January 21st, 2011

other big solar project got a needed a ray of hope today from the U.S. Department of Energy, which announced conditional loan guarantees of nearly $1 billion for the Agua Caliente Solar LLC project in Yuma County, Arizona.
The 290 megawatt project will be the largest photovoltaic generation facility in the world, according to its owner, NRG Solar of Carlsbad, Calif.

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October 5th, 2010

The first family’s residence will soon be partially powered by the sun, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today.

The rooftop solar installation will heat hot water for the first family’s residence and supplement power for America’s most famous house. It is expected to be up and operating by the spring of 2011, showing that “American solar technologies are available, reliable and ready for installation in homes throughout the country,’’ according to the administration.

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June 16th, 2010

While many high school science students labor over the usual time-tested science projects, dissecting frogs or building toothpick bridges, a group of Houston students will soon get a cross-curriculum education in cutting-edge solar technologies.

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June 15th, 2010

Green Mountain Energy Company is looking for Houston-area non-profit groups that would like to harness the power of that blazing Texas sun. Every year for the past eight years, the clean energy retailer has donated solar rooftop systems to selected organizations through its Big Texas Sun Club. Groups that want to be considered this year must apply to Green Mountain Energy at the club’s website by Friday, July 30, 2010.

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March 19th, 2010

From Green Right Now Reports

With prices down and incentives still available, more and more individuals and businesses are looking into solar panels as a way to cut down energy costs and protect the environment. According to a poll released this week, support also is growing for solar on the utility scale.

Image: First Solar

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) unveiled statistics gathered by Gotham Research Group that shows 75 percent of those surveyed advocate the development of solar energy plans on public lands. The survey also determined that solar was the first choice as best use of public land (38 percent).

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January 14th, 2010

From Green Right Now Reports

A partnership between Reading (PA) Electric and a leading designer and installer of grid-tiered solar power systems will allow 32 Southeastern Pennsylvania businesses to see the light in a very different way.

Borrego Solar Systems, Inc., plans to team with Reading Electric to install more than 5 MW of solar energy. At the end of 2008, the entire state had fewer than 5MW of solar operations.

The $30 million undertaking will be financed in part by $7.5 million awarded through the PA Sunshine Grant, a $100 million state fund administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The partners also expect an additional $9 million in funding from the Federal Renewable Energy Grant Program.

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October 23rd, 2009

By Ashley Phillips
Green Right Now

The US Department of Energy’s 2009 Solar Decathlon showcased the best in solar-powered home design as conceived by colleges students. Over 20 teams from across North America and Europe competed in this year’s competition.

1st Place Solar Home

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September 9th, 2009

From Green Right Now Reports:

St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR, the national symbol for superior energy efficiency and environmental protection. St. Anthony’s is the first hospital in Florida and one of only 86 hospitals in the nation to achieve this recognition. Buildings that receive the EPA’s ENERGY STAR designation reduce greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficient specifications set by the government.

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March 20th, 2009

From Green Right Now Reports

The solar energy sector enjoyed record growth last year, according to a new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association.

The 2008 U.S. Solar Industry Year in Review notes that 1,265 megawatts of solar power of all types were installed in 2008, increasing total U.S. solar power capacity by 17 percent to 8,775 megawatts. That increase 342 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power, 139 thermal equivalent of solar water heating, 762 thermal equivalent of pool heating and an estimated 21 megawatts of solar space heating and cooling.

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February 25th, 2009

By Shermakaye Bass
Green Right Now

On March 3, Los Angelinos will vote on a solar energy measure that has created controversy in some quarters, and whose progress other U.S. cities may want to watch.

Measure B, also known as the Green Energy and Good Jobs for Los Angeles Act, calls for a major increase in the amount of solar power used by the City of Los Angeles (400 megawatts to be created by 2014; enough to power about 240,000 homes). It would create a new training academy for workers; offer tax incentives to L.A. manufacturers who move into solar power technology and installation; and place solar installation, ownership and maintenance in the hands of the municipally owned Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). Ultimately, Measure B would put up hundreds of acres of solar voltaics, on rooftops and land.

Involving two basic camps – those who oppose Measure B but not necessarily solar energy; and those who consider Measure B a strong starting point – the dust-up has swirled with anti-B accusations of back-room deal making, local-politics playing, lack of proper public vetting, union steamrolling – and worse.

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July 2nd, 2008

By John DeFore In the future, employing solar energy won’t necessarily mean mounting big black panels on your roof or buying from a utility with a solar farm. It might just mean pulling the curtains shut for a while.

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