Photovoltaics
Solar Evolution-
by John Perlin
Legislation
Financial Incentives
Downloads
Solar
e-Clips
solar energy news from California
2001.08.07
|
Welcome to Solar e-Clips. A weekly summary of news and information about solar energy issues in California. Brought to you by The Rahus Institute and Californiasolarcenter.org ************************************************ Solar News from around the State...
Anaheim program offers rebates to homeowners who turn to environmentally friendly solar power. - ANAHEIM - Linda Nicholes is seeing green.Nicholes, who grew up in the Idaho countryside, has managed to cultivate her love for the environment into cash - $10,930.60 to be exact. That's the value of the Anaheim Public Utilities rebate check she recently received for installing a $20,000 photovoltaic - or solar-powered - generation system atop her 3,000-square-foot Anaheim Hills home.She is one of the first two people in the city to capitalize on the photovoltaic rebate program the city kicked off last month. Ion Rosca received a $11,557.60 rebate on a $27,000 system for his 1,850-square-foot central Anaheim home. VIK JOLLY The Orange County Register 2001.8.07 [other utility incentives] Making Mother Nature a proud parent - Young architects' first responsibility is to the environment - David Arkin has a messy garage. At one end is an electric VW Beetle convertible; at the other are banks of batteries and solar energy gear. In between lie dozens of doors and windows, salvaged from buildings long demolished. Arkin and his business partner and wife, Anni Tilt, run an award-winning, environmentally conscious architectural company from the solar-powered office behind their home in the Berkeley flats. The company does light commercial and residential design and remodeling. "In our projects, the idea isn't so much to add space but to make the space we do have more pleasing and efficient," Arkin said. "One of our remodels added a total of 28 square feet, not much, but it made a world of difference to the owner." Bill Burnett in San Francisco Chronicle 2001.8.05 Solar power system owner battles PG&E - The owner of one of California's most powerful solar electric systems was elated this week after a Pacific Gas & Electric engineer certified his system as safe and agreed he could feed full power to the grid -- without first requiring him to pay for a $600,000 upgrade to the local power circuit. It seemed his two-month battle was over. But Ken Adelman's joy was short-lived, as his dispute with PG&E took yet another new turn Friday. Utility spokesman John Nelson said Adelman was wrong if he thinks he has permission to put as much as 31 kilowatts on the grid, as the Corralitos resident claims. "He does not have approval to operate above 10 kilowatts, and if indeed he is doing so, he is in violation of PUC regulations," Nelson said. He was referring to the Public Utilities Commission, which sets electricity rates. CHUCK CARROLL in SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS 2001.8.04 Green Building, Solar Energy, showcased at Pacific Coast Builders Conference - Going for the green: "Green building is a process that creates buildings and supports infrastructures that minimize the use of resources, reduce harmful effects on the environment and create healthier environments for people." So said Lynn N. Simon of Global Green USA, an affiliate of Green Cross International, led by former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev. Speaking at a PCBC session about green building, she cited several statistics about the environmental effects of buildings. Among them: 40 percent of U.S. energy usage is related to the construction and operation of buildings and construction of one conventional house uses up to 300 old-growth trees. Some solutions include siting houses to take advantage of cooling breezes, daylight and solar energy; using building materials with high recycled content; and installing high R-value insulation and double-paned, low-emissivity windows.... San Francisco Chronicle 2001.8.05 Talking solar energy with Cheney - WE WANT TO break our silence. We are two of the fat-cat, special-interest energy lobbyists who met with VicePresident Dick Cheney before his energy task force issued its report. What's more, we met frequently with the task force staff before the report's release. The staff director, Andrew Lundquist, was on our speed dial. We like to say he was the easiest man to reach in Washington. No secretary screened access to him. He often answered his own phone. Now we read that the vice president is fighting to keep secret from Democrats a list of those he met with. And we don't blame him. The fringe-right would throw him out of the Grand Old Party if they knew he was cavorting with the likes of us. You see, we are solar energy lobbyists.... Glenn Hamer and Michael Paranzino Commentary in CC Times 2001.8.04 Ahead of their time - Los Altos High School is only high school to enter national solar car race.