As more and more gadgets pop up in the market, we often discard the old and go with the new. This is not really something new. In fact, we may have accumulated quite a pile of electronics that we do not know what to do with them anymore. Now if you are interested in finding where to take that old computer of yours, then you better read on.

In Texas, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TECQ) has been able to work out a way to help consumers. What it did was it created a web site which people could access so as to find information on where they could bring their old PCs. This site can be accessed by going to http://www.texasrecyclescomputers.org/.

Mark Vickery is the director of the organization and he says, “The goal of the program is to give Texans an easy way to recycle the used computer equipment they have been storing in their closets and garages for years.”

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[Valencia, Spain]

The big news was who was absent.
The Valencia Call for Solar Photovoltaics.

While “Regional Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Mario Flores Lanuza has opened the world´s largest solar energy conference in Valencia” (Español) may have been the headline, the key observation on the Monday morning, September 1, 2008, opening of the 23rd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC) was no representative from the Spanish central government chose to attend the “the most important international Event in the field of Photovoltaics”.

Discussions in the opening speeches and press conference centered on the “Spanish question” regarding a draft proposal to reduce Spain’s photovoltaic (PV) Feed-in Tariff (FiT) and cap annual installations at 300 MWp (MegaWatt-peak). With Spain’s existing FiT set to expire on September 28, 2008, Spanish PV installers are scrambling to complete projects before the current law is superseded. More than 1.6 GW (GigaWatts, pronounced JigaWatts by many Europeans like in “Back to the Future”) of photovoltaics are expected to be installed in Spain this year, perhaps even by the end of September.

EPIA (European Photovoltaic Industry Association) President and Isofotón Communication and External Affairs General Manager Ernesto Macias was direct in his opening remarks and responding to a statement by ASIF (Spanish Photovoltaic Industry Association) President Javier Anta at the press conference said, “(We had) the wrong tariff and wrong model with too many large plants.” This was the root cause of the Spanish PV market explosion.

Mr. Macias outlined a light gray counterproposal to the Spanish FiT draft revision which would:

• Limit large PV plants to a maximum size of 10 MW.
• Only large PV plants would count towards the 300 MW annual cap.
• 100 kW (kilowatt) and smaller distributed generation PV plant installations should not be limited.

These were the key points I noted, and I am waiting for an official copy of the proposal from EPIA. The Spanish question should be decided in a matter a weeks. Outside of the press conference, a number of sources including Photon International Editor-in-chief Michael Schmela have mentioned the possibility of a higher Spanish PV cap in the next FiT revision of 500 to 600 MW.

Although not touted as important metrics, here are a few key stats from the 23rd EU PVSEC:

• 3702 registered Participants from 83 countries and perhaps up to 4000 by week’s end
• 715 Exhibitors from 37 countries
• 1322 papers received from 69 countries
• 20000 Conference and Exhibition visitors expected this week

In his Welcome Address, the Conference General Chairman Daniel Lincot, Research Director at CNRS, Institute for Research and Development of Photovoltaic Energy (IRDEP), Paris, France, announced an international call by scientists for the accelerated worldwide deployment of Photovoltaics known as “The Valencia Call for Solar Photovoltaics” echoing the Kyoto Protocol. This declaration is supported by over 200 PV and society personalities and can be found at the Chairman’s Initiative for PV on the EU PVSEC website. You (yes that means YOU!) are invited to join this initiative and sign the Call by sending an email to PVCall@enscp.fr or contact Daniel Lincot at the address shown in the above link along with your comments and proposals.

Buenas noches from Valencia where Iberia Airlines has held my checked bag hostage for over four (4) day now. My brand new camcorder is already out of battery power, and I am dreading the demise of my trusty Canon PowerShot SD800IS battery. Both chargers and my voice recorder are in the missing bag. That’s my excuse for not getting a post out sooner.

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Investors have been hot and cold on energy stocks for the past few months. Earlier in the year solar energy stocks reached their highs and a sell off occurred. But, they’re baaaaacccckkkk.

Business Week is reporting that some of the solar energy issues have risen at least 58% in the past month. No doubt motivated by a lot of positive quarterly earnings reports. Investors are catching on again-the public wants solar energy technology to be developed to bring down the price for consumers.

