40% of U.S. Solar projects below 500 kilowatts - Solarbuzz

Smart! A solar farm should never be just a solar farm. Something else can always be underneath, whether a shade crop, livestock, parking lot, or, y'know, a building.

Compare this to dust storms spawned by big desert solar...

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"These smaller projects have a considerable impact on the communities where they are being built, providing much-needed employment and energy cost reduction," NPD Solarbuzz Analyst Christine Beadle said. "They also represent a significant opportunity for downstream balance-of-systems component suppliers and PV systems integrators within the United States."

(...)

Additionally, some colleges have recently started using sheep to maintain the grass under PV arrays, and a test market is currently being constructed in North Carolina for a 4 MW installation to be used as a sheep and lamb farm and monitored for herd management. To date, this may be the most viable approach to utilizing agricultural land for energy production, creating a "win-win" for all involved.

Read more:

http://www.solarserver.com/solar-magazine/solar-news/current/2012/kw30/solarbuzz-40-of-pv-projects-in-the-united-states-are-below-500-kw.html
Joy Hughes, Founder, Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org
CEO, Solar Panel Hosting LLC http://www.solarpanelhosting.com
(719)207-3097 direct

Mojave Desert Blog: Desert Solar Policy Codifies Status Quo

Powerful words! Remember, the Desert is not empty, not a wasteland. The Desert is alive...

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The Department of Interior today released the final version of a policy that will smooth the way for industrial-scale solar energy development on public lands throughout America's southwestern deserts.   Even though Interior weakened environmental protections seen in earlier drafts, and crafted the policy to meet industry demands--essentially putting on paper what is already Interior's de facto policy of allowing solar companies to bulldoze wherever they please--several national environmental groups still applauded the announcement, including the Sierra Club, NRDC, the Wilderness Society, and the national Audubon Society.  Their statements of support for the policy probably represent efforts to put positive spin on what is ultimately an environmental catastrophe for the renewable energy industry and our public lands.

http://www.mojavedesertblog.com/2012/07/desert-solar-policy-codifies-status-quo.html

Joy Hughes, Founder, Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org
CEO, Solar Panel Hosting LLC http://www.solarpanelhosting.com
(719)207-3097 direct

Storage, Not Generation, is the Challenge to Renewable Energy - Forbes

If you read newspapers, blogs and other popular reports on renewable energy, you are very likely hearing almost exclusively about power generation advances in solar cell or wind turbine efficiency or ways to reduce production costs.   But exciting as these steps are, an examination of where our energy comes from today shows that even after decades of improvement in renewable energy systems, more than 95% of the energy in the United States is still provided by fossil fuels, nuclear power and traditional hydropower.   So, what is missing from the present picture that could dramatically advance the use of renewable energy?  Economical energy storage.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/singularity/2012/07/20/storage-not-generation-is-the-challenge-to-renewable-energy/

Joy Hughes, Founder, Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org
CEO, Solar Panel Hosting LLC http://www.solarpanelhosting.com
(719)207-3097 direct

Solar pea patch grows at Greenbank Farm - The Whidbey Examiner

You wouldn't think Washington State would be the nation's hotbed of community solar. But it is!

Joy

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A much larger field of solar-energy panels will soon greet visitors to the pastoral, rolling fields of Greenbank Farm.

The black panels affixed to metal frames are being installed next to the existing array owned by Island Community Solar, LLC, a Whidbey-based venture financed mostly by local investors. That array began energy production in June 2011.

Once completed, the installation will triple its current footprint and cover a full acre. The Port of Coupeville owns 151 acres of the farm.

http://www.whidbeyexaminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=7963

Joy Hughes, Founder, Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org
CEO, Solar Panel Hosting LLC http://www.solarpanelhosting.com
(719)207-3097 direct

Not enough roof space for solar? Grow a community solar garden | Fresh Energy

Adding a solar panel system to your home is a good way to fight climate change and support clean energy development, and the good news is that it's becoming increasingly affordable at the same time. Net metering and feed-in tariff (or clean contract) policies can give homeowners a financial incentive to install solar and generate clean electricity by allowing them to sell the electricity they don't use.

Unfortunately, only 20 percent of households in the United States can install solar panels, because some people live in apartment buildings or their homes' roofs are too shady. This is slowing the development of residential solar power considerably.

But there's a way that everyone can take part in a solar project...

Read more:

http://fresh-energy.org/2012/07/not-enough-roof-space-for-solar-grow-a-community-solar-garden/

Joy Hughes, Founder, Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org
CEO, Solar Panel Hosting LLC http://www.solarpanelhosting.com
(719)207-3097 direct

Denver post on Colorado Solar Gardens

With the XCEL Solar*Rewards Community program to open soon, the Denver Post is reporting on the activities of several solar garden efforts in Colorado:

Solargardens.org is being recognized as the go-to resource for community shared solar.

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_21073777/solar-gardnes-nourished-by-xcel-incentives-set-bloom

Summit County locals lining up for community solar gardens | SummitDaily.com

Summit County is leaping at the opportunity to buy into community solar gardens, even before the gardens themselves have been approved or marketing efforts initiated, developers said.

"It's a really great fit for a community like Summit County where people really understand environmental things and they also understand the financial viability," said Lauren Suhrbier, director of project development for Clean Energy Collective, the private company that aims to construct two solar gardens on Breckenridge-owned properties. "The reason it's so exciting is that Summit County has responded to the opportunity in ways that other places haven't in terms of the interest."

