Luminalt Solar A San Francisco Workforce Partner

Posted on June 27, 2012 by QuestPoint

Luminalt Energy Corporation‘s CEO Jeanine Cotter is featured in the July issue of Money magazine. The article describes Cotter’s transition from corporate lawyer at Silicon Valley-based Intuit to starting her own solar installation company in 2004. Cotter says, “Just looking at the rising cost of energy and the concern over global warming, I saw an opportunity.” Money photographed Cotter at the Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center for the article. Non-profit Tel-Hi has been providing services to youth, seniors and families in San Francisco since 1890. Tel-Hi received a free SunPower solar system in 2011 through Luminalt’s collaboration with non-profit One Atmosphere, Ecomedia, SunPower Corporation, and musical band CAKE.

Cotter has made community involvement central to Luminalt’s business model. Luminalt is San Francisco’s only certified woman-owned solar company and hires from local workforce development programs. Luminalt was the first San Francisco solar company to become workforce development certified through GoSolarSF. The innovative solar incentive program has supported over 1,700 solar installations and created targeted full-time jobs for underserved individuals through its local hiring mandate.

CNN Money interviewed Cotter as a tie-in to the article in Money. The web video shows Cotter in the warehouse and views of Luminalt, an Elite SunPower Dealer, installing SunPower solar panels on a home rebuilt after the 2010 PG&E gas line explosion in San Bruno. Luminalt has installed more solar systems in San Francisco than any other company, with 414 systems since the program’s inception per California Solar Initiative data. In a highly fragmented market, Luminalt has installed at least 34% more systems than any competitors within San Francisco. Cotter is glad she made the career transition and started her own business. “I never envisioned myself as someone willing to take huge risks, but I’ve thrown myself into this and completely love it.”

Green News Wall

Saudi Arabia Going Solar With $109 Billion Investment

Posted on May 21, 2012 by quest

If you thought solar energy was just a passing fad and not really a serious contender for supplying power for an energy starved world, think again. The revelation that Saudi Arabia has announced a $109 billion plan to create a solar industry that will generate a third of the nation’s electricity within two decades, could silence many skeptics. When the world’s largest source of oil goes solar that should wake everybody up! The Saudi Arabian Market would provide significant opportunities for the Solar Industry. “We are not only looking for building solar plants,” Maher al-Odan, a consultant at the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, said in a recent interview. “We want to run a sustainable solar energy sector that will become a driver for domestic energy for years to come.” Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, hopes to have 41,000 megawatts of solar capacity by 2032 said al-Odan. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance the nation trails Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and the United Arab Emirates with only 3 megawatts of solar installations.

Five Star Equities releases regular market updates on the Solar Industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Solar Industry and provides equity research on Trina Solar Limited TSL +1.93% and JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd.Trina Solar Limited is a leading manufacturer of high quality modules and has a long history as a solar PV pioneer since it was founded in 1997 as a system installation company.

JA Solar Holdings is a leading manufacturer of high-performance solar power products. The company sells its products to solar manufacturers worldwide, who assemble and integrate solar cells into modules and systems that convert sunlight into electricity for residential, commercial, and utility-scale power generation. Five Star Equities provides Market Research focused on equities that offer growth opportunities, value, and strong potential return.

The Power of A Solar Salary

Posted on May 14, 2012 by quest

First Solar, Inc. recently announced that James Hughes has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Hughes succeeds Mike Ahearn, First Solar’s founder and Chairman, who has been serving as interim CEO since Oct. 2011. Hughes joined First Solar in March as Chief Commercial Officer. Ahearn will continue in his role as Chairman of the Board.“Jim has been instrumental in developing the strategic plan that will enable us to compete and win in this new era for the solar industry, and it became clear he is the right person to lead the execution of that plan”

Bloomberg BusinessWeek is reporting that Hughes will receive a $750,000 salary. He is being promoted from within the company.“Jim has been instrumental in developing the strategic plan that will enable us to compete and win in this new era for the solar industry, and it became clear he is the right person to lead the execution of that plan,” said Ahearn. “Jim brings a wide range of experience that will be invaluable in leading our organization, having owned and operated utilities, built power projects, cultivated partnerships and led profitable growth in a wide array of key markets around the world.”

“I am excited for this opportunity to lead First Solar into a new era for the industry,” said Hughes. “First Solar is unrivaled in terms of talent and experience and has the premier platform from which to implement solar power at a meaningful scale around the world. The rapid cost reductions in the industry position solar at the threshold of the mainstream energy markets, and we are well-positioned to capitalize on that opportunity.” First Solar, the world’s largest maker of thin-film solar panels recently closed it plant in Germany and laid off 2000 workers.

Yingli Solar To Power Rio’s Maracana Stadium

Angelenos Looking Up To Rooftop Solar Power

Posted on May 4, 2012 by quest

“Sunny Los Angeles has enormous potential to lead the state in solar energy, and in recent months city leaders have done a commendable job of putting L.A. in a position to harness that homegrown renewable resource,” said Susannah Churchill, Southwestern Solar Advocate for Vote Solar. “Our poll shows that this is the kind of solar progress that Angelenos overwhelmingly want to see in their community.”“Local solar power puts our energy dollars to work building a healthier and more prosperous L.A. An expanded solar program would put more boots on roofs and create more jobs in areas that need them most,” said Bill Gallegos, Executive Director of Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), a leading environmental justice organization. “Poor communities often get the worst of the fossil fuel energy system. It is only fair that they enjoy the environmental, health, and economic benefits of the clean energy system.”