But, the feds have to have their brains cells functioning in order to keep investment tax credit incentives for individual users. Homeowners who are thinking of installing rooftop panels want the larger incentives let alone not renewing the current ones. The current congress has not passed legislation that would extend investment tax credit incentives as of yet.

One broker at Raymond James who monitors the solar energy sector said regarding the feds not reupping on the incentives “We have excellent solar resources in the U.S. We have increasing power prices, plenty of renewable energy incentives even without the [investment tax credit].”

The cost of producing solar energy is coming down. Alternatively, the cost of producing fossil fuel based energy is going up. What’s not to understand Feds?

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Some people think they should wait to go solar until the cost of solar panels drops significantly. But there are a number of reasons why waiting to go solar will ultimately diminish your savings on energy instead of increasing them.

Rising Energy Costs

California has some of the nation’s highest energy costs, with homeowners paying an average of sixteen and a half cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity. Prices have risen around six percent annually since 1971. Pacific Gas & Electric recently announced that its rates could rise another 4.4 percent in October, and they could possibly go up 11 percent in January.

But soaring residential utility bills don’t yet reflect the true, high cost of today’s power. The price of wholesale electricity – which utilities like PG&E buy to deliver to your home – has gone up on average 10 percent annually over the last 7 years. PG&E’s recent warnings reflect a larger statewide trend. Southern California Edison recently asked the California Public Utilities Commission for permission to raise residential rates 16 percent next year and warned they could jump a whopping 25 percent. The utilities are asking for and getting these dramatic hikes approved because the fuels we use to make electricity – natural gas and coal for the most part - are getting more expensive. With these price increases, taking advantage of solar power makes economic sense for the majority of Californians right now.

Falling Solar Incentives

The federal and California government offer incentives to go solar. But these subsidies won’t last much longer. The Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) defrays a significant portion of solar’s cost for homeowners and businesses, but this is set to expire at the end of 2008. Without clear leadership on energy policy in Washington, recent efforts in Congress to extend the solar ITC have failed. Hence, going solar before the end of the year is the only way to guarantee this advantage.

Here in California, homeowners can also benefit from the state’s solar rebate program – the California Solar Initiative. But the rebate amount in PG&E territory recently went down 15 percent, and will go down again this year. Making the switch to solar now ensures you’ll get the maximum remaining state rebate. The longer you wait the less money you’ll save.

The Time to Go Solar is Now

Waiting to go solar simply doesn’t make sense - not with rising electricity prices, declining subsidies, and new services that make solar affordable and hassle-free. By next summer you might just breathe easier as you watch the meter spin backwards when the temperature rises and the thermostat falls.

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The Rise & Shine is your daily source for all solar industry-related news.

CALIFORNIA NEWS
Growers Pose Green Hurdle in California
Growers have urged state commissioners to avoid their property when selecting a route for a project linking consumers on the coast to renewable energy operations in the Southern California desert.

Less Than Light Speed
Slow to join the solar power craze, Alameda’s solar program has been plagued with delays in its 1st year.

Many Peninsula Cities Slow to Act on Climate Change
A survey of actions taken by cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties shows a high concern for the issue of climate change but mixed results when it comes to taking action.

Borrego Solar, Kyocera Pursuing 1.2MW Photovoltaic System in San Diego
University of California, San Diego, has selected Borrego Solar to install a 1.2 MW solar electric system that employs Kyocera solar PV modules.

NATIONAL NEWS
For Retirement Savings, Solar Power is a better Bet Than the Stock Market
Of the 30,000 people who live in Phoenix’s Sun City West retirement community, there are two senior citizens who have a particular affection for the sun.

UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS
SF Girds For Its Biggest Public Power Fight Yet
Eleven times since the 1920s, San Francisco voters have had their say on public power. And 11 times, they’ve voted it down. But, public power advocates believe the Nov. 4 ballot will finally be their chance.

Eka Lands Smart Meter Deal with GE, Too
Eka says it has scored a deal with GE Energy to integrate GE?s I-210 meters with Eka?s wireless system.

FARE Files Florida PSC Comments Calling for Feed-in Tariffs
The Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy filed comments with the Public PSC suggesting that the state move towards a system of feed-in tariffs rather than going down its present path.

FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS
Solar Energy Stocks: All Fired Up
Solar energy stocks are hot once again, with shares of industry players jumping as much as 58% in the past month.

MARKETS & MARKET RESEARCH
Solar Residential Panel Market Shares, Forecasts, and Strategies for 2008-2014
Research and Markets has announced the addition of WinterGreen Research, Inc.’s new report “Solar Residential Panel Market Shares, Forecasts, and Strategies, 2008-2014? to their offering.

TECHNOLOGY
Solar Power to the People
Envision Solar has expanded its product line of PV shade structures to include two “flat-pack” easy to install modular shade structures, each with eight solar panels providing 1.4 kilowatt of clean energy.

Lighting The Way to Affordable Solar Power
Nicole Kuepper has found a way to manufacture solar cells with the help of an inkjet printer, some nail varnish remover-like substance and a pizza.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Suntech & DC Chemical Sign Polysilicon Deal
DC Chemical will supply Suntech with specified annual volumes of polysilicon with a total value of approximately US $750 million from 2010 to 2016.

GT Solar Signs $173 Million Contract With DC Chemical
GT Solar will provide DC Chemical with polysilicon CVD reactors, which are used to manufacture polysilicon, a key raw material utilized to produce solar cells.

Solibro Starts Shipments of CIGS Modules
Solibro signed supply contracts for almost its entire production with PV systems market players like HaWi Energietechnik GmbH, SUNOVA AG, Geckologic GmbH, thermovolt AG, and SUNSET Energietechnik GmbH.

DuPont to Expand Production of Tedlar Films
U.S. chemical and electronic materials maker DuPont Co said Tuesday it intends to expand production capacity for its Tedlar films, due to a surge in global demand for solar energy.

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There is a new brick in town and this one is green. Well, it is not really green in color but it actually has been developed so much so that it can bear solar cells on it. This green and solar brick is actually something that the Sunrise Solar Corporation has worked on.

According to the report, this solar brick is actually one of the very first construction materials that we use that would be going green. So if you can think far ahead, if most of our construction materials can be tapped to absorb the sun’s rays and convert it into useful energy and power, then just think of all the money we would be saving.

Eddie Austin is the head of the company and on this new development, he shares, “This creative product can provide lighting and decoration with no connection to a power grid and can be imbedded in a wall or concrete slab as an integrated part of the structural design.”

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Welcome back teachers and students!

Now with the new school year underway, our education team is putting together our calendar for education programs with our many school partners all over the city.

We are now accepting applications for programs for Fall 2008 and Spring 2009! Please email application forms to education[at]solar1.org or call 212-253-1813 to schedule a class today! This season we are expanding our K-12 enrichment programs to include:

• Renewable Energy
• Sustainable Design
• Estuary Ecology and Water Testing
• Environmental Art

Upcoming Events and News

Outdoor Education Fair
Tuesday | September 23rd | 4:30pm
New York City Outdoors! An Environmental Education Exposition on Tuesday, September 23^th, 2008 at Pier 66 Maritime in the Hudson River Park at West 26^th Street in Manhattan. The Expo showcases the environmental education resources for New York City teachers and educators. Soil and Water

Solar Sprint
Thursday | Sept. 25 – 4-7pm
The Junior Solar Sprint will be hosted at MS 74 in Queens, NY.

Butterfly Tagging Day
Saturday | Sept. 27th | 1-3pm
Join us for a fun-filled day of monarch butterfly tagging and learning about the animals and plants of Stuyvesant Cove Park!

Hudson River Snapshot Day
October 7th | 9am – 1pm
Solar One will be a host site for NYC’s annual Hudson River Snapshot Day. Contact Chris Kennedy (kennedy [at] solar1 [dot] org) to sign up your school to be apart of this event. Learn more about the program here.

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Solar powered cars already exist, but their limitations are great. Mazda was among the first companies to tinker with solar roofing ideas, but the costs for the cars were outrageous, accompanying many other problematic issues.
For cars available today, solar power recharges the battery when they are parked. Afterwards, the car can be used, but only [...]

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There is an analogy one might use as an introduction to troubleshooting solar systems: wires are to PV systems as pipes are to thermal systems. This implies that, aside from the occasional need to clean panel glazing, if you find something wrong with your solar system, it will likely have to do with pipes or [...]

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