Solar Policy News | Cooler Planet

Greece believes solar power could help solve financial crisis

Posted 98 days ago — Read Full Story

In a joint statement, European leaders said Greece will use revenue from the country's Helios solar power project to help cut the country's debt by $21 billion.Helios is a €20 billion project that may install as much as 10 gigawatts of solar power in the country by 2050. The country's Environment, Energy and Climate Change Minister George Papaconstantinou said the project has the potential for revenue of €80 billion.“Greece commits future cash flows from project Helio

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'Solar energy zones' announced for western US states

Posted 101 days ago — Read Full Story

The U.S. government has identified 17 places in six western states that are ideal areas to generate solar power on public lands. About 285,000 acres of land across California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Nevada have been designated as "solar energy zones."These zones have been targeted due to their potential to generate thousands of megawatts of electricity, according to the government. Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar said areas were chosen due to energy potential

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U.S. Department of Energy to invest more in solar power

Posted 103 days ago — Read Full Story

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the U.S. Energy Department will invest $60 million in solar power over the next three years in an effort to advance the technology.The investment will be part of the U.S. government program the SunShot Initiative. This program aims to reduce the cost of solar power. The funding from this forthcoming round of investment could go to about two dozen projects in the private solar power sector."Our nation is in a global race to produce cost-competitive

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Georgia official wants solar power generation mandate

Posted 110 days ago — Read Full Story

Georgia Public Service Commissioner Lauren "Bubba" McDonald wants solar power development within the state. McDonald said he wants to see a study of renewable portfolio standards, which would require the state to produce a certain amount of power from renewable sources.Lynn Wallace, spokesperson for Georgia Power, the state's utility company, does not want the standard put in, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Wallace said there is already a diversified portfolio of reso

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U.S. Energy Department closes $4.75 billion in solar power loans

Posted 126 days ago — Read Full Story

As the deadline for a 2005 program funded by the stimulus act grew to a close last week, the U.S. Department of Energy completed $4.75 billion in loan guarantees for four solar power projects.“It’s not enough for our country to invent clean energy technologies, we have to make them and use them, too,” Energy Secretary Steven Chu said, adding that the U.S. can't afford not to invest in solar power. “Invented in America, made in America and sold around the world. That&r

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Federal government finalizes two solar power loans for more than $1 billion

Posted 130 days ago — Read Full Story

The U.S. Energy Department announced this week that it has finalized more than $1 billion for two solar power loan guarantees.One loan will be for $737 million to help finance the build out of Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Plant in Nye County, Nevada and the other is a $337 loan for a Sempra Energy project in Arizona. The project in Nevada will be 110-megawatts and create 600 construction jobs and 45 permanent jobs. The DOE said 300 construction jobs will be created in Arizona for the 150-megawatt

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Federal government will continue to fund solar power

Posted 138 days ago — Read Full Story

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in an interview with The Associated Press that after a $528 million loan to bankrupt California solar power company Solyndra failed, the country will continue to loan money to solar power and clean energy companies. Salazar told the AP he sees a "bright future" in solar power."It's not going to be a perfect path where every project proposed is going to be built toward completion," he told the news source, adding that the Solyndra f

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U.S. solar power sees big growth in second quarter

Posted 139 days ago — Read Full Story

The U.S. solar power industry saw a big boost over the second quarter of 2011, according to the U.S. Solar Market Insight report released by Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research.According to the report, developers installed 314.3 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power in the second quarter, up from 186.5 megawatts in the same period in 2010. The report said that much of the increase was due to government initiatives, including a U.S. Treasury Department program that reimburses dev

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Mojave Solar Project gets $1.2 billion in funding.

Posted 145 days ago — Read Full Story

The U.S. Department of Energy announced that it finalized a $1.2 billion loan, which will be guaranteed that the Mojave Solar Project. The planned solar power project is expected to generate 250 megawatts for San Bernardino County, California, when it is completed.Energy Secretary Steven Chu said that the project will increase the nation's currently installed concentrating solar power capacity by about 50 percent. The project is expected to create 900 permanent and construction jobs.“I

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Colorado solar power project gets $90.6 million loan guarantee

Posted 150 days ago — Read Full Story

The U.S. Department of Energy announced that it will give Cogentrix, a subsidiary of the Goldman Sachs Group, a $90.6 million loan guarantee to construct the Alamosa Solar Generating Project, a 30 megawatt solar photovoltaic project in Colorado.According to the DOE, the 30 megawatts would hold the title as the largest project of its kind when finished in 2012. It's estimated that the project will create 100 constriction and 10 operational jobs.“On Thursday, President Obama spoke about

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SolarCity receives $344 million for rooftop solar panels

Posted 151 days ago — Read Full Story

SolarCity, a residential solar power provider, has reached an agreement with the U.S. government to put solar panels on military housing units, a move which the company said could double the amount of rooftop solar power in the country."This is the largest domestic residential rooftop solar project in history," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement announcing the deal. "It can also be a model for other large-scale rooftop solar projects that help America regain its

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Department of Energy awards more than $145 million for advanced solar power

Posted 157 days ago — Read Full Story

The U.S. Department of Energy announced this week that it will be awarding $145 million for projects to help shape the next generation of solar power technology in the country.Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that 69 projects in 24 states will accelerate the research and development to increase efficiency, lower costs and advance cutting-edge technologies. The money will be funded through the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and the projects will look to improve m

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Tennessee looks to future of solar power in state

Posted 192 days ago — Read Full Story

Much like the rest of the country, Tennessee is building plentiful amounts of new solar power and a report in the Memphis Commercial Appeal says the future is only getting brighter.The news source reports that West Tennessee Solar Farm, which is being built up by Signal Energy, is being built this week with 21,000 solar panels on racks. The project, expected to be finished early next year, will be the biggest solar installation in the state and one of the southeast's biggest. The $31 million

