Energias alternativas

Reports indicate France is mulling a 12% reduction in its feed-in tariffs. Analysts break down the reasons (not unexpected) and possible impact to regional solar efforts and individual vendors.

Schneider Electric announced today its participation at the 25th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC), the world's largest international conference for solar technology, in Valencia, Spain, from September 6-9, 2010. Schneider Electric will display its global solutions for a wide array of photovoltaic (PV) markets including solar farms, large commercial, residential, off-grid and backup power. These solutions range from inverters, switchgear, and monitoring to security products from Schneider Electric's vast offering of electrical and energy management solutions.

Iberdrola Renovables, in a consortium with local energy company Neoenergia, is to supply Brazil with electricity from 9 wind farms over 20 years for 60 million ($77 million) a year.

Craig Shields, editor of 2GreenEnergy.com, offers a free report on today's principles of marketing and sales and how they apply to clean tech businesses. Though Shields is best known for his wide-ranging comments on the clean energy and electric transportation industries, his professional background is marketing, and appears to have provided some valuable advice.

Photon International is reporting that similar to German module manufactures, German inverter manufacturers are feeling the heat from China as well. Even though 6 of the top 10 inverters solar worldwide are manufactured in Germany, the organization says component costs in Germany are much higher than those in China.

Many investors find the prospect of selecting individual stocks simply too daunting. For those investors interested in investing in peak oil, but uncomfortable with the risks and moral dilemmas inherent in oil company stocks, there is another option: Powershares Global Progressive Transportation Portfolio (PTRP).

The tremendous growth of wind power in the United States is the result of several factors including state Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) as well as the nation's Smart Grid implementation, which requires the electric grid to accommodate and encourage increasing renewable resources.

Despite a buoyant European offshore wind market, offshore construction & installation contractors that fall short of budget and technology challenges risk falling by the wayside. Utility scale developers at the forefront will be seeking out only companies capable of providing and meeting the necessary challenges imposed on the industry today.

Growth Energy, the coalition of U.S. ethanol supporters, today welcomed four new producing plants to its membership. The four new producers bring total plant membership up to 64 and will join Growth Energy's 41 Associate Members and more than 18,000 individual Growth Force Members. Growth Energy is the largest coalition of ethanol producing plants in the United States.

The huge turbines at the Guanting Wind Farm are popular backdrops for photos of newly married couples who find the 60-meter-tall structures a symbol of modernity; an endearing addition to the distant mountains, corn fields and lake a few dozen kilometers outside bustling Beijing.

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO His initial experience with the Solar FlexRack has convinced another project manager that the innovative rack mounting system for solar panels holds tremendous potential for the future.

The Treasury Department recently issued a series of FAQs in an effort to clarify when projects will be treated as having "begun construction" for purposes of the section 1603 grant. As you may be aware, a project that otherwise qualifies for the grant but is not placed in service before the end of 2010 may still be eligible for the grant if construction on the project is begun in 2009 or 2010 and the project is eventually placed in service before the applicable "credit termination date." The new FAQs address a number of the unanswered questions. However, the framework adopted by the Treasury Guidance and the new FAQs is complex, and there appears to be a considerable amount of confusion among developers about how the "beginning construction" requirement can be met. Therefore, we thought it important to issue this alert.