Archive for July, 2009

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced additional funding for local governments, public K-12 schools, public universities and colleges, hospitals, and not-for-profit organization through the State Energy Program (SEP) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). $74 million is available on a competitive basis to fund the installation of energy ... Read More

The U.S. Department of Energy developed this comprehensive resource to assist local governments and stakeholders in building sustainable local solar markets. The guide introduces a range of policy and program options that have been successfully field tested in cities around the country. The guide describes each policy or program, explains the benefits, provides implementation tips ... Read More

Leaders of more than 20 cities from across the Northeast will meet at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Oct. 15 and 16. The two-day conference will target cities with colder climates with the goal of advancing the integration of solar technology. “A lot of the southern cities we’ve had contact with at the SAC ... Read More

It was a dozen years ago, in 1997, when Lakeland Electric (LE), a municipal utility in Lakeland, Florida, offered its customers a simple solar heated hot water option: LE would own and maintain the systems and the customer would pay a small fee, only for hot water delivered to the faucet. “There was nothing like ... Read More

DSIRE has just added property tax financing policies to the database. These tax financing mechanisms allow property owners to borrow money to pay for renewable energy and/or energy-efficiency improvements. The amount borrowed by a property owner is usually repaid through an increased property tax assessment over a period of years. In general, local governments (such ... Read More

IREC has just released its annual report, U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008. The report, authored by Larry Sherwood, provides public data on U.S. solar installations by technology, state, and market sector. Both PV and solar thermal installations grew rapidly in 2008. This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Solar Energy ... Read More

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu today announced plans to provide up to $22 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support the planning and installation of utility-scale community renewable energy projects in up to four communities nationwide. Up to $22 million in DOE funding is available for these awards in ... Read More

An article in the New York Times, Wednesday, July 15, 2009, describes California’s blistering pace of solar installations over the past 10 years. IREC’s Larry Sherwood, who produces IREC’s report on U.S. solar market trends, was quoted in the article. Sherwood is putting the final touches on the 2008 report. Look for it on the ... Read More