Candidate Romney’s Energy Plan

kristyGreentech

GTM SOLAR WEEKLY | Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Candidate Romney’s Energy Plan
Romney accuses the Obama administration of having an “unhealthy obsession with green jobs.” Here’s the Romney platform.

Spider9 Aims at Battery Cell and Solar Panel Management
The startup with IP out of the University of Michigan is aiming at commercial launch in late 2012.

Unfortunate Solar Installation of the Month: Utility-Scale Edition
Adventures in lousy O&M. Or a mid-development bankruptcy. This month’s winner is a seemingly neglected utility-scale solar farm in Germany.

What Do First Solar’s Plant Closures Say About Thin Film’s Competitiveness?
The Chinese commodity crystalline pain train continues to wreak havoc on even industry-leading differentiated PV products.

Green Jobs: Cleantech VC Marc Van Den Berg Moves From VantagePoint to Technology Partners
Another VantagePoint Cleantech Partner becomes an ex-partner.

Heliatek’s Organic Solar Cells Join PV Firms Setting Records in Efficiency
Despite dark times, we’re seeing record-setting PV performance across all materials systems, from Organic Solar Cells to CdTe to c-Si to CPV to CIGS to CIS to GaAs.

Slide Show: Is Thin-Film Solar Dead?
Well, not dead, but in dire need of a transfusion, as per the GTM Research thin film report. Plus, a few words on First Solar.

Update: April Greentech IPOs Disappoint; Only Enphase Makes It Through
Enerkem joins Luca and BrightSource in pulling its IPO.

The Biggest Little Town in Solar
It takes a village to cut through the red tape and streamline solar permitting.

Largest Solar PV Plant in North America Comes On-Line
Agua Caliente is now the biggest PV plant around. And there’s more to come. Utility-scale solar will rule in 2012.

Arizona’s Solar Market Could be Incentive-Free Next Year and Still Thrive
Utilities and the industry are testing technologies and building at record speeds toward maturity.

Is the Window Closing for Thin-Film PV?
GTM Research releases report on global thin-film module markets, analyzing the future prospects of this embattled solar technology.

97 Percent of Americans Overestimate Cost of Home Solar
The falling cost of solar is falling on deaf ears in the residential sector.

Solar Banking, Part 2: Five Key Considerations in Large-Scale Solar Financing
“There is a tremendous amount of capital that still is available. The question is, how do you get it?”

Consolidation Chronicles: Q-Cells Has a Suitor, Global Solar Unit for Sale, REC Shutdown
Another week, another seismic shift in the solar industry.

GE, Arista to Build Wind, Solar Battery Backup Systems
Arista promises solar/wind integrated “Power on Demand” via GE’s nickel-salt Durathon batteries.

German Solar PV Demand Still Surprisingly Strong
1,800 megawatts were installed in Q1 despite cuts to solar subsidies.

Fracking and the Natural Gas “Shale Gale”
Does the ascendance of cheap natural gas from fracking come at the expense of renewables?

Solar Banking, Part 1: Smart Financial Engineering Funds the Big Solar Projects
“The days of casual dating are over—we’ve got to deal with people where it’s a serious relationship.”

Green Jobs: DOE and Fisker EVs, Sapphire Algae, MEMC, PowerAssure
MEMC CEO still CEO; DOE keeping a close watch on Fisker.

ECD’s Solar Product Coming Back From the Dead?
Bankruptcy auction delayed; a possible bidder has emerged.