Posts by West Coast Solar

The city of Los Angeles’ Department of Water & Power announced this week that they are now accepting bids from solar power companies to construct a massive PV system. The utility is aiming to construct enough panels to produce roughly 250 megawatts of power. More than 1.5 million residents rely upon the city to provide…

People across the United States have undoubtedly heard of Kickstarter, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects. Modeled after this tool, California-based startup Mosaic is a business that connects investors to high-quality solar projects, giving them a chance to earn money while also making a difference. According to MercuryNews.com, a Silicon Valley media outlet, Mosaic revealed on April 8…

Recently, we posted an article about the announcement that California had hit a new record for solar power generation record of 1,897 megawatts (MW). This was seen as a major milestone in the state’s migration to more renewable energy sources, but it’s already old news. That’s because California ISO, the agency that manages the state’s energy infrastructure,…

There are many tax credit and rebate programs available to homeowners interested in a California residential solar power system for their home, but one of the most successful has been the California Solar Initiative (CSI), which was introduced in 2007 as a way to encourage the growth of solar energy in the Golden State. A…

It’s not exactly news that solar panel prices have dropped dramatically in the last decade. Because of this trend, the “soft costs” of solar power – aspects such as labor, installation, permitting and taxes – now make up a larger percentage of the total cost of going solar, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory…

There’s lots of positive news going on in the solar power industry these days, with the number of solar panel installations increasing 76 percent from 2011 to 2012 and the state of California, in particular, continuing to pursue new solar opportunities. SmartPlanet recently suggested that this momentum has bumped it up from an immaterial job…

Not too long ago, major corporations would install solar panels on the rooftops of their facilities in order to earn the good graces of environmentalists and renewable energy advocates. It wasn’t so much that the companies wanted to save money as they wanted to send a message that they cared about the environment, earning public…

Recently, Senator Mark Udall of Colorado introduced a bill that would make it easier for the owners of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels connected to community solar gardens to received federal renewable energy tax credits. While shared solar gardens are a great option for anyone who is unable to install a rooftop system, such as renters or condo owners subject…

The MS Toranus PlanetSolar, a catamaran powered by solar energy cells, is making a stop in Boston this week as it navigates its way along the Atlantic Coast. The boat is being used to carry out research to determine the effect of climate change on the Earth’s oceans. It was designed by a team of engineers…

Headlines about new generation records for solar energy solutions in California are so common these days that they’re hardly surprising. More installations are coming online every day, which means that more opportunities present themselves to push the state in the direction of renewable energy. On January 2 the California Independent System Operator (CalISO), which regulates…

For the first time ever, the world will add more solar energy than wind power capacity, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). A slow down in the wind industry, coupled with enormous growth in photovoltaic (PV) installations, has led to greater increases in solar generating capacity. One of the reasons for the small decline in the…

Recently we reported on the GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association year-in-review report which revealed that California implemented more than 1,000 megawatts of solar panels as of 2012, leading the country in solar energy solutions. On March 10, however, the Golden State broke that record. KCET, an independent television station in Southern California, announced…