While I was visiting my family in the Region of Lorraine – North Eastern France – I came across two distinct news illustrating the possible future of the region, and in a way, of the whole country.

The first one is about dirty polluting fossil energy as to Elixir Petroleum, an Australian company, there would be massive quantities of shale oil and gas in Lorraine’s soil. To the volumetric estimates, there would be no less than 164.7 billion barrels of shale oil and 649.7 trillion cubic feet of shale gas. Large amounts of more traditional oil and gas has been found as well.

This announcement took place as France has been the first country to ban fracking. As the local newspapers note, this announcement is little credible and is merely done to keep the exploration permits as the law is changing.

The enormous quantities found reminded me that US geologist recently estimated there is FIVE times less shale oil and gas in the American soil as it was previously stated by companies. I have no doubt that the situation in Lorraine will be the same if not worse.

I agree that local populations could benefit from jobs as the worst economic crises of our time is striking. But the countryside and its various cultures and fruits is a wonder we have to keep. Whoever ate mirabelles knows what I am referring to.

Now let’s have a look at something that is already taking place, and which holds a better future: cleantech!

A former military air base near Toul (in the Département of Moselle) will be cleaned up and 400 hectares of solar panels will be installed. The total capacity will be of 143 MW, enough for 62,000 people.

This project is a direct consequence of the new legal background enacted by the French government earlier this summer. See my post for more : France Issues New Regulations for Large Solar PV Installations

A few green jobs will also be created: 150 for the construction and an additional 15 to maintain the plant.

The plant will bring 1.3 million euros per year in revenue to the Région, the Département and the three cities where the air force base is located.

EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF EN), a subsidiary of the national utilities Electricité De France may work with First Solar, which could provide the solar panels for the plant.

The company plans to invest no less than 434 million euros in the next ten years for this plant alone.

Trees will be planted in the remaining parts of the old air base and a little museum dedicated to renewable energies will be created as local authorities are willing to transform this as  a touristic attraction.

France is moving forward on cleantech. Of course, there has been setbacks, but we can globally be satisfied. Let us hope it will continue doing so whoever will be elected as President in the Presidential elections next year.

Photo: Julien Hillairet, Flickr

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In this economic climate, every state wants new jobs. And harnessing the sun for electricity creates more of those coveted jobs per megawatt-hour than any other energy resource. These are high quality jobs across a broad range of education requirements, salary levels and fields. The majority (about 75%) are related to construction and installation, representing local solar jobs that are by their nature virtually non-outsourceable – a quality that we think is mighty valuable. But it’s that remaining 25%, the manufacturing jobs, that really captures the American imagination.

So how do you you go about creating American solar manufacturing jobs in a competitive global industry? Phoenix, Arizona has undoubtedly done something right. To date, the region has recently successfully attracted about a dozen high-profile manufacturers (including First Solar and Suntech) – totaling 6,300 jobs and more than $1.8 billion in investment over the course of just a couple years. That kind of solar economic development is enough to make any other state turn green (ahem) with envy.

It’s not the state’s ample sunshine that drew those manufacturers in. On last week’s Get Some Sun webinar, Chris Camacho of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council explained how it took a combination of strong local solar demand and savvy tax policy to create the right climate for success.

A few highlights of his recipe for success:

Partnership with solar industry – At the outset, GPEC dedicated time to meeting with solar manufacturers throughout North America, Germany, Spain and China – getting to know the various solar players, technologies, markets and really soliciting input from them regarding policies that would impact a decision to locate in Arizona.

Policymaker and community engagement – GPEC held a series of events to educate legislators, regulators and the local community regarding the importance of making Arizona an early leader in the race to build solar manufacturing clusters. The group successfully built strong support among these decision makers and their constituents for solar as an priority issue in the state’s path to economic recovery.

