US residential PV market adoption In his keynote address at PV American yesterday, the Solar Energy Industry Association’s Rhone Resch observed that Solar is now the number one growth industry in the United States. Market data from the DOE’s Tracking the Sun III backs him up. Released at the end of 2010, this DOE report reveals that between 2002 and 2009 the residential solar PV market alone grew tenfold. The residential market...

Energy Security Reminder - Roadblocks at LAX A recent study of load profiles, rate structures and solar insolation for the three major California utilities underscores the beneficial match of PV generation and load demand.  Time of Use rates can stimulate faster adoption of PV systems that will offset peak demand.  Leveraging Time of Use rates, solar PV customers can benefit from higher economic returns and faster payback on their...

California - Palm Trees and Solar Forests Just four years in, the California Solar Initiative (CSI) is racing ahead of its plan. The CSI PV program is already half subscribed and accelerating.   If this pace continues, the CSI PV program could be fully subscribed almost four years ahead of schedule.   Reservations now at Step 8 of 10   Originally conceived as a ten year project, with ten discrete steps, most CSI service territories...

Cleantech is not a singular industry. There are many industries that have Cleantech opportunities. The maturity of the specific Cleantech target industry, its Phase, can have a powerful influence on Cleantech business success.        While Phase issues do exist in other industries, Phase challenges in Cleantech targets are considerably more pronounced. Target industry Phase should be considered in market selection, business...

Oil Rigs operate in LA California Proposition 23, backed by oil companies Tesoro and Valero, has been defeated by California voters. This is good news for green jobs and Cleantech ventures. This Proposition would have set aside California’s Clean Energy Bill, AB 32, passed in 2006. Among other things, AB 32 requires that the State meet a Kyoto Protocol-styled requirement for greenhouse gas emissions. Under AB 32, greenhouse...