| Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Plans Green Solar Episode by Preston Koerner |
3/1/2009 |
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Whats Sunday evening without a little Ty Pennington and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? I dont catch it every week, particularly if the Dallas Cowboys are on, but the program is a juggernaut for helping people in real need. So we caught news that ABC was planning a green show for April 6 and were put in touch with the team doing a 5 kW solar photovoltaics installation. Theyre using the Akeena Andalay system, which we mentioned previously was a Top 5 Green Building Product (as voted by the builders). |
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| Stimulus Includes Solar Incentive, But Will it Be Enough for Struggling Solar Companies? by Amanda Peterka |
2/22/2009 |
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Anyone who was impeded before by the cost of adding solar panels to their homes can now rest a little easier: The economic stimulus plan includes a federal tax credit worth 30 percent of the cost of a new solar system for a house. The cost, of course, is still high, but hey, more people will probably buy into it, won’t they? |
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| Meltdown 101: Will the sun soon power our homes? By CHRIS KAHN |
2/19/2009 |
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After 30 years of trying to squeeze electricity from sunlight, the solar energy industry is finally gaining some traction in its effort to compete with fossil fuels. Does that mean most of the power in our homes will soon be coming from the sun? Here are some questions and answers about solar energy as a source of electricity. |
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| 5 Steps To A Solar Home Lynn Jurich |
2/18/2009 |
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Its a lot easier and less expensive to take your home solar than most people think. Thanks to generous financial incentives from the government and innovative alternatives to purchasing a system, homeowners are discovering there arent really any risks remaining to going solar. |
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| New Jersey Utility Plans Major Solar Project By KEN BELSON |
2/10/2009 |
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Public Service Electric and Gas, New Jersey’s largest utility, said it would unveil a five-year, one-of-a-kind plan on Tuesday to install solar panels on 200,000 utility poles in its service territory. The project, which the utility must first present to state regulators for approval, would also include putting solar panels on schools and municipal buildings, low-income housing and areas like closed garbage dumps. |
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| City becomes first in U.S. with solar feed–in tariffs By JACQUELYN WEINER |
2/6/2009 |
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Gainesville will be the first city in the U.S. to implement a solar feed–in tariff, city commissioners decided in an unanimous vote Thursday. “What we’re doing here today is moving to the new way of doing things,” Commissioner Lauren Poe said at Thursday’s meeting. The new feed–in tariff will allow Gainesville Regional Utilities to purchase 100 percent of the energy generated in the city via solar panels, commercial and residential alike. The tariff is expected to be in place by March 1. |
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| Gatorade taps sun for power by Geri Koeppel |
2/1/2009 |
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Gatorade is known for giving athletes an energy boost, but now its giving itself an infusion of power.
The Gatorade facility in Tolleson, one of the largest in the country in terms of gallons produced, is generating its own electricity from newly installed solar panels on its roof. The facility has two buildings connected by a bridge over 104th Avenue - one side is a manufacturing plant, the other is a distribution center. |
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| Going Solar By Karl Grossman |
1/30/2009 |
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What a sight—that little wheel going not to the right, marking a draw from the Long Island Power Authority electric system, but spinning—and spinning fast—to the left. That signified that the photovoltaic panels newly installed on the roof of our house were not only supplying all the electricity we were using but feeding excess back into the LIPA grid.
And LIPA, under its net metering program, is to credit us for this electricity.
And, if those panels generate more electricity at the end of the year than we use—which is expected—LIPA is to send us a check!
You can do the same thing. Also, with tax credits and the LIPA rebate available, you can do it with an astounding financial break—as of this year, a whopping 70 percent off the cost of a solar photovoltaic installation. |
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| Solar panel installations in California through the roof in 08 By Marla Dickerson |
1/28/2009 |
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Despite a credit freeze thats stunting renewable-energy projects throughout the country, 2008 was a hot year for solar power in California.
