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Science Daily Reuters The PA DEP has changed it’s requirements that Sunshine grant recipients are now only required to reports their annual solar meter readings for two years (instead of three years). Gizmag Sunny Day Power is still offering 1 year same as cash offer to our customers. This is a great way to float your system expenses while waiting for your solar incentives to arrive such as State rebate and Federal tax credit, which can take up to a year to arrive. Offer valid to qualified customers only. RenewablesBiz Solar energy zones in six western states have been finalized by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. The program is intended to spur development of solar projects on 285,000 acres administered by the federal Bureau of Land Management. The Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for solar energy development provides a blueprint for utility-scale solar energy permitting in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. The final PEIS was released in July. MORE According to a phone call I made today to a GATS administrator Pennsylvania residents are not allowed to automatically report their monthly generation based on system size estimates; however, New Jersey residents are allowed to automatically report their monthly generation based on system size estimates. State clean energy policies vital to developmentThe National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s “State of the States 2010” report confirms that state policies have been highly effective at inducing development of solar, wind, and energy efficiency markets. These policies have helped increase the use of renewable energy by 3 percent across the United States in 2010 alone. Special recognition was given to Pennsylvania’s strict building codes, which have led to high standards for energy efficiency in commercial and residential construction. Report finds renewables could provide nearly 80% of global energy demand by 2050The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently released a report revealing that approximately 80% of the world’s energy needs could be met with renewables by the year 2050. The Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation found that this could be achieved by utilizing all renewable energy technologies currently available while investing an additional 1% of global GDP annually over the next four decades. Key to reaching these objectives would be a combination of solar and wind energy. The report further suggests that wind energy alone could supply 20% of global energy demand. Renewables surpass nuclear in 2010The Worldwatch Institute’s “World Nuclear Industry Status Report” found that the worldwide installed capacity of renewable energy is now greater than that of nuclear power. This signals a pivotal moment in the development of global renewable energy markets. The report also indicates that subsidies for nuclear energy have been far more generous in the past than those for wind power. SOURCE: Citizens for Pennyslvania’s Future (Penn Future) May 2011 General Motors reported that U.S. sales in April increased by 26% and that the company’s most fuel-efficient vehicles led the way. The company cited the recent increase in gasoline prices as the primary motivator for improved sales among these smaller and more efficient models. The Chevrolet Cruze saw a sales increase of 180% compared to the less efficient Cobalt it replaced. Sales figures for the Equinox and Terrain improved by 53% and 61%, respectively. A second report found that a majority of Americans were inclined to switch to an electric vehicle when replacing their current one. SOURCE: Citizens for Pennyslvania’s Future (Penn Future) May 2011 Community Energy to build Pennsylvania’s largest solar project to dateOn May 12, 2011 Community Energy and Exelon Generation announced the close of a 15-year contract to purchase the power and renewable energy credits generated by Community Energy’s 6 MW solar array planned for Lancaster, PA. This 25,000 panel project is the largest to date of the nearly 4,000 solar systems currently installed in Pennsylvania. The project is estimated to create about 75 jobs during its six months of construction. Once completed, the solar system will provide enough clean energy to meet the demand of approximately 1,000 homes and avoid the annual carbon emissions of about 676 passenger cars. Philadelphia installs first city-owned solar arrayPhiladelphia Mayor Michael Nutter celebrated completion of the first city-owned solar array during a ceremony on April 25. Along with other members of city government, the mayor flipped the switch to power up the project, located at the Philadelphia Water Department’s Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant. Dynamic Solar, LLC installed the 250 kW system with help from CETCO Contracting Services and Nucero Electric. Dynamic Solar President Mike Perillo noted that “the City of Philadelphia is setting an example for Pennsylvania in seizing this opportunity to meet the state’s growing demand for energy with solar.” The project is the first of many that will allow Greenworks Philadelphia to reach its stated goal of generating 20 percent of the city’s electricity via alternative energy sources by 2015. DOE report finds that solar PV systems increase value of homesResearch from The U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory concludes that installing solar PV systems increase the value of homes when sold. The study analyzed 72,000 homes sold between 2000 and 2009, with 2,000 of the homes possessing a solar system. The results found that the premium achieved during the sale of the house generally met the previous owner’s expenditure on the installation of the system. GlaxoSmithKline completes yet another solar projectGlaxoSmithKline recently installed a 406 kW solar PV array on the roof of its Administrative Center in Upper Providence, PA. Completed by Tecta Solar, the array consists of 1,848 panels and is one of the largest rooftop systems in Pennsylvania. This is one of many solar projects the company is bringing online as part of its commitment to become carbon neutral by 2050. EIA reports dramatic growth for solar powerA recent issue of the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s “Electric Power Monthly” found a 343% increase in solar electric generation in January 2011 compared to the previous year. Renewable generation as a whole is up by 15.6% while wind energy generation increased by 27.6%, hydroelectric by 16.2% and geothermal by 4.6%. By comparison, traditional sources of electricity generation increased far more slowly. Renewables surpassed the 10% mark for portion of U.S. energy generation over the past year and stood at 11.2% of total generation in January SOURCE: Citizens for Pennyslvania’s Future (Penn Future) May 2011 |
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