As reported here by Danny, the massive $700 Billion+ bailout contained the much sought after extension of the renewable energy tax credit.  While the widely disparaged porkbarrel spending of the bailout bill may not be the most noble legislation around, it’s a large consolation to this taxpayer that there is a whole lotta Green Pork packed into this mother of all omnibuses.  Now that the bill has been more thoroughly combed over, let’s take a look at the spoils:

- Finally, the Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credit has been extended, a full 8 years, for investment in solar and wind energy.  This tax credit is vital to the growth of these industries going forward and makes a sector that was already a good bet, practically the best place around for capital in very uncertain financial times.  Plus, as a sweetener, the tax credit is paid for by a change to the tax code for oil and gas companies. 

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I grew up ten miles from Berkeley, California, and thus am well-versed in their hippie ways.  Did you know, for instance, that Berkeley is a nuclear-free zone?  It’s true!  I mean, I don’t think the signs announcing that will help if someone else decides to make the Bay Area a nuclear zone for whatever horrible reason, but points for effort.  Also, what about the Lawrence-Livermore Lab?  But you know what?  I had a point to all this that I should get around to telling you.

Berkeley’s City Council, in its progressive (that’s a better word than hippie, isn’t it) form, approved yesterday loans to property owners for installing solar panels on their roofs.  All joking aside, this is awesome news.  The reason many people don’t invest in solar energy is the initial investment, and this could literally wipe out that problem.  The New York Times reports that the loans will probably be up to $22,000 apiece, and be paid back over 20 years as part of the homeowner’s property tax.

The city is going to run a pilot program first, in which $1.5 million will be raised, and approximately 50 loans will be given out.  Assuming the success of the test run (and I think we can only assume this will be a success), “the kitty could eventually contain tens of millions of dollars, and hundreds of property owners could be eligible to participate.”

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It’s been a big week for investment in thin-solar technology with more than $400 Million being raised by two industry companies.  With NanoSolar raising $300 Million and AVA Solar bringing in over $100 Million the future is looking bright the next generation of solar collection technology.

The huge push for thin solar comes from its low cost, durability and efficiency at capturing incoming solar energy.  Some estimates put the technology bringing over $15 Billion in revenue by the year 2015 as efficiency continues to improve while costs steadily plummet.

Nanosolar, based in San Jose, California, plans to put the new capital to work expanding its production plants in San Jose and Berlin, Germany.  AVA Solar will put its $104 Million dollar in newly raised capital toward completing a production facility in Colorado where the company is based.

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Pacific Gas & Electric Company is now under contract to produce 24% of its energy from renewables by 2013 with the signing of two new landmark solar energy deals.  The deals will set up the largest solar plants in the world, to be located on roughly 12.5 square miles of San Luis Obispo County, California.  One plant, in partnership with Topaz Solar Farms LLC, a subsidiary of Optisolar, will produce up to 550 MW of energy, while the other, done in partnership with High Plains Ranch II LLC, a subsidiary of Sunpower, will produce 250 MW.  The combined facilities will gernerate enough electricity to power 239,000 homes.

These new deals will propel Pacific Gas & Electric’s reliance on renewable sources of energy to a startling 24% by the year 2013, 4% more than the 20% mandated by California law.  Plus their 800 MW of electricity production vastly outproduces any other solar field currently in operation on earth with the nearest operational competitor being the recently completed Nevada Solar One which has a capacity of 64 MW.

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GreenCore Air’s Solar Air Conditioning units are using responsible, renewable solar energy to cool homes and businesses. The Rancho Cucamonga based technology company manufactures AC units that niftily use the same source of power that heats up the building to cool it back down; The Sun. Plus for nighttime and overcast days when solar panels aren’t receiving enough direct sunlight, GreenCore units come with rechargeable batteries to store up that solar power for a rainy day or night. And alas for when all else fails the unit can be plugged into the grid for when you get into a pinch.

