Source: http://www.circularenergy.com/2013/03/circular-energy-to-donate-complete-solar-installation-to-austin-childrens-shelter/

On April 4th, Circular Energy, a leading full-service solar design and installation firm, unveiled a custom solar energy system they donated to the Austin Children’s Shelter (ACS). The Austin-based firm installed the 10,000-watt solar PV array, consisting of 40 solar panels, on the roof of the ACS gymnasium. Of the campus’ eight buildings, the gymnasium is the largest and has the highest energy usage. This system will give the shelter the opportunity to reinvest the savings into caring for the neglected and suffering children it serves. “Not only will these panels help lower our substantial energy costs, they will also provide a powerful learning opportunity for our residents, volunteers, and staff. The ongoing savings and long-term environmental impact of this gift will give the young people we serve a firsthand lesson in the value of renewable energy,” said Kelly White, CEO of Austin Children’s Shelter. Circular Energy is setting a new standard in the solar industry through exceptional customer experience and community involvement, the company has hosted activities for the children of the shelter to learn about their new solar system and the future of clean energy. “With our abundant solar resources in Texas, we have the power to position ourselves as the world leader in renewable energy for the next one hundred years, just as we have positioned ourselves as the world leader in oil and gas for the past one hundred years,” said Texas Representative Mark Strama. Austin Children’s Shelter and Circular Energy formally launched the Shelter’s solar power system Wednesday, April 3 to commemorate accessible alternative energy in Texas. 

Source: News release- Gift of Solar Unveiled at Austin Children’s Shelter

Source: http://www.plansmartnj.org/policy-briefing-nj-solar-energy-legislation/

The New Jersey solar market hit a new milestone this week when it eclipsed the 1 gigawatt (GW) mark for total installed solar electric capacity. According to a new study released by SEIA this week, New Jersey now ranks third in the nation for solar energy installations, thanks to declining system prices and support from the state’s policymakers including its robust net metering policies and the U.S.’ first Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program, an innovative market-based incentive for solar generation. U.S. Solar Market Insight: Year-in-Review 2012, released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA®) and GTM Research, found that New Jersey was responsible for nearly one-third of the nation’s non-residential solar installations last year. In total, more than 415 megawatts (MW) of solar was added to the state’s power grid in 2012, a 33 percent increase over 2011 (313 MW). New Jersey’s solar industry is now providing both in-state jobs- on the order of more than 5,700- and much needed in-state electricity generation. Due in large part to the falling cost of solar for consumers, the market size of the U.S. solar industry grew 34 percent from $8.6 billion in 2011 to $11.5 billion in 2012. At of the end of 2012, there were 7,221 MW of PV and 546 MW of concentrating solar power (CSP) online in the U.S. — enough to power 1.2 million homes. New Jersey is now the third state in the nation to hit the 1GW solar mark and is the third largest state solar market by MW of PV installed in 2012, behind California and Arizona.

Source: SEIA news release- New Jersey Solar Market Hits 1 Gigawatt Milestone

Source: Press Release- World’s solar photovoltaic capacity passes 100-gigawatt landmark after strong year

Source: www.thehouseonshadylane.com

Real Goods Solar, Inc. is one of the nation’s pioneering solar energy companies serving commercial, residential, and utility customers. The company has recently made a partnership with Sunrun, a national, leading solar company, providing homeowners a way to go solar without high upfront costs. This new partnership will serve to offer flexible solar service options to homeowners in the key solar markets of California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New York. These services include an expanded variety of options designed to make solar an easier choice by eliminating the high upfront cost and maintenance worries. Homeowners will now be able to pay as little as zero down, lock in low electricity rates for the next 20 years, and have monitoring, maintenance, and repairs fully covered. This partnership will involve Real Goods Solar designing and managing the installation of residential solar systems while Sunrun will hold the responsibilities of owning and monitoring the equipment. This partnership means to strengthen the two companies individually while also providing American homeowners with the most affordable and reliable systems to make the switch to solar easier.

Source: News Release- Globe News Wire

Source: Solectria Renewables press release, Jan. 31, 2013

Solectria Renewables, LLC is the leading U.S. based grid-tied photovoltaic inverter manufacturer for residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar installations. As of January 31st, Solectria’s PVI 60-95KW inverter was chosen by SolarOne Florida to power the solar installation at Fleamasters Market in Fort Meyers, Florida. This is a large retail property home to over 1,000 retailers that, since the rooftop installation system has been turned on, has reduced actual energy usage by almost 90%. Fleamasters Market has set an excellent example for commercial businesses to take advantage of the latest technology in solar power and to help improve the environment while saving money. Annually, Fleamasters will be producing enough solar power that it is equivalent to removing 1125.6 tons of CO2 and removing 136 cars. SolarOne Florida has been extremely pleased with the services provided by Solectria Renewables and plans to continue a partnership and promote their company to other commercial businesses.

Source: Solectria Renewables press release, Solectria Renewables Commercial Inverters Power 1.2 MW Installation in Fort Meyers, Florida at Fleamasters Market

Solar Array at Aleutia STAND centre by Mike Rosenberg

Energy is an essential ingredient for socio economic development and economic growth. This topic will be discussed on May 15, 2012 at the World Renewable Energy Forum in Denver. An objective of this session is to highlight the abundance of solar energy in Nigeria  and its usage in local areas, especially remote corners of the country.

In Nigeria, solar energy is one of the most promising of the renewable energy sources, in view of its apparent limitless potentials.

It has been confirmed that Nigeria receives 5.08 X 1012 kilowatt-hours of energy per day from the sun, and if solar energy appliances with just 5% efficiency are used to cover only 1% of the country’s surface area, then 2.54 X 106 megawatt-hours of electrical energy can be obtained from solar energy. This amount of electrical energy is equivalent to 4.66 million barrels of oil per day.

Attend this session, presented by Usman Muhammad from the Centre for Energy and Environment in Gusau, Zamfara, Nigeria. Access wref2012.org for a full schedule, and register now to take advantage of best prices!

Register Now