A lot happened for solar in 2012, from some of the world's largest solar plants being built out and connected to the grid to tariffs being imposed on Chinese silicon PV imports. Here are some of the biggest stories from 2012 as we head into 2013.
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Keeping America Competitive: A Solar Manufacturing Boost In San Diego
America’s solar manufacturing base is gaining ground as the world’s largest concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) manufacturing facility prepares to opens its doors.
A Look Back at Solar Energy in 2012
2012 was a big year for solar, both domestically and globally, with some unlikely players throwing their hats into the ring and upping the ante on achievable power generating capacity. Here's a wrap-up of some of the year's most impactful events in the solar industry, with a little added perspective from some experts in the field.
Plant, projects help Napoleon earn title of 'America's Number One Solar Small Town'
Michael Peck still finds it amazing that a tiny area smack in the middle of rural northwest Ohio can have such a large solar footprint.
Granted, since last February, the city of Napoleon has been home to a solar panel-making operation headed by Mr. Peck, chairman of Isofoton North America Inc., an offspring of Spanish solar panel Isofoton.
SEIA Recognizes Mayor Behm & City of Napoleon, OH as Solar Champions
NAPOLEON, OHIO – With a backdrop of the Isofoton factory floor, the Solar Energy Industries Association® (SEIA®) today presented a plaque of recognition to Mayor Ronald Behm and the City of Napoleon as American Solar Champions.
With two major solar installations and a growing solar manufacturing facility embedded in a city of less than 10,000 people, Napoleon, Ohio is a hub for solar energy and job creation across the Buckeye State.
[RELATED: Solar Policy in Ohio]
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U.S. Solar Industry Taking the Lead In Promoting Sustainable Business Practices
Today, leaders of the Solar Energy Industries Association’s Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Committee announced their 2010 priority issues. The committee met today in Anaheim, Calif., in conjunction with the 2009 Solar Power International conference. Solar energy is acknowledged to be pollution-free and reduces the emissions that cause global warming.
Solar Leaders Applaud New PV Cost Study that Shows Government Policies Reduce Installed Costs, Expand U.S. Solar Market
Today researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab released “Tracking the Sun II: The Installed Cost of Photovoltaics in the U.S. from 1998–2008.” The new report found that the average cost of going solar in the U.S. declined by more than 30 percent from 1998 to 2008, a trend that can be largely attributed to the success of market-building policies at the state and local level. Findings also show that, after a three-year plateau, costs decreased by 3.6 percent from 2007 to 2008, marking a pivotal year for the American solar industry.
National Poll Shows More Than Nine Out of 10 Americans Want Solar Now
A vast majority of Americans, across all political parties, overwhelmingly support development and funding of solar energy, and their support for solar has remained consistent over the last year. These and other findings were reported today in the 2009 SCHOTT Solar BarometerTM, a nationally representative survey conducted by independent polling firm Kelton Research.
Obama's Nellis Announcement Shows Solar is Creating Jobs Now
Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) President and CEO Rhone Resch today released the following statement on President Barack Obama’s tour of the solar installation at Nellis Air Force Base and announcement of the amount of economic stimulus funding for solar and geothermal projects.
President's Energy Budget Request Will Help Create Solar Jobs, Grow the Industry
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) today released the following statement from Chairman Roger Efird, SEIA chairman and president of Suntech America, in support of President Obama’s Department of Energy Fiscal Year 2010 budget request, which includes $320 million in solar energy funding and $42 million for clean energy transmission and reliability.
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U.S. Solar Jobs Outpace Total Economy, Non-Profit Says
The U.S. solar energy industry added jobs at about 5.74 times the rate of the rest of the economy in the 12 months ended in September, according to a report from the Solar Foundation.
Solar industry jobs up 13 percent from 2011
Some solar power companies may be struggling to keep their doors open, but a new report issued Friday shows the nascent industry is adding jobs at a brisk pace.
Solar power fuels home, store on Valencia farm
T. Lyle Ferderber of Frankferd Farms in Valencia has been harvesting grains such as corn, oats, and barley for more than 30 years. Recently he has taken to harvesting another crop -- sunshine.
State plan puts solar in all public schools
In what could become the largest solar power project of its kind in the nation, the Department of Education is proposing to install photovoltaic panels on every public school in Hawaii over the next five years in a bid to cut electricity costs and move the state closer to its renewable energy goals.
The case for a distributed, smarter, cleaner power grid post Hurricane Sandy
Monday night as I was camped out in front of my Twitter feed — safe and dry in San Francisco — friends and family in New York started tweeting about power failures all over lower Manhattan. Their cell phones, running on batteries and tapping into their carrier’s high speed wireless networks — many that are backed up with diesel generators — were still up, even as the power grid went down across many parts of the East Coast.