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20120709/NEWS/120709841/1078&ParentProfile=1055

Joy Hughes, Founder, Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org
CEO, Solar Panel Hosting LLC http://www.solarpanelhosting.com
(719)207-3097 direct

FINRA Seeks Public Input on Crowdfunding Regulation

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the largest independent securities regulator in the United States, on Thursday issued a call for public input on the crowdfunding portion of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act.

http://www.crowdsourcing.org/editorial/finra-seeks-public-input-on-crowdfunding-regulation/16661

Joy Hughes, Founder, Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org
CEO, Solar Panel Hosting LLC http://www.solarpanelhosting.com
(719)207-3097 direct

Japan opens solar energy parks - Outcome Magazine

Let's hear it for Japan! They have gone from nuclear to a feed-in tariff nationwide. We'll see power systems that can resist earthquakes and storms, and no doubt Japan will be one of the leaders going forward in the community solar and energy storage revolution.

- Joy

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Japan opened several solar energy parks on Sunday as a new law came into force requiring companies to purchase renewable energy at a fixed price in a push for alternatives to nuclear power.

Read more:

http://www.omglobe.com/2012/07/02/japan-opens-solar-energy-parks/

Joy Hughes, Founder, Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org
CEO, Solar Panel Hosting LLC http://www.solarpanelhosting.com
(719)207-3097 direct

Solar Gardens Opens Up Solar for Everyone | 2GreenEnergy

Solar panels are starting to become an affordable way for consumers to contribute to stopping global warming. Unfortunately, only about one fifth of the population has enough usable space where solar panels can be installed.

Imagine how much the residential solar market would accelerate if solar power would be doable for everyone – even for those living in a huge apartment building in the city....

Read more:
http://2greenenergy.com/from-guest-blogger-mathias-solar-gardens-opens-up-solar-for-everyone/24291/

Joy Hughes, Founder, Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org
CEO, Solar Panel Hosting LLC http://www.solarpanelhosting.com
(719)207-3097 direct

Community Solar: Clean Energy for Everyone | Sustainablog

One of the biggest setbacks for people looking to invest in solar is a lack of a suitable place to put the solar panels. A solar installation both has to be in the right direction and the right angle to extract enough energy from the sun's trajectory for the system to be financially feasible.

When we add up the numbers, only about 1 in 5 American households is suitable for solar, which means that the vast majority of the population cannot contribute much in the solar movement even if they wanted to.

In the last few years this has been changing: community-owned solar enables households that otherwise wouldn't be eligible for solar panels in the past to invest in, and make use of, this technology.

Read more:

http://sustainablog.org/2012/07/community-solar/

Joy Hughes, Founder, Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org
CEO, Solar Panel Hosting LLC http://www.solarpanelhosting.com
(719)207-3097 direct

World's Largest Solar Bridge in London

What a great example of shade over pavement! Here's how cities can power themselves...

-Joy

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From Inhabitant:

London's super-solar Blackfriars Station is halfway to becoming home to the world's largest solar bridge. Solarcentury began construction on the ambitious project last fall, fitting the bridge with a solar array that will supply a whopping 900,000kWh of clean electricity per year, provide more than fifty percent of its power need to operate the transit hub, while reducing CO2 emissions by an estimated 511 tonnes for the same time period!

http://m.inhabitat.com/construction-of-the-worlds-largest-solar-bridge-reaches-halfway-point-in-london/

Joy Hughes, Founder, Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org
CEO, Solar Panel Hosting LLC http://www.solarpanelhosting.com
(719)207-3097 direct

The Promise of Crowdfunding for Social Enterprise | The White House

Wow! This is a golden opportunity to build a clean and resilient energy system.

-Joy

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Earlier this month, the White House hosted a briefing for the American Sustainable Business Council, a national network serving social enterprises from early-stage startups to established success stories, like Patagonia and Ben & Jerry's.  Senior White House staff took time to meet with chief executives and thought leaders, such as Seventh Generation founder Jeffrey Hollender and Stonyfield Farms pioneer Gary Hirshberg, to discuss many aspects of the President's agenda to support overall economic growth, including the Impact Economy. 

As part of the conversation, the discussion focused on the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act.  The JOBS Act is a bipartisan bill signed by the President into law in April that will allow small businesses and startups to raise capital from investors more efficiently, leading to faster growth and hiring. 

One of the key features of the JOBS Act is to enable "crowdfunding" – letting companies raise up to $1 million in small increments from many investors.  As the President said, this is "a potential game changer":

"Right now, you can only turn to a limited group of investors -- including banks and wealthy individuals -- to get funding.  Laws that are nearly eight decades old make it impossible for others to invest.  But a lot has changed in 80 years, and it's time our laws did as well.  Because of this bill, start-ups and small business will now have access to a big, new pool of potential investors -- namely, the American people.  For the first time, ordinary Americans will be able to go online and invest in entrepreneurs that they believe in."

Read more:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/06/28/promise-crowdfunding-social-enterprise

Joy Hughes, Founder, Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org
CEO, Solar Panel Hosting LLC http://www.solarpanelhosting.com
(719)207-3097 direct

Crowdfunding for Community Power? | Institute for Local Self-Reliance

Back in April, President Obama signed the JOBS Act and one of the most-heralded elements was so-called crowdfunding. The law sought to solve a major problem: it's hard to finance small-scale business ventures.  Wall Street only cares about multi-million dollar plays and securities regulations make small-dollar projects rather difficult (and costly) to jointly fund.

The Act could have big implications for community-based renewable energy projects.

Read more:

http://www.ilsr.org/crowdfunding-community-power/

Joy Hughes, Founder, Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org
CEO, Solar Panel Hosting LLC http://www.solarpanelhosting.com
(719)207-3097 direct