photo: BrightSource Energy As the Nevada legislature debates extending tax breaks for large-scale solar power plants, a new report finds that ramping up solar development in the Silver State could produce thousands of good-paying green jobs while generating nearly $11 billion in economic benefits. The study from San Francisco-based non-profit Vote Solar concludes that 2,000 [...]
Archive for the ‘First Solar’ Category
Big Solar generates big green jobs: report
Posted in alternative energy, Ausra, BrightSource Energy, energy, eSolar, First Solar, green policy, green startups, green tech, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power plants, Stirling Energy Systems, SunPower, tagged Ausra, BrightSource Energy, First Solar, Large-Scale Solar Association, Nevada, solar tax incentives, Stirling Energy Systems, SunPower, Vote Solar on April 9, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Google to map green energy zones
Posted in alternative energy, Ausra, BrightSource Energy, endangered species, energy, enviro startups, environment, First Solar, Google, green startups, green tech, PG&E, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power plants, Southern California Edison, SunPower, wind power, tagged Google, Google Earth, green energy zones, Map Green Energy, renewable energy projects on April 1, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Can Google help defuse a simmering green civil war between renewable energy advocates and wildlife conservationists in the American West? That’s the idea behind a new Google Earth mapping project launched Wednesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Audubon Society. Path to Green Energy will identify areas in 13 western states potentially [...]
Desert showdown: Big solar vs. little wildlife
Posted in alternative energy, Ausra, BrightSource Energy, climate change, endangered species, energy, enviro startups, First Solar, global warming, green policy, green startups, green tech, OptiSolar, PG&E, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power plants, Southern California Edison, Stirling Energy Systems, tagged BrightSource Energy, desert tortoise, Goldman Sachs, Mojave Desert, PG&E, Senator Dianne Feinstein, solar power plants, Southern California Edison on March 26, 2009 | 25 Comments »
photo: Wild Rose Images California Senator Dianne Feinstein’s move to put a large swath of the Mojave Desert off-limits to renewable energy development is splitting the environmental movement and could derail some two dozen solar and wind power projects the state needs to comply with its ambitious climate change laws. On the firing line are [...]
New Mexico gets first Big Solar farm
Posted in alternative energy, First Solar, OptiSolar, PG&E, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power plants, Southern California Edison, tagged First Solar, New Mexico, solar energy, solar power plants, thin-film solar on March 24, 2009 | 1 Comment »
photo: First Solar The arid Southwest has no shortage of sun but has been rather slow to embrace Big Solar power plants, at least compared to California, where more than a half-dozen massive megawatt solar farms are being licensed. That appears to be changing. On Tuesday, First Solar said it will give New Mexico its [...]
Solar startup scores $535m federal loan guarantee
Posted in alternative energy, climate change, enviro startups, environment, First Solar, global warming, green collar jobs, green policy, green startups, green tech, OptiSolar, PG&E, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power plants, Solyndra, tagged federal loan guarnatee, First Solar, OptiSolar, solar energy, solar panels, Solyndra on March 20, 2009 | 6 Comments »
photo: Solyndra It’s been a good news, bad news Friday for the solar industry. Silicon Valley startup Solyndra received a half billion-dollar loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy to build a solar module factory while further up Interstate 880 OptiSolar moved to shut down its manufacturing operations. OptiSolar too had asked for a [...]
Consolidation of solar industry accelerates
Posted in alternative energy, First Solar, solar energy, solar power plants, Suntech, tagged First Solar, OptiSolar, Recurrent Energy, solar industry consolidation., UPC Solar on March 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Another day, another solar deal. San Francisco’s Recurrent Energy on Wednesday will announce that it is acquiring a 350-megawatt portfolio of photovoltaic projects from UPC Solar of Chicago as the industry continues to consolidate. “Since the financial crisis set in last year we’ve kept an eye out for opportunities to pick up a pipeline of [...]
First Solar buys rival’s assets in $400 million deal
Posted in alternative energy, First Solar, green startups, MMA Renewable Ventures, OptiSolar, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power plants, tagged First Solar, OptiSolar, PG&E, solar industry consolidation. on March 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
photo: First Solar In the second big solar deal of the day, First Solar on Monday announced it was acquiring rival thin-film photovoltaic startup OptiSolar’s solar power plant projects in an all-stock transaction worth $400 million. The acquisition vaults First Solar into the ranks of big solar power plant developers, giving it control of a [...]
PG&E chief: We’ll be solar’s ‘green knight’
Posted in alternative energy, climate change, corporate green, environment, First Solar, green financing, green startups, green tech, investment tax credit, MMA Renewable Ventures, PG&E, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power plants, Southern California Edison, SunPower, Suntech, tagged PG&E, photovoltaic solar, solar energy, solar power plants on February 24, 2009 | 3 Comments »
photo: Optisolar SAN FRANCISCO — With the financial crisis dimming solar’s prospects to become a significant source of renewable energy, utility giant PG&E on Tuesday said it will spend $1.4 billion over five years to install 250 megawatts’ worth of photovoltaic panels in California while contracting with private developers for another 250 megawatts. PG&E chief [...]
Green stimulus: Who wins
Posted in Abengoa Solar, alternative energy, BrightSource Energy, endangered species, First Solar, green financing, green policy, green tech, MMA Renewable Ventures, OptiSolar, PG&E, renewable energy, San Diego Gas & Electric, solar energy, solar power plants, Southern California Edison, Stirling Energy Systems, SunPower, the green economy, tagged BrightSource Energy, First Solar, OptiSolar, PG&E, renewable energy, solar power plants, stimulus package, thin-film solar on February 17, 2009 | 1 Comment »
In the green stimulus sweepstakes, big potential winners are companies like Silicon Valley startup OptiSolar. The solar-cell maker came out of nowhere last year to score a deal with utility PG&E to build the world’s largest photovolaic power plant, a 550-megawatt monster that would cover some 9 1/2 square miles on California’s central coast. OptiSolar [...]
Ausra exits solar power plant building business
Posted in Ausra, BrightSource Energy, energy, enviro startups, environment, eSolar, First Solar, green financing, green startups, green tech, PG&E, renewable energy, San Diego Gas & Electric, solar energy, solar power plants, Stirling Energy Systems, SunPower, tagged Ausra, Bob Fishman, BrightSource Energy, financial crisis, layoffs, solar power plants on January 27, 2009 | 5 Comments »
photo: Ausra When Green Wombat sat down for a chat with Ausra founder David Mills back in September 2007, he allowed that it was not unreasonable to expect the Silicon Valley solar startup to soon be building several massive megawatt solar power plants a year. The optimism was not unwarranted. After all, in the space [...]
