It’s our birthday.  Vote Solar is turning 10. That’s right–ten years of hard work, big wins, small victories, heartbreaks, come-backs, and interminable regulatory proceedings, all in the name of U.S. solar power policy progress. And we’re celebrating that decade of solar advocacy with our biggest Equinox party yet.

Equinox – Vote Solar’s Annual Celebration & Fundraiser
Where: The Fillmore, San Francisco’s historic music venue
When: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 – 6:30-11 PM » Read the rest of this entry «

For weeks now we’ve seen the Solyndra bankruptcy being used as a political punching bag. Now the overblown hype around one solar company is putting real industry growth and viable projects at risk. Enough is enough.

Last last week, SolarCity was informed that the DOE would not be able to move forward on its conditional loan guarantee for Project SolarStrong – a shining example of American military leadership on clean energy. The project sought to install solar panels on 160,000 military housing units across as many as 124 bases and 33 states, making it the country’s largest residential solar project by a long shot. In addition to generating secure homegrown power, SolarStrong would create sorely needed jobs in military communities across the country. The project is about as low-risk as it gets. It combines proven technology, a trusted solar developer, and strong private capital to deliver reliable returns to a highly credit-worthy customer. And yet SolarStrong has become a collateral damage in the DC political game. (See SolarCity’s appeal to Congress here). The military isn’t backing down from its support for renewables, and neither should federal or state policymakers. » Read the rest of this entry «

Looking to build a more sustainable, secure and prosperous energy future for California, Governor Jerry Brown has called for the development of 12,000 MW of distributed renewables like rooftop solar. To put that impressive goal in perspective, it’s more than twelve times the amount of solar that’s been deployed to date under the state’s popular CSI program. Achieving the Governor’s vision requires participation and collaboration from utilities, industry, consumers, regulators and local government alike – no small feat. Addressing those challenges is the focus of a two-day conference taking place at UCLA. Our own Adam Browning will be adding his insights in tomorrow’s financing design discussion – but today’s agenda kicked off with introductory remarks from the Governor and a panel of industry representatives. » Read the rest of this entry «