Quick Updates

Solar Updates

Great long weekend, and we’re going to be having an interesting week.  More on that later, I assure you.

The announcement I mentioned on Friday is still on track, but I want to have everything sorted before saying anything, so it’ll be a little later this week, Thursday probably.  It’s pretty cool though.  For now I wanted to comment on a couple of goings on in the solar industry:

• Solar Power Conf & Expo 2008 changes name to Solar Power International 2008.  It’s still the same conference, we’re still going to be exhibitors there, and we’re still sponsoring the event, it’s just changed names.  On that note, our exhibit will be the first completely public look at our panels, and we’ll have live data from the demonstration facility available via the web.
• Partisan politics (the GOP really) are still blocking the Renewable Energy Tax Credit renewal, and it’s looking worse and worse.  (The Renewable Energy Tax Credit is usually referred to as the ITC, and I’ve blogged about it’s importance to the US Solar Energy Market.)  It looks like the ITC is getting dragged into the off-shore oil drilling debate in the presidential election.  Sigh.  Also, it looks like a 4 year renewal, not the 8 years the industry really needs.  Stupid stupid stupid.
• A great analysis of Obama’s speech on Energy over at Earth2Tech (video embedded at the bottom of this post).  My favourite quote from the speech:

We simply cannot pretend, as Senator McCain does, that we can drill our way out of this problem. We need a much bolder and much bigger set of solutions. We have to make a serious, nationwide commitment to developing new sources of energy and we have to do it right away.

Sadly, he also says:

Now, increased domestic oil exploration certainly has its place as we make our economy more fuel-efficient and transition to other, renewable, American-made sources of energy.

At least he pledges to extend the ITC.

• On another note entirely, Cyrium Technologies here in Ontario just announced $15 Million in funding.  We know these guys and are very interested in the triple junction cells they’re designing, so good for them.
• Finally, on a lighter note, since I just got an iPhone, I thought I would point people to this Solar Powered iPhone Case.  I want one (and the reviews are surprisingly positive).

Obama On Energy