Snow sculpture in front of J’s Big Gym in Washington Heights (not taken today, obvs)

Solar One E$C Coordinator Diana Pangestu’s snowman in her Brooklyn backyard

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Spanish solar company Acciona will receive $2.9 million to expand a solar power plant in Boulder City, Nevada. The grant from the U.S. government comes in lieu of tax credits as allowed under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The Obama administration announced the grant last week.

The provision in the Recovery Act allowing renewable energy projects to receive grants in lieu of tax credits came in response to the economic recession that had lenders tightening the reigns on loans for solar projects due to the risk involved. The prospect of recouping 30 percent of project costs in the short term gave developers more leverage while seeking financing for projects. The expansion of Acciona’s Nevada Solar One plant is a prime example.

It is one of 250 renewable energy projects slated to receive grants, 72 percent of which are solar energy projects. The feds have promised at least $550 million in grant funding for projects approved since applications started rolling in during August of last year. Developers apply for the program through the Department of Treasury and, upon approval, may recoup the money upon completion of their project.

At the time it was built in 2007, Nevada Solar One, a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant, was the largest of its kind in the world and the first built in 17 years. It was the plant that really sparked interest in large-scale solar power around the country. Now hundreds of projects are either underway or under development. Nevada Solar One is now the third largest in the world, according to the Las Vegas Sun, pumping out better than 64 megawatts of solar thermal power.

Three other projects in Nevada are receiving grants under the Recovery Act provision. All are geothermal power plants in the northern half of the state.

Photo Credit: TIME

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A new bill passed resoundingly by the California legislature last week will allow more utility customers to sell excess solar electricity back to their power provider. Current law limits the amount of energy utilities can purchase from customers to 2.5 percent. The new bill, which Governor Schwarzenegger reportedly plans to sign, will double that amount to 5 percent.

Supporters of the measure say that it will increase the use of solar technology and help offset high electricity costs. Clean energy advocate Bernadette Del Chiaro of Environment California lauds the measure: “It makes solar power affordable for people,” she said. “You couldn’t do that if you lost all that electricity.” The worry that inspired this Assembly bill was that the current 2.5 percent cap would lock out new solar users, thus discouraging solar power in California.

Opponents’ primary complaint about the bill is that it does not allow the solar energy purchased from customers by the utility to count toward state renewable energy mandates unless the utility pays that customer a surcharge. Subsequently, the detractors claim, the rest of the utility’s customers will have to pay higher rates to cover the added costs. “These customers should be allowed to make solar work, but we’re not out to make them rich,” said Matthew Freedman, an attorney with The Utility Reform Network, a consumer advocacy group based in San Francisco.

California’s mandates dictate that 33 percent of the state’s energy must come from renewable sources by 2030.

Via SFGate

Photo Credit: Standard Solar

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Due to the continuing snow storm and anticipated road conditions, February 27th Green From the Inside Out at the Clay Pit Ponds Interpretive Center has been canceled. Please see our Green From the Inside Out event page for information about future events, including our March 27th program at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center.

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February 25,2010 –

Advanced chemicals and materials used to make PV solar cells and modules continue to establish a foothold, poised to grow to about $14B by 2015, according to an industry analyst.

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February 25,2010 –

In a slump year that still managed 13% growth, the PV industry witnessed a key regional shift in supply that will cause a rethinking of how PV shipments should be analyzed — thanks to China/Taiwan, where price points for both cells and modules…….

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Honda finally unveiled their new solar hydrogen solar station and all signs point to a dramatic success. The station is smaller than previous models and enables an electric car owner to refill their fuel cell overnight. The unit should easily fit into a homeowners’ garage taking up significantly less space than previous models. The [...]
Posted in: Fuel Cells, Hydrogen Fuel, Solar Power

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Developer Steve Blanchard set out to build one of the greenest homes in Orange County, and he may just have accomplished that. In fact, this home, the Costa Mesa Green…

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