Daunted by High up Front Costs, U.S. Homeowners Continue to Shy Away From Solar Power Systems

It seems like the ultimate in green technology for an emissions savvy citizen of the 21st century: solar panels on your roof, providing carbon dioxide free electricity whenever the sun is shining. But as huge utility scale solar and wind projects continue to make news and the economy continues to struggle, the state of the residential solar sector in the United States remains decidedly mixed.

From the first quarter of 2010 to the fourth quarter, installations of U.S. residential solar systems rose from 62 megawatts to 74 megawatts (enough to power about 15,000 homes), and the Solar Energy Industries Association reports that the first quarter of 2011 saw similar gains over the same period in 2010. Considering that the total installed solar capacity in the U.S., residential, commercial, and industrial scale of all types included, still hasn’t cracked 3,000 megawatts (enough to power roughly 600,000 homes), this feels like progress.

Yet if you look at residential solar’s share of the total U.S. solar market, the picture is less bright. In 2009, 36 percent of all installed solar systems were on homes; this dropped to 30 percent in 2010, and some experts think that Prices of solar panels are steadily coming down, but are still not low enough to prompt a mass movement to solar, will continue to fall.

“The way the U.S. solar market is really headed is toward utility projects,” said MJ Shiao, a solar markets analyst with Greentech Media Research. He noted that the growth from the first quarter of 2010 to 2011 was about 14 percent in the residential market, compared with an impressive 119 percent for non residential sectors. Just last week, the U.S. Interior Department approved First Solar’s 4,100 acre solar project in the California desert, which is expected to generate enough electricity to power 165,000 homes......Read the entire article.

New Mini Electric Car From Toyota to Come Next Year

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. confirmed that its annual national dealer meeting took place here today. The private meeting was attended by representatives from Toyota’s 1,233 U.S. dealers. 


Speakers included Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) President Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (TMA) President and COO Yoshi Inaba, TMS President and COO Jim Lentz, TMS Senior Vice President, Automotive Operations Don Esmond, Toyota Division Group Vice President and General Manager Bob Carter and Vice President-Scion Jack Hollis.

Mr. Toyoda acknowledged the tremendous disaster that struck Japan on March 11, 2011 and thanked dealers for their extraordinary support and donations. Together, Toyota dealers and friends have contributed $11.5 million to Japan disaster relief.

Mr. Toyoda emphasized his focus on product and the company’s core philosophies that will make Toyota better than ever. Other themes from his speech included:

The all-new 2012 Camry and Camry Hybrid. Designed to meet the changing needs of the 21st Century driver, the new Camry will provide technologically advanced features, a contemporary design inside and out, improved performance and refined ride and handling.

Future vision of mobility. New technology offerings like the all new RAV4 EV and telematics advancements stemming from the Microsoft alliance will help make Toyota’s vehicles even better.

Greater regional autonomy. Calling it his “most important goal,” Mr. Toyoda stated he will empower those with local knowledge to make their own decisions.

Looking forward, Mr. Toyoda said the company is more committed and more passionate than ever about being a leader in the automotive industry, adding, “We must earn it with our actions and with our words, with great products and great service and with genuine affection for our customers and our communities.”

Source: EcoGeek

Green Jobs Gaining Traction in California

More than 500,000 people are employed in "green jobs" in California and that number is expected to ramp up in the coming years, according to a report released last week.

The Environment California Research & Policy Center report, "Building a Clean Energy Workforce: Preparing Californians for New Opportunities in the State's Green Economy," additionally documents nearly 300 green job training programs at more than 130 institutions throughout the state.

Those programs have as many as 15,000 students enrolled annually, the report said. Bernadette Del Chiaro, the center's director of clean energy programs, said green jobs are giving the economy a boost. "Thousands of Californians are seeking refuge from the recession via the growing green energy economy," she said. "Job training programs are a critical engine for developing the work force needed to achieve the state's environmental goals."

That may be true. But some, including economist Christopher Thornberg, figure there's some wiggle room in defining exactly what a "green" job is.

What is a green job?

"Who the hell knows what they classify as a green job?" Thornberg said. "That's what it boils down to. There are very few jobs you could say are truly green - maybe a solar panel installer ... but who else?" The report says that the skills required of a worker in a green job often overlap with those needed for more traditional occupations.

Many workers can transfer their existing skills to a new green job, the study said, if they receive specialized training to fully take advantage of opportunities.
Electricians, for example, must perform many of the same steps when working in an efficient building as in a conventional one. But they must.....Read the entire article.


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