 GMT

Thanks to solar’s resiliency, falling prices and ability to help out in disasters, New York is anticipating more solar installed in 2013 than ever before in the Empire state and in New York City. That’s based on experts who discussed the “Tipping Point for Solar in New York” at the City University of New York (CUNY), which held the seventh annual N

NLP Solar Sales Training June 26 & 27 - New Bonus for Contractors & Sales Teams

Rich Hessler — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:24:00 GMT

Improving Returns with Hydraulic Tracking

Tildy Bayar, Associate Editor, Renewable Energy World — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:34:00 GMT

A new kind of tracking system, in combination with system-wide savings, could substantially reduce balance of system costs, claims one company.

The Collectivist Kilowatt: More Options for Community Solar

Shiva Patel and Jasmine Shepard, Energy Solidarity Cooperative — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:28:00 GMT

The sun is still only rising for the commercial and residential deployment of photovoltaics (PV) and, as barriers to development are identified, innovative approaches to solar financing continue to sprout.

Graphene and Semiconductor Technology: Smaller, Cheaper, Better

Bård Amundsen and Else Lie, The Research Council of Norway — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Semiconductors grown on graphene at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) may be the most important research breakthrough of 2012 in Norway. At the centre of the research efforts are Professor Helge Weman, Professor Bjørn-Ove Fimland and post-doctoral fellow Dong-Chul Kim. The team is now working on translating the results of their basic research into an initial prototype.

Connecticut Utilities Expect Significant Bids for Solar LREC/ZREC Program

Anna Noucas — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:22:00 GMT

In late spring, the Connecticut Light & Power Company (CL&P) and the United Illuminating Company (UI) announced the joint issuance for the second year of the Low and Zero Emissions Renewable Energy Credit (LREC and ZREC) Program. The utilities issued the program in the form of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for bids for 15 year contracts with LREC an

California Energy Storage Plan May Require $3 Billion Investment

Andrew Herndon, Bloomberg — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:56:00 GMT

Energy companies may invest as much as $3 billion on power-storage systems in California to facilitate wider use of renewable energy. Utilities owned by PG&E Corp., Sempra Energy and Edison International would be required to procure 1,325 megawatts of storage capacity by 2020 under a June 10 proposal from the California Public Utilities Commission.

Captive Financiers to Play Crucial Role in Future Renewable Energy Development

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:41:00 GMT

Sometimes known as non-recourse finance, project finance emerged as a popular technique in the 1980s primarily as a means of supporting new energy projects. The concept consists of financing specific projects with recourse only to a ring-fenced project company (for example, a public utility that financially separates itself from a parent company that engages in non-regulatory business to protect consumers from losses), supported by a strong contractual framework including a fixed-price power-purchase agreement (PPA).

Integrated Distribution Planning: A Path to Sustaining Growth

Laurel Passera — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:40:00 GMT

For years, the cumulative amount of distributed generation (DG) on the grid was akin to a drop of water in a glass. That is, a tiny drop in a big glass. But look how far we’ve come in the past few years. Last year the U.S. installed more than 90,000 photovoltaic installations, with a total capacity of 3.3 GW. This represents an 80 percent increas