Farms across America that were on the brink of financial devastation just a few short years ago are coming back to life with the addition of commercial solar panels and wind turbines. Those once-empty and withering fields are now producing a different kind of harvest – renewable energy. The output from solar arrays and wind turbines is putting dollars and cents into the pockets of farmers and producing clean energy that is fueling America without polluting the environment. (more…)

On March 2, 2011 in ROCKLIN, Calif. SMA America released its newest product that will harness the energy of the sun like no other solar inverter. The Sunny Tripower released its 8000TL, 10000TL, 12000TL, 15000TL and 17000TL inverters for applications requiring PV array voltages up to 1,000 VDC. The three-phase, transformer-less Sunny Tripower is a much simpler design and perfect for the large-scale array with modular plant topology. (more…)

Solar Energy International will host their fourth annual PV Instructor Training course in Paonia, Colorado in 2011. Solar Energy International’s leading-edge PV Facility is located here as well. There will be 26 solar training instructors attending the event. The instructors are from all over the U.S. from Vermont to Washington State. (more…)

The Frontier Fertilizer site was developed in the 1950s to store agricultural equipment. In the 1970s and 1980s the plant was used to store, mix and deliver pesticides and herbicides. Every since then, these toxins have been leaking into the soil and groundwater, which is the main source of drinking water for the community. For this reason cleanup is a necessity. (more…)

At the same time the New South Wales Labor government jumps toward a possible electoral slaughter on the 26th of March, the state’s Greens are proposing bringing back the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme that the Keneally government roughly pared last October. The Greens are proposing an increase in solar feed-tariff to 35 cents per kilowatt. They also claim they will impose an annual tax on coal-fired power stations to help pay for a range of other solar energy measures. (more…)

The U.S. House of Representatives cut into the federal budget to the tune of $61 billion. The Senate is next to take their best shot to make cuts through amendments and compromises before sending the new version to the President. Some things about the budget might change. However, reducing indiscriminate spending by cutting funds from significant programs could influence public attitudes toward the fledgling solar industry. (more…)

Arizona awarded a certificate of Environmental Compatibility to the commercial solar installers that will be building the new 150 MW Crossroads Solar Energy Facility. The approval is the final step in the process before work can begin and it comes shortly after the connection of a transmission line from the facility to Arizona Public Services (APS) was approved. The vote this week by the Arizona Corporation Commission was unanimous, as was the vote last November from the APS, a positive sign that government in Arizona is fully behind private industry efforts in solar energy. (more…)

In a recent filing done by Southern California Edison, twenty new PV solar projects came in with lower construction and operation bids than comparable natural gas powered plants. The progressive approach of both government and commercial solar installers in California is showing the rest of the country that solar grid parity is more than just a possibility for the future. It’s a reality that’s happening today. The proposed contracts, which will produce a total of 250 MW, all come in below the price of natural gas. They are expected to generate a total of 567 GWh of electricity. (more…)

The state of New Mexico begins the year with a new 364 acre solar plant called Cimarron 1 fully operational and generating twenty seven of the thirty Megawatts it will be producing regularly for homes and businesses in Northern New Mexico between Cimarron and Springer. The Cimarron Solar Facility was officially declared commercial at the end of last year, but partners in the project decided to wait until now to issue a joint news release and photos. One of those partners is Ted Turner, whose Vermejo Park Ranch is in the service area that will be covered by the facility. (more…)

Minneapolis based Xcel Energy completed a four-part New Mexico Community Solar project this past week with the installation of a thirteen kilowatt solar array at Leyva Middle School in Carlsbad. The project was initiated back in 2009 to provide education to the public about the benefits of solar generated energy. The other three locations where project installations have been done by Xcel are in Hobbs, Clovis, and Roswell. (more…)