http://www.solar-nation.org Where citizens rally and convince their leaders to make America a true Solar Power Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:47:07 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Some voices in the U.S. solar industry are looking for better times in 2010, despite the country's lackluster economic condition.  But solar companies still have to overcome obstacles such as competition from overseas, particularly China, and difficulty in obtaining credit. Attendees at this week's investors' conference in New York hosted by ... http://www.solar-nation.org/2010/02/25/us-solar-on-the-way-back/ Paul Gipe runs a popular web site known as Wind-Works, which covers a spectrum of subjects on wind power -- technical, regulatory, policy-related, etc.  Paul has allowed us to republish an article from his site that deals with the legal aspects of establishing feed-in tariffs (FiTs) for renewable energy -- ... http://www.solar-nation.org/2010/02/25/feed-in-tariffs-the-legal-way/ If you were somewhat depressed by what the previous two stories told you about the clean energy performance of the USA compared with the rest of the world, perhaps you'll be heartened by a little good news coming out of the desert. It only took three or four years, but the ... http://www.solar-nation.org/2010/02/25/but-on-the-brightsource-side/ Two weeks ago the Washington area received a dusting of about 24" of snow.  For those of us who have lived through a couple of New Hampshire winters without bothering to turn the heat on, this was not expected to be a cause for alarm.  But we were unprepared for ... http://www.solar-nation.org/2010/02/25/and-here-in-the-nations-capital/ Here's something new about the Solar Nation web site for 2010:  solar citizens will now have the opportunity to comment, respond, sound off, and generally put in their ten cents' worth about articles appearing on this site. Click on the title of any story and you'll find, at the foot of ... http://www.solar-nation.org/2010/01/27/your-turn-to-comment-the-solar-nation-blog-is-open/ Can you help Solar Nation help the American Nation?   The need for citizens to be engaged in the fight for clean energy in today’s America just grew more acute, with the result of the recent U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts. Is that a political statement that will alienate ... http://www.solar-nation.org/2010/01/27/the-row-to-hoe-just-got-tougher/ The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the trade association for the solar industry, recently published a ‘Solar Bill of Rights’ for the United States.  The eight-point bill, reproduced below, appears not to contain any revolutionary concepts;  nothing in it should appear unreasonable, irrational or excessive.  Yet every one ... http://www.solar-nation.org/2010/01/27/the-solar-bill-of-rights/ We wouldn’t normally revisit a subject as many times as this, but things are moving even faster than we thought on the subject of solar installations funded through property taxes. We first reported on this phenomenon a year ago in connection with the first community to ... http://www.solar-nation.org/2010/01/27/gathering-pace/ In a recent joint announcement, Constellation Energy Group and Mount St. Mary’s University of Emmitsburg, MD described plans for what could become the nation’s third largest photovoltaic power plant.  The project serves as an example of the level of solar deployment that can be achieved with a favorable ... http://www.solar-nation.org/2010/01/27/maryland-finds-a-way-to-build-big-solar/ What's happening in Pennsylvania is a miniature of the clean energy battle being fought at national and international levels today (this story), as well as an example of how ordinary citizens can be energized when vital issues aren't accorded the attention they deserve.   In November we issued an Action ... http://www.solar-nation.org/2009/12/21/what-happens-in-pennsylvania%e2%80%a6/