- HACIENDA HEIGHTS -- It figures. Sun-worshiping Southern California teenagers would be the only high schoolers to design, build, and drive a solar car in last week's 2,300-mile American Solar Challenge solar car race. The "Solar Shadow II," a solar car created by students at Los Altos High School and the La Puente Valley Regional Occupational Program, faced college-level competitors in the race, including such geek-tech giants as Stanford, MIT and UC Berkeley. Talia Starkey in LA Times 2001.8.03 Danville man gives power to the people - Consumed by the power crisis, I've pined for a tour of one of Northern California's energy generators, a setup I heard was an impressive sight. It took a while to arrange - you know these moguls - but it was worth the wait. I came away with nothing but admiration for this noble power supplier. No, heat stroke has not addled my judgment. This is no valentine to Mirant or Calpine or Enron. I think we've all got some pointed words for those companies, right? I'm talking about my visit to John Chapman's Danville home. Sam McManis in San Francisco Chronicle 2001.8.03 [ed. note: correction to the article - there are currently over 200 net metered customers in PG&E territory] Stymied for years by high prices, solar power gets day in sun - LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Buoyed by generous government subsidies and plummeting costs, solar power is enjoying a rare day in the sun. In places like sun-kissed California, the energy source that once languished on the economic fringe is now carving out a booming niche among consumers hamstrung by high electricity prices and the threat of blackouts. "As the energy problems in the United States increase, it slides more into the mainstream," said John Thornton, a principal engineer in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. The situation has sent a jolt through sales of solar power equipment. Domestic shipments of photovoltaic cells increased 74 percent during the two-year period ending in 2000, according to the federal Department of Energy. That's enough equipment to generate at least 75 megawatts of power at peak usage times. One megawatt can power 750 average homes. The DOE projects that total could reach 3,200 megawatts by 2020... ANDREW BRIDGES, AP SF Chronicle 2001.8.02 ASTROPOWER Reports Record Second Quarter Results - AstroPower, Inc. (NASDAQ:APWR), a leading supplier of solar electric power products, today reported record financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2001.... Press Release 2001.8.02 Rising Energy Costs Create Strong Interest in First Conference on Solar Electric Building - MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.---The California power crisis has caused rate structure increases rising to 25(cent) per kWh and time-of-day usage charges of 30(cent) per kWh, resulting in a more than doubling of power bills for large consumers of electricity. This has dramatically increased public sensitivity to the uncertainty of future costs and the importance of energy considerations in planning, designing, building and operating personal residences, commercial spaces and public buildings. The strong interest in the upcoming STRATEGIES IN SOLAR ELECTRIC BUILDING Conference on the resulting business opportunities for the construction industry confirms the enthusiasm for new ways to address energy needs. Bizwire Yahoo 2001.07.31 Lofty Goals Set for Solar Plane - Powered by 14 electric motors not much stronger than hair dryers, a massive flying wing made mostlyof plastic wrap will attempt next month to go where no airplane has gone before. Although it will take about eight hours to get there, lumbering at a maximum speed of 25 mph, the Helios solar plane is expected to shatter altitude records and help scientists understand how to fly on Mars. It could ultimately usher in a new era in satellite telecommunications. Developed by AeroVironment Inc., a pioneering aerospace firm in Monrovia, with funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the remote-controlled aircraft will attempt to reach 100,000 feet, an aviation feat no jet or propeller airplane has accomplished. "It's one of our most exciting projects," said Alan Brown, spokesman for NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, which is overseeing the test flights and has played a role in many aviation advances, including the shattering of the sound barrier. PETER PAE in LA TIMES 2001.7.30 Promised Power Plant Fuels Cries of Fraud Energy: Tribe told of riches from facility run by new secret technology suspects it's been had. - BISHOP, Calif. -- It would be difficult to write a better spoof of the energy frenzy than the tale that has been unfolding here on a small Indian reservation. There is the pony-tailed convicted felon who came to this remote Eastern Sierra town with bodyguards, secrecy agreements and plans for a power plant that would reap millions in annual profits for the local tribe, require no fuel and produce no pollution. There was the prototype: two boxes connected to a car chassis suspended off the ground. When a switch was flipped, the tires turned. There were the company code names for employees: Falcon, Caesar, Cleopatra. But it's not a spoof. It's the story of QSFG Research and Development Inc. of North Las Vegas and founder Michael J. Marshall, who has left a trail of angry investors, laid-off employees and allegations of fraud from Nevada to Hawaii. BETTINA BOXALL in LA TIMES 2001.7.28 [ Ed. note: this is not a solar story, but one that very well could be.]
Note regarding dead links: Most publications move stories into their archive after one or two weeks. Use the date provided here with individual stories to help find them after they have been moved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THE EDITOR TO CONTACT THE EDITOR: BACK ISSUES: ..........................
|
Schott
Applied Power to Build Solar Carport for Riverside, California - Schott
Applied Power Corporation (SAPC) has been awarded a contract by the City
of Riverside to design, supply and construct a 113 kW solar photovoltaic
(PV) carport system. The PV power system, connected to the City's utility
grid, will generate clean, renewable energy to offset summer electricity
demand during peak hours. In addition, the SAPC-designed structure will
provide shade for approximately 152 parking spaces at the Operation Center
for Riverside's Public Utilities.... 
Home • Disclaimer • Email • Search • Advertising Information
Copyright © 2002The Rahus Institute