Encouraged by state rebates, Golden State residents and businesses last year installed a record 158 megawatts of photovoltaic panels on their rooftops to turn the suns rays into electricity, the California Public Utilities Commission said Wednesday. Thats more than double the 78 megawatts installed in 2007. |
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| As fed steps up, states step back on solar funding By CHRIS KAHN |
1/14/2009 |
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When Congress expanded a federal tax credit for solar in October, removing a $2,000 cap on installation costs, a number of states redirected their own incentive funding, and more are expected to do the same. ""I wouldnt be surprised if other states will be doing the same thing"" as Xcel Energy and Commonwealth Solar, Hanes said. ""Its an opportunity for the feds to pick up the tab."" In some states, the best time to invest in solar technology may have already passed. |
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| Builders may have to offer "solar ready" option By AP |
1/13/2009 |
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DENVER (Map, News) - State lawmakers could require that home builders offer buyers the option to install solar energy systems during construction. Environmentalists are backing the ""solar ready"" idea, which was touted by Gov. Bill Ritter in his state of the state speech last week. |
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| In blue economy, green jobs are in play Los Angeles Times |
1/3/2009 |
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HEMLOCK, Mich. -- While Detroits automakers struggle to rebuild their sputtering operations, the key to jump-starting Michigans economy may lie 80 miles northwest of the Motor City. This is the home of Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. It makes a material crucial for constructing photovoltaic panels. And that has turned this snow-covered hamlet into an unlikely hotbed for solar energy. |
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| Solar roof-rebate applications soaring in California, trend spurred by federal tax-credit program By Steve Johnson |
1/2/2009 |
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Bring on the sun: Our Matt Nauman reports that despite the turbulent economy — or perhaps because of it — solar is doing just fine in California, thank you very much. Applications for rebates under the states Million Solar Roofs programs reached record levels in the last five months of 2008, including more than 1,250 applications in December. Its really been booming, said Damon Franz, an energy analyst with the California Public Utilities Commission. Its somewhat surprising as we expected the economic downtown might have some dampening effect. |
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| 2009 tax break gives solar suppliers a boost By JONDI GUMZ |
12/28/2008 |
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If youre considering energy-efficient improvements to your home, 2009 is the year to do it. The federal Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, signed into law Oct. 3, reinstated an expired $500 credit for installing energy-efficient doors, windows, water heaters and central air units for the 2009 tax year. It also extended tax credits for residential solar energy systems, solar hot water heaters and fuel cells through 2016. |
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| With aid from the state, Californians warm to rooftop solar power By Marla Dickerson |
12/27/2008 |
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Residents filed a record 1,215 applications seeking solar subsidies this month, according to the California Public Utilities Commission. Thats the best showing in the programs 24-month history, and December isnt even finished. More than 18,000 California homeowners and businesses have applied for rebates over the last two years. Although not everyone who files this paperwork actually ends up installing solar, the figures are viewed as a reliable barometer of future demand. |
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| Solar home a long time rising By JESSICA GRAY |
12/27/2008 |
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For as long as he can remember, David Brown wanted to build his dream home. However, unlike many Americans, Browns dreams were more about energy conservation than over-the-top luxury. In high school, when everyone else was drawing plans for rockets to the moon, I was drawing plans for a solar house, he said. His original hopes were for a completely energy independent home, one that could power itself with Great Falls greatest asset — the sun. That goal may have been a little too ambitious, even with todays technology. |
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| Rainy Weather Improves Solar Panel Output SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) |
12/26/2008 |
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Solar panels produce more electricity during the summer months rather than winter, but California’s rainy winters can be a good thing for producing solar energy. Theres actually a weather phenomenon that works to the advantage of solar power here in northern California during the winter and it’s called rain. |
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| Georgias almost perfect for solar By Charles W. Bryant |
12/21/2008 |
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Legislation in 2001 allowed Georgia to become whats known as a net-metering state. This allows a billing agreement between the power company, Georgia Power, for example, and the resident. If a customers solar power system produces more power than he can use, the power company pays him for the extra energy, which goes into the power grid for use by his neighbors. If he uses more energy than his system can make, he pays the power company. |
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| Solar energy plant could bring 600 jobs By Brent Ruffner News-Bulletin Staff Writer |
12/20/2008 |
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Belen State and local officials hope the announcement of the new $840 million expansion of a global solar energy production company to Belen will help transform New Mexico into a pioneer for alternative energy. Signet Solar Inc., which will begin production at its Belen plant in 2010, will eventually create up to 600 jobs and have both a manufacturing facility and a solar generation center at the Rancho Cielo development off Interstate 25, according to Gov. Bill Richardson's office. |
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| Solar Power Rebate Program Is a Victim of Its Own Success By JAN ELLEN SPEIGEL |
12/19/2008 |
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ITS the good news-bad news dilemma. Connecticuts rebate program for home and business owners who purchase solar systems to generate electricity has become so popular, money has run out for some residential rebates, and rebate applications for commercial, government and nonprofit groups are being cut off next month. Were victims of our own success, said Lise Dondy, president of the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, which runs the solar rebate program. |