A significant majority of voters in Los Angeles wants more local solar powering their city; in fact they want lots more. These are the findings of a new poll on L.A. attitudes toward renewable energy conducted by the public research firm Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates (FM3) for the Vote Solar Initiative. “Our poll shows that this is the kind of solar progress that Angelenos overwhelmingly want to see in their community.”Advocates are urging city and utility leaders to take note and keep taking bold steps to expand investment in a local solar power economy.“In addition to proving hugely popular among L.A. residents, expanded use of local clean energy can reduce the city’s dependence on out-of-state dirty coal power,” said Evan Gillespie Sierra Club, America’s largest grassroots environmental organization. “City leadership has set an exciting goal of getting LADWP off dirty coal. It just makes economic and environmental sense to harvest our homegrown solar resource, creating more local jobs and economic development for Angelenos.”

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal utility in the country, accounting for 10 percent of California’s electricity demand. The utility currently gets less than 1 percent of its power from solar generation. In September 2011, LADWP reopened its Solar Incentive Program with a goal of installing 125 megawatts (MW) of solar to meet on-site power needs at homes and businesses. And in April 2012, the City Council and Mayor authorized LADWP to move forward with a new program called CLEAN LA Solar that will add 150 MW of rooftop solar power to the city’s electricity mix. Together these programs will result in about five times the amount of solar currently installed in L.A. and generate enough electricity to power more than 60,000 homes. An overwhelming majority feels that the city should achieve 1,200 MW of solar, which is LADWP’s share of Governor Brown’s statewide goal of 12,000 MW of local clean power by 2020. 1,200 MW of rooftop solar would generate enough clean, reliable electricity to power more than 260,000 homes.

US solar market will explode within five years

Social Entrepreneurs Bringing Solar Solutions To Africa

Posted on April 27, 2012 by quest

Students from NYU Abu Dhabi were among the Hult Global Case Challenge winners. NYU Abu Dhabi’s solution focuses on creating a network of entrepreneurs and technicians who will sell and fix solar lamps in a sustainable way. Many Africans still rely on kerosene lamps for light. Hult International Business School (formerly known as the Arthur D. Little School of Management) is the first global business school with campuses in Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai, and Shanghai. The other two wiining teams are Carnegie Mellon and Hult International Business School . The winning teams were honored for their commitment to eradicating poverty at the Hult Global Case Challenge in New York City, hosted by Hult International Business and the Clinton Global Initiative. The three winning teams beat thousands of students from the world’s best business schools for a US$1 million cash grant and were honored by President Bill Clinton.

Started three years ago by Hult graduate Ahmad Ashkar, the Hult Global Case Challenge is the largest and most respected initiative of its kind. Harnessing the power of crowd sourcing, the Hult Global Case Challenge attracted students from 350 colleges and universities to provide solutions to the real challenges facing three NGOs. These are Habitat for Humanity, which builds affordable housing; SolarAid, which brings renewable energy to impoverished communities; and One Laptop Per Child, which provides low-cost computers to children.

Speaking in support of the winning team’s solution, SolarAid CEO Steve Andrews said: “Our goal is to eradicate the kerosene lamp from Africa by the end of this decade. That’s simply a huge challenge, which will only be possible with massive innovation. Having the top students from around the world competing to come up with great ideas for how we will do this is an extraordinary boost. It’s already changing the way we think and work.”Ahmad Ashkar, the founder and CEO of the Hult Global Case Challenge, said: “This initiative aims to revolutionize how we think about the world’s most pressing social challenges. With US$1 million in seed capital, students from all over the world have a chance to establish social enterprises that achieve real results.”

Washington, D.C. Gets Top Environmental City Ranking

SunRun Invests $150 Million In Home Solar Systems

Posted on April 26, 2012 by quest

A subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp today announced the creation of a new renewable energy tax equity fund with Sunrun to support the purchase and installation of more than $150 million in residential solar systems across the United States. Sunrun is a market leader in home solar and this is the company’s sixth renewable energy tax equity commitment from U.S. Bancorp.“U.S. Bancorp has been our trusted partner for years and is instrumental to Sunrun’s continued success as one of the largest providers of clean, affordable solar energy for American families,” said Sunrun co-Founder and CEO Edward Fenster.Through its substantial tax equity commitments, U.S. Bancorp has helped Sunrun bring affordable solar to thousands of homes across the country.

Sunrun came into the market in 2007 as a way for homeowners to go solar without high upfront costs. Sunrun owns, insures, monitors and maintains the solar panels on a homeowner’s roof, while families pay a low rate for clean energy and fix their electric costs for 20 years. Typical Sunrun customers pay a lower rate for solar energy than what they pay for electricity from their utility companies. Sunrun installs over $1.5 million in solar every day and has more than 20,000 customers in ten states.

A recent report from Sunrun and PV Solar Report, an authority on solar market data, shows solar power service is becoming the preferred way for homeowners to go solar. For example, solar power service grew 174 percent in California in the first two months of 2012 compared to the first two months of 2011. It has generated over $100 million in growth for the California economy so far in 2012. One in every three California homeowners who installs solar does so with Sunrun.