Three-pronged policy strategy – Having listened carefully to industry and assessed the local political landscape, GPEC took a multi-faceted approach to policy, starting with favorable tax policies. In 2009 the state passed a bill to provide both a temporary property tax reduction and refundable tax credit that’s useful in the case that the manufacturer doesn’t have tax liability at the end of the year. In conjunction, GPEC continues to support demand-side policies like the RPS, DG requirements and residential finance programs to ensure the long-term, sustainable growth of the companies locating in the state. And in order to ensure a qualified workforce, the state dedicated resources to workforce development programs at Arizona State University and local community colleges, and the Governor directed ARRA funds to other job training programs. All of these policies were carefully assessed to ensure a net positive impact on the state’s general fund. It’s worth noting that “Made in Arizona” type manufacturing requirements did not make the cut.

Listening to the Arizona example, it is clear that the campaign effectively solicited input from and garnered the broad support of local community, solar industry, and policymakers at the state, county and city levels – no small feat. And the results speak for themselves. It’s clear that Arizona’s work to attract solar manufacturing will deliver returns to the state’s economy today and for years to come. Take a look . . .

Vote Solar is a non-profit grassroots organization working to fight climate change and foster economic opportunity by bringing solar energy into the mainstream.

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First Solar announced yesterday that it has entered into a strategic cooperation framework agreement with China Power International New Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of China Power New Energy Development Company Limited.

Both companies will collaborate on solar energy projects in China, the United States and other international markets.

The two companies will initially explore collaboration on PV projects in China and identify project investment opportunities in the U.S. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This agreement provides First Solar with an opportunity to expand its existing presence in China. The company is already under contract to develop a 2 GW solar power facility in Ordos City in the province of Inner Mongolia.

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Plutonic Power Corporation (Plutonic) and GE Energy Financial Services (GE) recently announced that they will acquire 50 MW worth of solar generation capacity in Ontario from First Solar, Inc. (First Solar). The projects, located in the town of Amherstburg and the communities of Walpole and Belmont, will generate enough photovoltaic (PV) power to meet the needs of 6,300 homes.

Ontario enjoys a booming solar economy that includes green energy, jobs, and certification programs for renewable energy workers, thanks largely to its feed-in tariff (FIT) and microFIT programs. The programs pay Ontario companies, organizations, and individuals above-market rates for energy they generate from solar, wind, and biomass installations. Built-in domestic content requirements ensure that green jobs remain in the province by stipulating that up to 60% of participating projects’ labour and materials must originate in Ontario.

GE is a Stamford, Connecticut-based subsidiary of General Electric Corporation (GEC) that invests in energy projects globally. Vancouver’s Plutonic is making its debut in the Ontario market with these three First Solar projects. According to the company’s website, Plutonic “identifies, develops, and operates clean power projects in a safe, reliable, and efficient manner.” First Solar will construct the three projects over the course of the year and continue to service them once they are complete. First Solar is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, with offices in Sarnia and throughout North America and Europe.

Projects Will Create Green Jobs for Workers with PV Certification

GE and Plutonic’s latest acquisitions from First Solar will bring Ontario closer to the FIT’s goal of phasing out coal-fired power generation in the province by 2014. They will also create green jobs via construction and maintenance, as well as additional work in peripheral industries such as manufacturing, transportation, and infrastructure. To keep up with the demand for solar personnel, institutions like Ontario Solar Academy offer educational opportunities, such as PV certification programs, to help train workers in the province for the realities of tomorrow’s green job market.

GE recognizes solar’s important role in the future of energy generation. “We see significant growth potential for solar power worldwide,” says the company’s Managing Director, Mark Tonner, “which continues to improve on technology costs and efficiencies….” With the help of the provincial government and Ontario’s trained workers, GE and Plutonic will do their parts to bring these technologies to Canadians, to help the environment and create a healthier future.

Special Discount: CleanTechies readers get $100 off any course offered by Solar Academy International. Simply use discount code ”CleanTechies100” when registering.

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The Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) has awarded its Solar PV Project of the Year Award to Arizona’s First Solar, Inc. (First Solar), for its successful completion of the Canadian industry’s biggest solar energy installation, located in Sarnia, Ontario.

First Solar built the Sarnia installation and owns and operates it on behalf of Canada’s Enbridge, Inc., one of North America’s largest energy providers. Both companies accepted the award at this year’s CanSIA conference in Toronto early in December, and First Solar’s VP of Business Development, Peter Carrie, was awarded Solar Leader of the Year for his own contribution to the country’s solar energy industry.