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| One Laptop Per Child a Solar Movement By Andy Patrizio |
12/19/2008 |
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The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program has suffered the occasional bumps in the road due to squabbling here in the U.S., but now that it's finally out and being deployed, the program is seeing success in the most remote parts of the world. Usually, the OLPC XO laptop requires a power outlet, but the OLPC organization also has been shipping solar-powered laptops for some of the most remote, rural and poorest locations. |
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| California Utilities Commission Approves Disputed Power Line By Felicity Barringer |
12/19/2008 |
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The first skirmish in what promises to be a war of attrition between groups that want maximum supplies of renewable energy and groups that want maximum protections for landscapes and endangered wildlife ended Thursday when the California Public Utilities Commission, in a 4-to-1 vote, approved a 123-mile, $1.9 billion power line from El Centro to northwestern San Diego. The line from the desert sands of the Imperial Valley would bring in enough energy wind and solar energy, the commission expects to power more than half a million homes and businesses in San Diego. |
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| On the horizon, solar energy sees its day in the sun by Elizabeth Heubeck Contributor |
12/19/2008 |
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Recent state legislation requires solar energy to be a sliver of the renewable energy pie feeding Maryland's electricity supply. But right now, not all utility companies and suppliers are biting. Energy analysts' dire warnings of a pending electricity shortfall, including the threat of rolling brownouts in the state as soon as 2011 convinced Maryland legislators that solar energy needed to be part of the long-term solution. In response, the legislature last year revised Maryland's Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS), mandating that a portion of electricity suppliers' sales comes from solar. |
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| Snows of the Solar System by Ben Burress |
12/19/2008 |
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Driving to work today, I was amused to notice that the raindrops falling on my windshield were a bit grainy and getting more so the higher up the hill I drove. I starting to think, is it starting to sleet? By the time I reached Chabot at 1500 feet elevation the precipitation had turned to bona fide snow! This is quite unusual for the Oakland Hills, of course. In the ten years I've worked here, this is the second, maybe third, dusting I've witnessed. I recall the great freeze of '74, when it actually snowed in Oakland close to sea level that's the year all the eucalyptus in the hills froze and died. |
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| First Solar Reaches Grid-Parity Milestone, Says Report By Ucilia Wang |
12/16/2008 |
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A 12.6-megawatt system installed by First Solar (NSDQ: FSLR) for Sempra Generation showed that the system can produce electricity at below the price of conventional power in the United States, said Mark Bachman, an equity analyst at Pacific Crest, in a research note Tuesday. |
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| Nanosolar: Tubular Thin Films Are Overrated By Ucilia Wang |
12/11/2008 |
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Nanosolar CEO Martin Roscheisen penned a blog to refute claims by Solyndra, which came out of stealth mode earlier this year to announce unusual solar panel designs and big contracts. Nansolar says it can make tubular solar cells too. But it says it doesn't need to. |
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| Vatican unveils ambitious solar energy plans By Philip Pullella |
11/26/2008 |
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VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - And then there was light -- and it was powered by the sun. The Vatican on Wednesday activated a new solar energy system and announced an ambitious plan that could one day make it an alternative energy exporter. The massive roof of the 'Nervi Hall' where popes hold general audiences and concerts are performed, has been covered with 2,400 photovoltaic panels to provide energy for lighting, heat and air conditioning. |
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| Homes and Businesses Go Solar With No Upfront Cost, Repay on Property Tax Bill PRESS RELEASE |
11/13/2008 |
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Renewable Funding is first in nation to provide a financial product allowing repayment of solar and energy efficiency project costs on owner's property tax bill; provides City of Berkeley with financing and administration for solar program. |
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| Home, business owners harness solar power in Pa. By KIM LEONARD Pittsburgh Tribune-Review |
11/8/2008 |
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FOX CHAPEL, Pa. Phillip N.H. Smith worked on an experimental solar-powered house when he was a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1951. Now, the retired Copperweld Corp. chief executive and his wife, Martha, want to use some of the sun's energy to power their Fox Chapel home. They plan to install solar panels on the roof of an attached garage, once a state subsidy for alternative energy equipment becomes available. |
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| Wal-Mart: Here comes the sun By Marc Gunther, Fortune senior writer |
5/9/2007 |
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NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Wal-Mart is looking to the sun for power - and to save a few pennies on its electric bills. The giant retailer says it will install solar rooftop panels at 22 facilities in California and Hawaii that will provide as much as 20 megawatts of electricity, for prices less than it currently pays local utilities. |
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| This Old House: Solar Hot Water By Max Alexander, This Old House magazine |
1/1/2007 |
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If you've ever felt warm water flow from a garden hose that''s been stretched across a sunny lawn, you know how solar water heating works. And if you've ever paid a fuel or electric bill, you can understand why using the sun's rays to warm water is a good idea. Up to 25 percent of a household utility bill goes to heating water for washing clothes, dishes, and ourselves. |
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