ICHC News Feed

Optimizing Solar Projects to Maximize Return on Investment (ROI)

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:45 GMT

The solar industry is facing new realities as the economics of solar are changing. Predicting photovoltaic (PV) panel pricing is 'iffy' at best. The US Treasury 1603 cash grants are history. Optimizing the energy produced and making the most of available land have become increasingly important as investors and project developers look for a viable economic model to maximize ROI. With fossil fuel energy prices on the rise, government incentives for solar wavering, and a solar trade war being waged over the price of Chinese solar panels – delivering innovative, high-performing solar power solutions is more critical now than ever before.

Wind Historian Says: Build New Wind Farms Farther From Neighbors

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:00 GMT

Windfall: Wind Energy in America Today, by historian Robert Righter, was recently published by University of Oklahoma Press; it's a follow-up to his 1996 book, a history of the industry through its first commercial boom. As a hearty advocate of wind energy and continued rapid growth of the industry, Righter may surprise some with his strong call for more sensitivity to quality of life concerns of rural residents. He spends chunks of three chapters addressing the increasing problems caused by wind farm noise in rural communities, chides developers for not building farther from unwilling neighbors, and says that new development should be focused on the remote high plains, rather than more densely populated rural landscapes in the upper midwest and northeast.

Solar Panels From Grass Clippings: Researchers Make Progress on "Biophotovoltaics"

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:57 GMT

It's chore day. You've raked the leaves, taken out the recycling, and emptied out the old junk in your garage. But wait — don't toss it all out! You have all the ingredients for your very own homemade solar system.

Ontario Post Election: Is the Financing Market Ready?

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:36 GMT

On October 6, 2011 the Ontario Liberals were re-elected paving the way for a continuation of the Green Energy Act. Shortly after that several announcements were made indicating that banks would be financing Feed-in Tariff (FIT) projects in Ontario.

Aviation and Military Biofuels: New Thinking on Finance, Fuels

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:00 GMT

While most of the United States was focused on the 2012 Super Bowl, the CSPAN television network snuck a revealing interview from Brian Lamb with Secretary of the Navy, former Mississippi governor (and ambassador to Saudi Arabia) Ray Mabus, onto the airwaves last Sunday night.

Wind Historian Says: Build New Wind Farms Farther From Neighbors

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:00 GMT

NLP Solar Sales Training Live Webinar February 22nd & 23rd

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:01 GMT

BP: Too Big to Fail?

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:00 GMT

BP issued its Energy Outlook for 2030, and the coverage and commentary it generated suggests it's an authoritative voice on medium-term energy trends, and as such will have some influence on policy and investment decisions. Leaving aside that one of the world's major fossil fuel incumbents cannot realistically be an impartial arbiter, there was something to like whether your view leans toward the inevitability of renewable energy or necessity of fossil fuels.

Iowa Considering Feed-in Tariffs

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:00 GMT

Senators in the heartland state of Iowa have introduced a modest feed-in tariff bill into the state legislature. The move is the first serious effort to introduce a system of feed-in tariffs anywhere in the US during the current legislative session.

A Shining Star of Bipartisan Cleantech Support

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:55 GMT

Amid all the negative publicity that Solyndra’s failure has brought to the Administration’s cleantech efforts, one cleantech program has received broad bipartisan support: DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-e). In 2012, ARPA-e will receive $275 million, a 53 percent increase from the prior year with

Assessing the Risks in Solar Project Development

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:28 GMT

Over the next four years, 5.7 GW of utility-scale solar PV projects is expected to be built in the U.S. and another 1.3 GW in Canada for a total of 7 GW. Both amounts represent a significantly larger volume than what has been installed to date and is expected to be the dominating type of solar installation for that period of time. Yet, 7 GW only represent a fraction of the total capacity of large-scale solar PV projects initiated and under development in the same period, illustrating that solar project development still is a high-risk undertaking.

Iowa Considering Feed-in Tariffs

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:00 GMT

BP: Too Big to Fail?

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:00 GMT

Pathways and Challenges to Institutional Development of On-Site Clean Energy

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:00 GMT

Institutions seeking to deploy on-site clean energy solutions are facing a number of challenging questions: How can solutions be deployed under tight budget constraints, with a minimum of upfront cost? What deal and financing structures are available to non-tax paying institutions? Is it best to build and own a system internally, or use

Don't Count Out Solar Water Heating, It's a $123 Billion Dollar Market

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:17 GMT

According to a new SEPA report titled “Heating Up: The Impact of Third Party Business Models on the US Market for Solar Water and Space Heating,” Sixteen percent of the 110 million U.S. households are suitable for solar thermal systems, also referred to as solar domestic hot water systems. The report states that at given