First Solar completed a landmark expansion to the Sarnia facility in October that brought its capacity to generate solar power from 20 to 80 MW and officially made it the largest solar installation in the country, and by some estimates, in the world. First Solar’s renovations directly created green jobs for 800 workers and indirectly created countless others in design, engineering, and supply. The installation uses 1.3 million thin film solar panels that the companies expect to create about 120,000 MW of electricity and displace more than 39,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, or enough power to meet the needs of about 12,800 households.

Project, Province Benefit from Ontario’s Solar Trained Workers

Ontario benefits from a booming solar energy industry that includes manufacturing plants and training programs for solar installers. Programs like Ontario Solar Academy’s five-day PV design and installation course, for example, help to train both new and seasoned workers for green jobs in the province’s solar economy. Ontario currently enjoys the most community-owned energy production in North America, thanks in large part to its feed-in tariff program, which pays lucrative rates to producers of renewable energy who tie their projects into the electrical grid.

Projects like the Sarnia facility show what is possible when governments, communities, and corporations work towards common goals. “Together with Enbridge,” says First Solar’s Senior VP of Project Development for North America, Frank De Rosa, “we are leading the development of utility-scale solar energy in Canada.”

Special Discount: CleanTechies readers get $100 off any course offered by Solar Academy International. Simply use discount code ”CleanTechies100” when registering.

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Sarnia Solar Facility, deemed the world’s largest solar power station, has opened in Canada. Located in Ontario, it has a capacity of 80MW, 20MW above Olmedilla PV Park in Spain, which so far has held the title as the largest of its kind in the world. Sarnia is expected to generate 120,00MWh per year, or enough power for 12,800 homes.

The station is a partnership between Enbridge Energy and First Solar, which provides thin-film panels, arguably cleaner than standard silicon ones.

“Enbridge will sell the power output of the facility to the Ontario Power Authority pursuant to 20-year Power Purchase Agreements under the terms of the Ontario government’s Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program”, the company said in an official statement.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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Even outsiders know that the solar energy industry has experienced huge growth during the past few years. This is particularly true of 2009, where solar energy prospered in spite of a worldwide recession. In the U.S., this prosperity is largely due to the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

This Act, also called ARRA, the Stimulus or the Recovery Act, provides a 30-percent tax incentive for residential renewable energy installations (through this year).  It also provides the same level of incentive for building owner/manager solar initiatives, and delivers the funding either as a tax rebate or an actual cash grant, depending on the owner’s “tax appetite.”

The Solar Energy Industries Association, or SEIA, in April also reported strong growth in spite of the recession, noting that solar capacity – in both the PV and concentrating solar power (CSP) venues – increased by 37 percent. This, according to an Ernst and Young report, because venture capitalists invested $1.5 billion, or 63.8 percent more, in solar energy during the second half of 2010.

Where Does the U.S. Stand Globally?

At the end of 2009, the U.S. stood at fourth place globally in terms of solar capacity installed. With 2.09 gigawatts (GW), it ranked only behind Germany (9.79 GW); Spain (4.01GW); and Japan (2.68GW).

With more than 23 GW of solar capacity currently on the drawing board in the U.S., and approvals recently acquired for 1,250 megawatts (MW) of that capacity – (Beacon, 250 MW; Abengoa, 250 MW; Blythe, 1,000 MW) – the U.S. could easily surpass Germany within the space of two or three years.

And a Marketbuzz 2010 report from Solarbuzz, targeting just the photovoltaic portion of the solar energy industry, saw total global PV installations at 7.3 GW, or 20 percent more than 2008.

The Big Players in Solar

So who are the biggest players in this solar renaissance? According to Fortune Magazine, one is Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar, which ranks seventh on the list of 2010’s fastest-growing U.S. firms. After that, one has to drop down to No. 69 to find another solar firm experiencing similar growth, namely Trina Solar. This is, experts say, because the period of growth is now being redefined by a period of intense consolidation.

