by Ed Blume | Oct 3, 2012 | Uncategorized
From Solar Energy Industries Association:
SEIA released its annual public poll examining what likely voters think about solar, and the results are resounding: American voters love solar. The poll found that more than nine out of 10 (92 percent) of likely voters feel that the U.S. should develop and use more solar energy.
…
This support was strong across the political spectrum with 84 percent of Republicans, 95 percent of independents, and 98 percent of Democrats agreeing. And that’s not all — voters want the government to do more to foster and grow the solar industry, including providing federal and state financial incentives.
Read the poll highlights here.
by Ed Blume | Sep 13, 2012 | Uncategorized
From an article in the Journal Sentinel by Thomas Content:
A
coalition of Wisconsin firms involved in the solar power and solar hot
water industry are joining together to market the state at the solar
sector’s major annual conference.
“We want to raise
awareness of what Wisconsin has to offer the solar industry,” said Amy
Heart of Milwaukee Shines, the city’s solar program. “In Milwaukee, we
are known for making things, and making things well. We are taking that
tradition and reputation to the solar supply chain.”
Milwaukee
Shines previously launched a business council focused on the solar hot
water industry, including Johnson Controls Inc. and Caleffi Solar, based
in the Menomonee Valley .
The new partnership, the
Wisconsin Solar Initiative, is broader, focusing on the solar sector as a
whole, and includes Helios Solar Works and Ingeteam, both located in
the Menomonee Valley, as well as Eaton Corp., which makes solar
inverters at its plant in Menomonee Falls.
The
initiative, and the appearance at this week’s Solar Power International
conference in Orlando, Fla., aims to spotlight the state’s solar efforts
much as Wisconsin Wind Works has done for wind energy components
suppliers.
Read more…
by jboullion | Sep 13, 2012 | Uncategorized
From an article in the Journal Sentinel by Thomas Content:
A coalition of Wisconsin firms involved in the solar power and solar hot water industry are joining together to market the state at the solar sector’s major annual conference.
“We want to raise awareness of what Wisconsin has to offer the solar industry,” said Amy Heart of Milwaukee Shines, the city’s solar program. “In Milwaukee, we are known for making things, and making things well. We are taking that tradition and reputation to the solar supply chain.”
Milwaukee Shines previously launched a business council focused on the solar hot water industry, including Johnson Controls Inc. and Caleffi Solar, based in the Menomonee Valley .
The new partnership, the Wisconsin Solar Initiative, is broader, focusing on the solar sector as a whole, and includes Helios Solar Works and Ingeteam, both located in the Menomonee Valley, as well as Eaton Corp., which makes solar inverters at its plant in Menomonee Falls.
The initiative, and the appearance at this week’s Solar Power International conference in Orlando, Fla., aims to spotlight the state’s solar efforts much as Wisconsin Wind Works has done for wind energy components suppliers.
Read more…
by jboullion | Aug 13, 2012 | Uncategorized
From a story by Justin Guay, Sierra Club International Program:
Of course they still have to face the problems they have inherited from trying to copy/paste a centralized grid from the West. So what can they do to solve peak problems with the grid they already have in place? Deploy lots and lots of distributed solar and efficiency.
That’s because, unlike coal, solar for the most part is available when you need it – during peak hours. Which is why it’s great to see States like Gujarat taking the lead in roof top solar programs with the support of the IFC. And efficiency makes the peaks smaller so you need less power in the first place.
The irony here of course is that distributed generation has always been ignored as trivial compared to the real need for a large scale ‘modern grid.’ That’s because policymakers and commentators lack the imagination to understand the fact that when aggregated, small can be very, very big.
Take the hidden truth behind India’s modern grid (as my colleague Jigar Shah points out): it is actually already a distributed system that is largely powered by filthy, costly diesel gen sets. That’s because power outages are so frequent that businesses and wealthy individuals have been forced to pay for this backup generation to ensure power. This is a tremendous opportunity for companies seeking targeted diesel replacement strategies to save people and companies tremendous amounts of money, while providing reliable power.
by jboullion | Aug 13, 2012 | Uncategorized
From a story by Justin Guay, Sierra Club International Program:
Of course they still have to face the problems they have inherited from trying to copy/paste a centralized grid from the West. So what can they do to solve peak problems with the grid they already have in place? Deploy lots and lots of distributed solar and efficiency.
That’s because, unlike coal, solar for the most part is available when you need it – during peak hours. Which is why it’s great to see States like Gujarat taking the lead in roof top solar programs with the support of the IFC. And efficiency makes the peaks smaller so you need less power in the first place.
The irony here of course is that distributed generation has always been ignored as trivial compared to the real need for a large scale ‘modern grid.’ That’s because policymakers and commentators lack the imagination to understand the fact that when aggregated, small can be very, very big.
Take the hidden truth behind India’s modern grid (as my colleague Jigar Shah points out): it is actually already a distributed system that is largely powered by filthy, costly diesel gen sets. That’s because power outages are so frequent that businesses and wealthy individuals have been forced to pay for this backup generation to ensure power. This is a tremendous opportunity for companies seeking targeted diesel replacement strategies to save people and companies tremendous amounts of money, while providing reliable power.
