Links to Current Solar Industry News:
Solar Novus News
Solar Energy Industry Association
American Solar Energy Society
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Solar Industry is the Fastest Growing Energy Technology in the US
Today, solar energy is the fastest growing energy technology in the U.S. The U.S. solar market grew to a $6 billion industry in 2010, up 67% from $3.6 billion in 2009. As a result of growing awareness about reliable, off-the-shelf solar technology, concerns about rising costs of conventional energy, and new state and federal incentives, deployment of solar energy has exploded since 2005. Solar electric capacity installations reached 956 MW in 2010, more than double the installations from 2009. This trend is expected to continue, with solar PV installations projected to double again in 2011.
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Extension of Federal Incentives
President Obama's Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget provides for an extension of the Section 1603 Treasury Program. Extension of this worthwhile program will allow taxpayers to reap the significant economic and energy policy benefits associated with the expanded deployment and use of solar energy.
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Apple's Alternative Energy Data Center
Apple's Maiden, North Carolina data center will be powered by the biggest end-user solar and fuel-cell installations in the US, the company says. The nearly 100-acre solar system is expected to produce 20MW, supplying 42 million kilowatt-hours of solar power annually. A fuel-cell installation, fueled by biogas, will produce an additional 5MW of power. The 500,000-square-foot data center has earned a Platinum designation under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
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Federal Solar Research Funding
US Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced $3 million available this year to support research to significantly lower the cost of solar energy. The funding will enable collaborative research teams from industry, universities and national laboratories to work together in the Energy Department's research centers including the Scientific User Facilities to develop solutions to drive down the cost of solar energy.
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