How do we know when solar becomes a mainstream energy source?

One tipoff: when mainstream energy companies get serious about solar.

For example, take NRG, a Fortune 250 wholesale energy generator with about 26 GW of capacity in its (more…)

Recent solar industry bankruptcies like Solyndra and Evergreen Solar have some questioning government support for solar and the future of the solar industry as a whole.  Closer examination reveals though that the opportunities in the solar industry are not one size fits all, and that the current (more…)

Solar power has many unique advantages that help with solar sales and marketing.  All it takes is a sunny day and a rooftop for solar panels to produce clean green electricity.  They have no moving parts, make no noise, and can produce clean energy for decades right on your roof.  For those who love everything (more…)

I’ve been researching going off the grid and looking into home solar systems. I’d love to get one for free, like this lucky Richmond mom. But somehow, my lucky stars aren’t aligned on this one.

The two main questions you are going to need to answer are: 1) does my home receive enough sun? (more…)

The solar industry is gaining steam in both Asia and the U.S. This week, two large deals were signed that signal strategic growth for the solar energy industry.

Suntech, the world’s largest producer of solar panels entered into an agreement with Sunborne Energy to provide Sunborne with 100 MW worth of solar panels (more…)

Wind power can now supply 10 million American homes, says a new report by the American Wind Power Association.

The organization says the industry installed 1,100 MW of new wind power capacity in the first quarter of 2011 and entered the second quarter with another 5,600 MW under construction. (more…)

It recently became official news that solar power is cheaper than electricity from gas-fired power plants. I asked myself: if natural gas is below grid parity and solar is cheaper than gas, doesn’t that mean that solar is also below grid parity? Let’s look at the numbers. (more…)

Deere & Co., (NYSE: DE) the parent company of John Deere, said last week it would be selling off its energy division.

Deere said it will sell its wind power division, called John Deere Renewables, including all of its farms in eight states, to energy giant Exelon Corp (NYSE: EXC) for $900 million. The deal calls for $860 million now, (more…)

Southern California Edison has had a voluntary Renewable Standard Offer Program for the past several years–a fixed-price offer to buy renewable energy from systems under 20 MW in size, with the price set at the Market Price Referent (MPR). It’s not a FIT per se, as it is not ‘must take’, but a standard fixed-price offer nonetheless.

In 2009, SCE contracted for 140 MW of PV. (more…)

Ormat Technologies, Inc., announced today that its Israeli subsidiary, Ormat Systems Ltd., has signed a Joint Venture Agreement (“JVA”) with Sunday Energy Ltd. (“Sunday”), an Israeli solar integration company, to construct and operate solar-photovoltaic (“PV”) energy systems in Israel with a total capacity of 36 megawatts (MW).

Under the JVA, Sunday will contribute the rights to all of its property and roofs required to develop solar energy systems above 1 MW to special purpose entities (“SPEs”). Ormat will own 70% of each SPE and will also have control of it. Under the terms of the agreement, Ormat and Sunday will act, jointly, as the engineering, procurement and construction (“EPC”) contractor and the operator of each project in accordance with each company share in the SPEs .

(more…)