So far such heavy hitters as the U.S. Navy and McDonald’s have gotten on board to purchase GreenCore Air units. You can takepart by checking out the Solar Energy Store to find other clean, renewable solar energy products.

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Yes, convenient! This time it is good news!

Mega chains including Wal-Mart, Kohl’s, Safeway and Whole Foods Market have installed solar panels on roofs of their stores. They are racing to beat the Dec. 31st deadline to receive tax credits but in this case, I say run faster!

The NY Times reports that fewer than 10 percent of big chain stores have solar panels.  But if Congress renews a favorable tax provision and more states offer incentives, the companies promise to put solar panels on almost 100% of their stores.  Which is almost every store in the country.

takepart and learn how you can bring renewable energy to your home

Related:
Giant Retailers Look to Sun for Energy Savings

Inconvenient Truth of the Day

Perhaps one good thing will come out of the brutal fighting between Russia and Georgia this past weekend; a renewed push away from oil.  Just when falling oil prices had begun to sap some of the urgency out of the need for a viable alternative to a petroleum based economy, Vladimir Putin’s newly enriched Russian Petrostate came through with yet another compelling reason to let oil go the way of the dinosaur.  The attacks on the tiny Democratic Republic of Georgia have not only highlighted the urgency of leaving the future of our energy needs in the hands of unpredictable, sometimes openly aggressive countries around the world.  They have also, at least temporarily, driven slumping oil prices back up, with Russian bombing campaigns over Georgia just nearly missing the Baku-Tblisi-Erzerum oil pipeline, a conduit for 1% of all world supplies, coming out of Azerbaijan.

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The picturesque German town of Marburg is experiencing some green growing pains resulting from a new law passed by its town council.  The law, as reported in the NY Times, which requires town residents to install solar heating panels on not only all new buildings but also on existing structures that undergo renovations or install new heating units or roofing.  Those who fail to comply with the new regulation will face a stiff fine of 1,000 Euros.  While fewer town residents disagree with new constructions needing to install the solar panels, the portion of the regulation pertaining to existing buildings has sent many Marburgers into an uproar that the ordinance is an infringement on private property rights.

A battle of wills soon ensued, with the regional government of Giessen threatening to overturn the law, followed by the Marburg ton council countering that they would bring judicial action in a higher court to keep the ordinance in place.  The issue stands in legislative limbo right now.

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An MIT Scientist has made a breakthrough discovery in the practice of energy storage that stands to revolutionize the practical application of solar power.  The amount of energy the Earth receives from sunlight is vast, by some calculations there is enough solar power hitting this planet within a single to power all human energy consumption for an entire year.  However the technology to be able to store this enormous amount of energy, which directly or indirectly powered all life on earth until the advent of fossil fuels, has been woefully inadequate…until now.

MIT Professor Daniel Nocera has found a simple solution for electricity storage that requires nothing but abundant, natural, non-toxic materials.  The concept was inspired by the most widespread energy integration process in the history of the planet: photosynthesis.  Nocera and postdoctoral fellow Matthew Kanan created a way to use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen which may then be later combined within a fuel cell to power homes, businesses and vehicles.  That’s it, a process inspired by plants that can eassily be applied to power all of our needs has arrived.

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SunNight Flashlights is one company that takes its social responsibility seriously. This would be true enough given only the clean, green environmentally friendly engineering of their products; solar powered flashlights that charge up during the day and provide portable light when it’s needed, minus the environmentally harmful disposable alkaline batteries of the flashlights of the past.

But SunNight doesn’t stop there. The company also offers a “Buy 1, Give 1″ promotion on their Bogo lights, wherein every with flashlight bought, one will be given away to someone disadvantaged who needs a light source and can truly benefit from one that runs off of free, renewable solar energy. But SunNight isn’t even done there. Their “Lights For Good” program aims to aid non-profit organizations who by displaying the SunNight logos on their website and providing links to the program will get a rebate of 25% of the purchase price of flashlights sold.

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