Other big players in the news include Hawaii-based Rising Sun Solar, which made Inc. Magazine’s Top 500 for 2010. And for the faces attached to this growth, look no further than Greentech Media’s March 2010 Solar Summit, which saw such influential solar players as Andrew Beebe (VP, Suntech), Felicia Bellows (VP, Tessera NA), Dr. Terry Bailey (President, Soliant), and Daniel S. Alcombright (regional VP and GM, Solon NA).

Various events during the year have also highlighted some key players. One was EXPO Solar 2010, held in January, which saw global electronics giants Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics exhibiting their solar cells and announcing mass production in 2010.

Presenting during the same expo was Hyundai Heavy Industries, which dropped the solar glove, so to speak, by challenging other suppliers to meet its benchmark of $1 billion in sales and the role of a key global solar energy player by 2014.

Beyond that, the big players – like the big companies – are still emerging, as solar energy prepares to overtake fossil fuels with grid parity, or the point at which solar energy becomes as cheap as coal or oil in terms of electricity costs.

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What makes energy start-ups succeed or fail? Are energy investments wise for venture capitalists? What will shape energy finance innovations and the adoption of the smart grid?

The 2009 Wharton Energy Conference will explore these questions and more October 30 in Philadelphia. CleanTechies is excited to serve as a media partner of this one-day conference and career fair.

Three keynote speakers include CEO Michael Allman of Sempra Energy, which continues to expand its renewable energy portfolio with solar and wind power projects. He is joined by H. Jeffrey Leonard, president of the Global Environment Fund, a leading energy and environment private equity firm, and Federico F. Peña, former secretary of energy and secretary of transportation, now a senior advisor with Vestar Capital Partners.

More than a dozen speakers are confirmed from companies including First Solar, BP Wind, Tendril, OwnEnergy, Finite Carbon, Plextronics, Blue Source, IBM Global Business Services, Element Partners, VantagePoint Venture Partners, the Assabet Group and Braemar Energy Ventures.

Panel discussions will cover the promises and pitfalls of entrepreneurship, energy finance innovations and obstacles, the future of the electricity grid, and the venture capital perspective on energy investments.

Themed discussion tables may cover topics such as nuclear energy, carbon credit trading and energy policy in developing markets.

In its third year, the Wharton Energy Conference is expected to draw more than 400 students and energy industry professionals to the Union League of Philadelphia. The student-run Wharton Energy Club at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business sponsors the event.

For more clean technology conferences and events, visit the CleanTechies Events Calendar.

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U.S.-based First Solar has signed an agreement with the Chinese government to build the world’s largest photovoltaic power plant in Inner Mongolia. By 2019, the plant is expected to produce 2,000 megawatts of electricity, which the company said would be sufficient to power three million Chinese homes.

The deal for the 16,000-acre plant, to be located in Ordos City, solidifies China’s position as the global leader in developing renewable energy, and further boosts the prospects of First Solar, the world’s largest photovoltaic cell manufacturer.

First Solar CEO Mike Ahearn said the deal would not have been possible without commitments from the Chinese government to buy the power at preferred rates and to build the transmission infrastructure needed to send the power to China’s population centers.

First Solar produces so-called thin-film solar cells, which are made of a material — cadmium telluride — that is less efficient at converting sunlight to electricity but can be manufactured far more cheaply than standard crystalline silicon cells. Construction will begin next year on the project, which is expected to cost several billion dollars.

Appearing courtesy of Yale Environment 360.

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First Solar, a maker of thin-film solar cells, has signed an agreement with Southern California Edison to sell the utility 550 megawatts of electricity produced by two massive photovoltaic solar farms in the Mojave Desert.

The plants, expected to go online by 2015 and produce enough electricity to power 170,000 homes, would be built on federal land set aside for such solar projects.

Analysts say that the First Solar deal is a sign that large arrays of solar photovoltaic panels can produce electricity competitively with so-called solar-thermal plants, which generate electricity by using mirrors to focus sunlight on liquid-filled boilers to produce steam. Southern California Edison said that Nevada-based First Solar’s solar farms also will produce electricity at a price competitive with natural gas.

“This is the very largest photovoltaic project we have done, demonstrating that at a utility scale, the time has come for such projects,” said a Southern California Edison executive.

Appearing courtesy of Yale Environment 360.

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