Eco-Power - November 24, 2011

Claim: Solar PV Becoming the Cheapest

Kess van der Leun, an author from within the solar industry claims, in an article on Grist.org, “It has become clear that PV is set to go beyond grid parity and become the cheapest way to generate electricity.”

Other Solar Positives

Air Force base hosts solar installation: Edwards Air Force Base in California now has a solar PV plant being built within its environs. According to a news release, the project took three years to plan.

Beating the deadline: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) completed $4.75 billion in loan guarantees for four solar projects one day before deadline, Bloomberg.com reported.

Concentrating solar power gets the money: According to an Energy.gov news release, $60 million will be invested over three years by the U.S. DOE in concentrating solar power technologies.

Floridians get 52%: The state of Florida is going to make good on its solar energy rebate promises, according to the Times/Herald of Tampa Bay. The article mentions the stipulation that, “Each of the 8,800 approved applicants will get a check for 52 percent of their request, all the state can afford.”

100,000-plus employed in solar: According to a report by the Solar Foundation, as relayed by the DOE, “More than 100,000 workers are now employed in the U.S. solar industry.” That makes an industry growth rate of  6.8%.

Utility completes three solar plants: PG&E, in northern California, brought three solar PV generating stations online. The stations have a combined generating capacity of 50MW.