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California starts Solar Schools initiative

Posted 192 days ago — Read Full Story

A new solar power program which is designed to lower the cost of electricity and save money has been agreed to by the California School Board Association and SunPower Corporation.The two agreed to a plan which officials say is expected to save California up to $2.5 billion through solar panel installations. More than 90 schools will go solar within the next year, and the program could help 1,000 school districts and education offices get solar power as well.“Whether it be a 1 [kilowatt] so

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New Vermont solar power project is now operational

Posted 192 days ago — Read Full Story

A new solar power project in Vermont uses 382 AllSun Trackers, produced by WAllEarth Renewables, to follow the sun throughout the day, allowing them to be about 40 percent more efficient than stationary solar panels, according to the Associated Press.The project uses pole-mounted trackers, which use global positioning systems and wireless technology, to follow the sun, according to the news source. Company officials say this is the largest installment of this kind of solar panel in the North Ame

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Maryland leases prison land to create large solar power farm

Posted 193 days ago — Read Full Story

The state of Maryland will create the state's largest solar power farm on 250 acres of state prison land on the west side of the state, according to The Associated Press.The Board of Public Works voted 2-1 this week to approve the measure, which will see a 20-megawatt solar project developed next to the medium-security Maryland Correctional Institution near Hagerstown, the news source reports. Construction will create about 125 jobs, according to supporters."Maryland is benefiting by ge

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Local New Jersey board of education to decide on solar panels

Posted 193 days ago — Read Full Story

A local New Jersey school board is trying to decide whether it wants solar panels on three of its schools, according to Pacific Valley Today.The solar panels will hopefully assist the Woodland Park Board of Education's district with energy costs, according to the news source, but having a lower, more favorable electric rate. Each kilowatt hour of power the solar panels provide the district, it will save the board from paying the utility company for electricity.If the board does vote on the p

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Solar power finance program starts for Milwaukee residents

Posted 194 days ago — Read Full Story

Milwaukee residents will see a new solar power financing program debut this week, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.The new program will see Milwaukee Shines partner with the Summit Credit union to help homeowners finance installation costs for solar panels, the news source said. The city said financing options were a key barrier for homeowners to purchase solar panels, according to a study.Amy Heart, who manages the Milwaukee Shines solar program, told the Journal Sentinel that they h

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Solar panels to be installed at Yosemite National Park

Posted 194 days ago — Read Full Story

Roof-mounted, parking-canopy and wall-mounted solar panel systems will be installed at Yosemite National Park. SolarWorld, which will be installing the panels, say this is the largest solar installation at a U.S. national park.The Business Journal said the project will be installed at the park's El Portal Administrative Complex. It said the parking canopy will feature 500-kilowatts of solar power, the roof-mount system will have 100-kilowatts of solar power and the wall-mount will have a 72-

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Bartow, Florida to install solar panels on city-owned buildings

Posted 194 days ago — Read Full Story

Bartow, Florida, is set to install solar panels on city-owned building at a fairly cheap price, according to The Ledger.The city's administrators are predicting $15,000 in energy savings by pulling power from the panels instead of the electric grid. City Manager George Long calls it a "win-win" situation, according to the news source."The city's only expense is to insure the panels," Linda Allen, the city's grant administrator, told the news source. DCS Energy is

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Veterans Affairs awards $56.7 million to hospitals for solar power

Posted 194 days ago — Read Full Story

Five hospitals have contracts from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to build solar power systems.About $56.7 million will be given to the hospitals. According to VA, this money is going toward a continued support of efficiency and renewable energy resources. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said that they hope the projects will create new jobs and expand innovation."The benefits of using solar power are profound, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to improving the quality of air we bre

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New Jersey holds hearings on energy plan

Posted 194 days ago — Read Full Story

The long-term energy plan for New Jersey is under discussion this week, including praise of the state's plans to install solar panels on brownfields and landfills.Governor Chris Christie's plan calls for 22.5 percent of the state's energy to come from renewable resources by 2021, which many environmental activists say should be closer to 30 percent. The governor calls the 30 percent goal "unrealistic."A lot of the early-week hearing testimony was focused on solar power, the

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President of Sharp says Japan should use more solar power

Posted 196 days ago — Read Full Story

After the Fukushima nuclear accident, caused by the tsunami this past spring in Japan, energy leaders across the country have been looking to rely less on nuclear energy. Sharp President Mikio Katayama joined the conversation, saying Japan should start to focus more on solar energy in the Wall Street Journal.Sharp, which gets the most money from liquid crystal display panels and televisions, also procured 9 percent of its overall budget of $38.57 billion from solar panels last fiscal year, the n

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Ontario officials say 20,000 renewable energy jobs have been created

Posted 196 days ago — Read Full Story

While 10 construction jobs have been created in the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre in Toronto by installing 96 solar panels for Ontario's electric system, Ontario's Ministry of Energy said there have been 20,000 jobs created by renewable energy measures and 30,000 will come in by 2012.Ontario's Green Energy Act has created about 2,000 large-scale Feed-in Tariff projects have been announced, according to officials. This would mean enough energy to power 900,000 homes. The Ministr

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Simpler solar process could create $5 billion in California, study says

Posted 196 days ago — Read Full Story

According to a new study by SunRun, a home solar company, and economic consultancy company AECOM, simpler solar processes could make up to $5 billion in additional solar power growth in California.The study said this would be a 20 percent increase over what is currently generated. SunRun Director of Government Affairs Ethan Sprague said this offers a low-cost way to add billions to the economy, and it's just a matter of putting guidelines that already exist to use.SunRun said if there was a

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