There are renewable winners and losers in the FY2012 budget proposed this week by President Obama. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the president has included funding in the budget “To promote the domestic production of renewable energy, we invest in renewable energy programs related to commercialization; research and development; education and outreach; and energy efficiency and conservation. We are also …
Iowa State to Hold Wind and Solar Energy Conference
While Iowa might be best known for its ethanol and biodiesel industries, the Hawkeye State is also a leader in wind energy (with more than 1,100 wind turbines across the state) and would like to become bigger in solar. So it only makes sense that Iowa State University Extension will be sponsoring a Wind and Solar Energy Conference on March …
Municipal Solar Project Underway in Brea, CA
The City of of Brea is soon to be the home of what is believed to be the largest municipal solar power project in Orange County, California. The solar project is under construction at the city’s Community Center, Civic and Cultural Center and Reservoir City Pump Yard. Once complete, this year, there will be 7,854 Sharp NU-235F1 solar modules providing …
Energy Secretary Chu Tours Sharp Solar Facility
Energy Secretary Steven Chu toured Sharp Electronics Corporation’s solar manufacturing facility in Memphis, Tennessee last week. According to an article on the Energy.gov blog following his visit, the plant has produced more than 2 million solar panels since 2002. Also, due to the positive response for more solar power from both the public and private American sectors, Sharp has increased …
President’s Energy Goals Sound Familiar
Representatives of the renewable fuels industry were pleased to hear President Obama talking about energy independence during his State of the Union address last night, saying that we need to “break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015” as well as mentioning wind and solar, …
Biodiesel, Ethanol on Sidelines in State of the Union
Just like a year ago, proponents of biodiesel and ethanol must be wondering if their green fuels were part of President Barack Obama’s “clean energy” comments in this year’s State of the Union address. Meanwhile, solar, nuclear and electric vehicle advocates have to be feeling pretty good about themselves as they received specific shout-outs during the hour-long speech. Appearing before …
Cimarron Solar Facility Begins Commercial Operation
The Cimarron Solar Facility is online in New Mexico and is now powering nearly 9,000 homes with solar energy. The project is a partnership between Southern Company and Ted Turner (Turner Renewable Energy) and the power is being supplied through a 25-year power purchase agreement to member electric cooperatives of Denver-based Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. First Solar developed and …
Perdue to Install Solar Installation Spanning 2 States
In what Perdue believes to be one of the largest commercial solar installations on the East Coast, the company has announced they are installing 11,000 solar panels divided between two different facilities. The agribusiness company has entered into a 15-year agreement with Washington Gas Services, Inc. (WGES) to purchase the electricity generated by the solar panels at a set price. …
Rooftop Solar Farm Under Construction In Florida
One of the largest rooftop solar farms in Florida is now under construction in Gainsville, Florida as part of a new Publix-anchored shopping center. Once complete, the 350 kW solar array will have nearly 1,500 panels spanning 46,000 square-feet atop the Exchange shopping center. The solar panels will begin providing electricity by the end of March 2011 and will be …
LA Water & Power Gets 20% of Power from Alternatives
Los Angeles, California officials have announced the city’s Department of Water and Power has generated 20 percent of its power from wind, solar and geothermal sources. This story from the LA Daily News says it put the city well ahead of its and state renewable energy goals: “This is a big deal,” Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at a City Hall …