Plans to build a 709-megawatt solar farm in the California desert have hit a snag after a Native American tribe has sued the U.S. government to stop development of the solar project from proceeding Noel Brinkerhoff reports for All Gov. In its lawsuit directed at the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Quechan Tribe claim federal officials rushed through approval of the Imperial Valley Solar Project, which will consist of 28,360 “SunCatcher” dishes spread across 6,360 acres of public land outside of El Centro, California.

The tribe contends the solar farm could damage Quechan cultural artifacts, as well as desert flora and fauna, including the endangered flat-tailed horned lizard that holds a significant place in tribal lore. [continue reading…]

Everyday there is some reminder in the headlines of the perils of an oil-dependent U.S. energy policy. It would be nice to compete on level field with big oil and dirty coal considering the government subsidies and that 40% of the military’s budget is spent on protecting foreign oil fields. If solar and other renewable power products could compete with carbon-based energy sources, it would make a transition to a low-carbon economy relatively easy.

Well some progress is being made in the direction of cheap solar using some high-tech new ideas. [continue reading…]

Solar News – When Dr. Laura Stachel, from Northern California, started working in maternity clinics in Africa, night brought more than just darkness. It brought challenges and terror we can only begin to imagine. Light is something we take for granted in most places. But some parts of the world, light is sometimes more than a luxury. Light can mean the difference of life and death. Sporadic electricity impairs the operation of surgical wards, delivery wards, essential hospital equipment, and hospital communications.

Darkness and lack of communication equipment compromises the ability of health workers to give safe, proper and prompt medical care. That’s when Dr. Stachel decided to take action. Enter the power of solar energy. Read More – [continue reading…]

If patriotism begins with the love and protection of the land that we live on, the water we drink and the air we breath, there is no better example of this than California. Despite economic hardships, California solar installers has once again lead the nation in pv installations. State rebates helped stoke consumer demand for solar panels, and a state law will soon force California’s large utility companies to get 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources.

Ambitious energy policies should continue to move forward because they are an essential element in the strategy to recover from the economic crisis. Solar installation, residential and commercial, continues to fuel small business bringing regional jobs and putting money into the local economies. Read more – [continue reading…]

Players in the solar industry met recently in California at the LA convention center to strut their stuff, show off their solar products and discuss the growing solar market in this country. The U.S. solar electric market grew by over 100 percent this year, exceeding one gigawatt of generating capacity (Details in article). In the solar photovoltaic industry, all segments are having record years. Solar power may reach grid parity in certain markets as early as 2013, according to a June 29 report by Pike Research, a Boulder, Colorado clean-energy consulting firm.

It’s all about invent, manufacture and residential and commercial solar installers and jobs,” San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom recently discussed with Politico. “Solar and renewable energy represent everything we need to be focused on and everything this state has been successfully focused on. It’s all about startups. It’s all about capturing that market share and capturing those international resources in the green sector.” [continue reading…]

Sacramento solar leasing just got a little easier for homeowners in California. Blue Pacific Solar and its partner, Suns Up Solar announced this week a new solar lease program for Northern California solar residential installation customers. “Financing smart home solar energy solutions helps our customers to acquire solar and wind equipment. Cheap financing is essential for homeowners to get access to solar energy and which is key to controlling residential energy costs” said Blue Pacific Solar’s President Clifford Boley. “In addition”, Boley goes on to say, “homeowners now have a way of financing the initial cost of solar panel installations which improves their monthly cash flow increasing their ROI over time as energy costs continue to rise. Having access to capital is essential for solar.”

In addition to flexible terms, the solar lease and loans allow homeowners to take advantage of the 30 percent federal tax credit now available for installing solar power systems, as well as other incentives offered by Sacramento and other California utilities and municipalities. [continue reading…]

Sacramento Ca Solar News – At a time when California needs to fire up the job machine there is a new report that suggests solar and wind will do exactly that. Recently released, the study indicates increasing solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy installation will put on 100,000 new jobs. The study, commissioned by the California Business Alliance for a Green Economy, looks at ongoing, approved and pending projects stretching from Sacramento to Bakersfield.

The majority of the potential jobs are in installation of solar, wind and other renewable energy utility projects. In order to realize these gains, however, the California voters must defeat prop 23 (Texas oil trying to overturn energy laws) and continue the pressure on Congress and Sacramento to power up solar and other forms of renewable energy.

California’s current solar and wind energy requirements have already helped to attract new energy and technology companies but we must keep the pressure on. [continue reading…]

The latest crisis in Pakistan, holding up fuel convoys, is driving the U.S. military harder to develop and use portable solar to support the troops. Fossil fuel is vulnerable to attacks making an easy target. The convoys that haul fuel to bases have been sitting ducks for insurgents. Fossil fuel accounts for 30 to 80 percent of the load in convoys into Afghanistan, bringing costs as well as risk. While the military buys gas for just over $1 a gallon, getting that gallon to some forward operating bases costs $400.

This is a serious time in history and the U.S. military understands how important is to get off oil imported from the middle east is a bad thing. (Too bad some politicians don’t get it)

With all branches of the government now beefing up their solar installation and employment of portable solar will drive development, lower costs and improve efficiency. Read More – [continue reading…]

California Solar News – There’s an old Chinese proverb, “the beating of a butterfly’s wings will cause a hurricane on the other side of the world”. The latest beat, the U.S. Secretary of the interior this week put his OK on the large commercial solar energy installation to be built in San Bernardino County California. Everything is interconnected and the Obama administration is working hard to create good paying local new jobs in America. This project is one of the many pieces it will take to reinvent ourselves.

This 370-megawatt solar array photovoltaic project will put thousands of people to work and supply clean electricity to thousands of homes. Now is the time to fire up small business and create green jobs in America. Hire the thousands of people displaced by the recession and install thousands of solar panels for businesses and homes pouring dollars into local economies. Keep turning California into a green model for the world. Read More – [continue reading…]