News, Trends & Analysis
Solar PV
SolarIndustryMag.com: Content / New & Noteworthy / Big-Name Investment Marks Pivotal New Era For U.S. Solar Projects
Mar 16th
by Lori Lovely on Thursday 15 March 2012
Although corporate investment in solar is nothing new, an influx of investment attached to high-profile names – such as Warren Buffett and Google – is now taking place as the solar sector matures.“High-profile investment lends credibility, but the increased level of investment is due to many factors, such as the federal tax credit, state solar support programs with set-asides that mandate solar renewable energy credits and more funding support,” says Lewis Milford, president of advocacy organization Clean Energy Group.
For More >
Xtreme Power and Xcel Energy Partner With SolarTAC on Utility-Scale “Solar-to-Battery” Distribution Project
Dec 29th
December 29, 2010 08:00 AM Eastern Time
Dynamic Power Resource™ to be installed at nation’s largest solar technology testing facility
DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Xtreme Power Inc., provider of Dynamic Power Resources™ (DPRs) for utility-scale energy storage, and Xcel Energy (NYSE:XEL) today announced a partnership to install a 1 megawatt (MW) system to collect operational data on the integration of energy storage and solar energy systems at the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC).
“Taking part in the SolarTAC project with Xcel Energy affords us an opportunity to work alongside one of the most progressive utilities in the industry”
SolarTAC is a private facility in Aurora, Colo. that serves as a solar More >
Arithmetic trumps Ideology: Digging Into Conservative Misconceptions of Energy Costs
Sep 2nd
September 2, 2010 in Energy & Fuel
Here is an excellent guest post by an energy veteran and businessman on the costs of clean energy compared to old, dirty energy.
We’ve been writing on clean energy more and more these days. It is clearly one way to address global climate change, air pollution, and water pollution. And with another offshore oil production facility catching fire today, the sense of urgency to switch over from “dirty” to “clean” energy is growing.
In this guest post from Tom Rooney, President and CEO of SPG Solar in Novato, California we get a deeper look into the real costs of energy. Tom has More >
New “Hybrid Energy Consortium” promotes Integrated Solar Combined Cycle #ISCC #HEC
Aug 12th
Aug 11, 2010
In a landmark event for the energy industry, four major industry players have joined forces to form the Hybrid Energy Consortium (“HEC”), focused on the design of next generation utility-scale commercial integrated solar combined cycle (“ISCC”) power plants. The founding members of the consortium are QGEN of the USA, FLABEG Group and Schlaich Bergermann und Partner Sohne GmbH, both of Germany and JGC Corporation of Japan – all known as innovators in their respective specialties in the energy industry.
Download PressSmart Grid: Global Energy Industry Leaders Form New Consortium to Drive Hybrid Energy Development.
More >GTM Research: 2010 Global PV Demand Analysis and Forecast
Aug 10th
Shayle Kann kann@gtmresearch.com
MAY 19, 2010
2010 Global PV Demand Analysis and Forecast
Between 2000 and 2009, global PV demand grew at an average annual rate of 51 percent, rising from 170 MW to 7,059 MW. Despite this impressive rate of growth, the past two years have witnessed a fundamental and difficult market shift for manufacturers. Previously, burgeoning European feed-in tariff markets enabled global demand to exceed available supply, driving up feedstock prices and attracting new entrants across the value chain. But the combination of an ensuing rapid capacity build-out and the financial crisis of 2008 and early 2009 shifted market power downstream More >
Solar Power Surge Prompts TEP to Seek Changes to SunShare Rebate Program
Jul 19th
TUCSON, Ariz., Jul 14, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — A surge in the popularity of solar energy systems has prompted Tucson Electric Power (TEP) to propose new, lower subsidies for residential customers who install photovoltaic (PV) arrays.
Nearly 1,100 local homeowners have reserved TEP SunShare rebates for PV systems this year, exceeding the total number of residential solar power systems completed over the previous nine years combined. Local businesses also have rushed to invest in solar power systems, draining the funds designated for up-front commercial incentives in 2010.
In response to this unprecedented demand, TEP has asked the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) to More >
The Second Age of Solar – Driving Costs Down End to End to Get to Grid Parity | American Electric Technologies, Inc. AETI
Jul 19th
Posted on July 17, 2010
The Second Age of Solar – Driving Costs Down End to End to Get to Grid Parity
In this article, we shall explore some of the methods and techniques to drive down the costs of solar energy production & maintenance while increasing solar energy production efficiency over a much longer life. By achieving lower costs over life while increasing watts produced over life, solar project financiers and developers are rewarded with a greater return on solar power generation and its sale to the open market, perhaps without the need for incentives by 2016. That would result in solar power becoming the first of the renewable energies to More >
Pike: Solar To Hit Grid Parity by 2013
Jul 2nd
Published: July 1, 2010
Colorado, United States — The solar energy market has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past two years, driven by a new abundance of polysilicon, the effects of the worldwide financial crisis, and the plunging price of solar modules.
Between 2010 and 2013, Pike Research forecasts that solar demand will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24%.As a result of these factors, the solar industry has shifted from supply-constrained to demand-driven, and a few strong companies have been able to improve their revenues and market share based on a low cost per watt combined More >
Largest solar farm in Texas planned in Pflugerville – Austin Business Journal
Jul 2nd
Friday, July 2, 2010, 11:40am CDT
Austin Business Journal – by Francisco Vara-Orta Staff Writer
Read more: Largest solar farm in Texas planned in Pflugerville – Austin Business Journal
Pflugerville could be home to the largest solar farm in Texas, pending a final agreement between RRE Austin Solar, the City of Pflugerville, Elgin ISD and Travis County, according to local officials.
RRE Austin Solar, a local company backed by India-based investors, has bought 600 acres of farmland about 15 miles east of Pflugerville.
The Pflugerville City Council announced this week that it has signed an agreement with Austin Solar, under which the company will install up to $750,000 in More >

