Arizona Solar Center Blog

The 11th-hour lobbying effort continues from a solar trade group that wants Congress to extend a program created by the stimulus package that pay for 30 percent of the cost of installing solar power projects. The latest salvo came in the form of a report that touted the United States as a net exporter of solar energy equipment worth $723 million in 2009.

Michael Neary remembers when the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association was a tiny trade group made up primarily of businesses that installed and maintained solar water heaters and rooftop panels. But all that changed two years ago, when its 40-member roster more than doubled as real estate firms, law offices, tool suppliers, staffing companies, electricians and plumbing distributors suddenly became eager to join the mix.

Wide-eyed optimism over the promise of renewable energy is giving way to the more sober reality that the new energy economy will look a lot like the old. Coal, natural gas and nuclear will continue to be preeminent while renewables slowly gain market share.

Arizona firm First Solar has completed America's largest solar photovoltaic plant, a 48-megawatt facility in Boulder City, Nevada. The company supplied solar panels as well as engineering, procurement and construction services for the Copper Mountain Solar facility on behalf of energy company Sempra Generation.

U.S. utilities may double investments in solar power generation each year through 2015 as states demand more renewable energy and equipment prices fall, consultant GTM Research said. Installations of so-called utility-scale solar projects will reach about 3,000 megawatts annually, worth $8 billion, in five years from 58 megawatts in 2009, GTM analyst Shayle Kahn forecast in a report.

Steven Chu, a longtime professor who is now secretary of energy, says the United States is facing a crucial test. With the rest of the developed and developing world moving toward renewable and cleaner energy technologies, he said in a speech Monday, the time is now for the nation to seize the initiative.

The global electric power industry is evolving from a financial and engineering model that relies on large centralized power plants owned by the utilities to one that is more diverse in both sources of generation and ownership of the generation assets, according to a new report from Pike Research.

Americans have become more and more concerned with the idea of using cleaner energy sources and creating new jobs through the use of solar energy. A new study from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University takes a closer look at which states might benefit the most both from generating solar energy and from consuming that energy. These are believed to be the first state rankings of their kind.

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Enbridge, Inc. and First Solar, Inc. have recently completed expansion of a solar panel installation in Sarnia, Ontario, making it the largest PV installation in the world. The site, which previously operated at a capacity of 20MW, is now capable of producing 80MW of solar electricity.

Arizona Public Service Co.'s renewable energy plan for 2011, calls for a slight bump in bills while laying the groundwork for more solar installations. The plan, OK'd by the Arizona Corporation Commission, also calls for incentives and development of $96 million in renewable projects, rooftop solar and other items.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation's largest municipally owned utility, has released a final draft of a long-term strategy that calls for ending its reliance on coal-fired power sooner than is now planned and ramping up solar and wind energy resources.

From: EarthWiseSolarBiz <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 16:36:02

The Copenhagen Accord and agreements among G20 nations to phase out subsidies to fossil fuels is a step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done to reach a goal of energy sustainability, according to International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka, speaking during the release of IEA's annual World Energy Outlook (WEO) report in London.

Hefty tax credits and utility rebates have helped fuel a sun-powered boom that has solar arrays sprouting up on rooftops and carports in Tucson and across Arizona. But as prices for solar systems plunge, the market is accelerating toward the day when the cost of generating solar power will match standard electric rates - without any subsidies.

The Cave Creek museum has been awarded a $34,000 grant by the Arizona Department of Commerce to pay for solar panels expected to meet the museum's electricity needs. The solar panels are expected to save the museum about $4,000 the first year.

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The Phoenix area is growing a little greener with a big assist from the sun. This week the Phoenix Business Journal is recognizing 12 Green Pioneers who are helping to lead the charge of business sustainability.

National Bank of Arizona will throw the switch on a 402-kilowatt, $2 million solar photovoltaic array at its Southern Arizona headquarters today. The 24,000-square-foot solar installation will shade about 150 parking spaces on the roof of the parking garage adjacent to the bank headquarters in Tucson.

Arizona's largest commercial rooftop solar system - and perhaps one of the largest in the U.S. - has begun producing power for a food storage warehouse in South Phoenix. The $11.5 million, 2.4-megawatt system on the Cowley Industrial Park building was dedicated Oct. 27.