Tax Credit For Energy Efficiency Set To Expire

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--U.S. homeowners have just one month to utilize a soon-to-expire federal tax credit aimed at encouraging home energy efficiency. The tax credit, created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, allows for a tax credit of up to 10 percent of the cost of materials for certain home improvements, including installing ENERGY STAR®-qualified windows, attic insulation or air sealing products. This part of the act, which offers a tax credit of up to $500 per household, was not extended by Congress this year.

While it appears that many homeowners are aware of the federal tax credit, only 23 percent had actually taken advantage of it during 2006, according to a survey conducted earlier this year by Opinion Research Corporation, an independent research firm, on behalf of Johns Manville, the Denver-based building products manufacturer. The survey also found that only 32 percent of homeowners believe that their home is energy efficient, despite the fact that 78 percent of homeowners reported that their 2006 heating and cooling costs had increased.

As consumers scramble to take advantage of the credit before it expires, Johns Manville has created a list of five ways homeowners can reap the most economic benefits from the tax credit while improving the energy efficiency and comfort of their homes.

Top Five Ways to Take Advantage of the Home Energy Efficiency Improvement Tax Credit

#1 – Add attic and/or basement insulation. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that 40 percent of all air leaks in the average home are in the attic, and homeowners can expect to see up to a 30 percent savings on heating and cooling costs with a well-insulated and air-sealed home. Adding insulation is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways for homeowners to take advantage of the tax credit. By purchasing insulation, homeowners can improve their home’s thermal envelope and decrease monthly energy bills for an immediate return on investment. A majority of homes in the U.S. are under-insulated, and most need up to 18 inches of attic insulation to guarantee proper thermal efficiency.

#2 – Install or replace exterior windows and skylights with energy-efficient versions. All ENERGY STAR-qualified windows and skylights are eligible for the tax credit and aid the overall energy efficiency of a home by keeping out extreme temperatures and maintaining the overall comfort of a home. The maximum tax credit benefit for installing windows or skylights is $200.

#3 – Trade in older storm doors and exterior doors for newer, energy-efficient versions. An older or poorly insulated exterior door can significantly contribute to air leakage. By replacing the exterior door or adding a storm door to an existing door, homeowners can better maintain the overall temperature of a home and reduce cold drafts or energy leaking out of the home.

#4 – Replace an old furnace. Homeowners can replace an existing furnace with a replacement gas or oil furnace with an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating of 95 percent or higher. Purchasing an energy-efficient furnace reduces the impact of energy pollution and promotes cleaner air quality while enhancing the comfort of a home.

#5 – Install a solar energy system. While the overall investment is greater, purchasing solar photovoltaic systems or solar water heaters offers a tax credit of 30 percent (up to $2,000) of the cost of materials and carries the greatest tax credit available. Solar energy systems provide homeowners with a low-cost alternative to traditional energy sources by generating energy directly from sun light. Systems must be placed in service between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2007.

The home energy efficiency improvement tax credit was created as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 in response to record high energy prices. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2007, energy prices are expected to steadily increase through 2030.

To redeem the federal energy efficiency home improvement tax credit, homeowners must provide a Manufacturer’s Certification Statement, purchase receipt and use IRS Form 5695. For more information regarding qualifying products, visit JMHomeowner.com or the Alliance to Save Energy Web site.

“Homeowners will receive an immediate and continuous return by improving upon their home’s energy efficiency,” said Scott DeShetler, marketing communications manager for Johns Manville’s Insulation Systems Group. “Insulation provides relief from rising energy costs, and it also adds to a home’s value when it comes time to sell. According to the U.S. Energy Information Institute, adding insulation and air sealing increases a home’s resale value, and 55 percent of Americans are willing to pay more for a home with energy-efficient features.”

Installing insulation in an attic can be an easy, do-it-yourself project for even the most novice weekend warrior. Homeowners can also hire an insulation contractor to complete the project, although installation costs cannot be deducted as part of the energy tax credit. JMHomeowner.com provides a complete list of products and installation tips, as well as a contractor locator to locate a certified contractor in their area.

Homeowners can also utilize a number of tools to assess a home’s overall energy efficiency and identify home-improvement projects to improve the energy-efficiency performance of their home. JMHomeowner.com offers a Home Energy Analysis tool for consumers to evaluate their home’s energy efficiency through a step-by-step evaluation of their home’s specifications and provides the homeowner with a report that includes a series of recommendations to increase energy. ENERGY STAR provides information on performing a “do-it-yourself” energy audit with the Home Energy Yardstick, using basic home information and past utility bills. A professional home energy auditor can also be hired to provide specific recommendations to improve energy efficiency using a variety of evaluation techniques and equipment. For more information on locating a Home Energy Rater, visit the Web site or contact your local electric or gas utility provider.

Solar Key Component For California Capital Energy Needs

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--State and Consumer Services Agency Secretary Rosario Marin and Department of General Services (DGS) Director Will Bush announced today the beginning of construction on a new Central Plant that serves the heating and cooling needs of the State Capitol and 22 other State-owned buildings in downtown Sacramento’s Capitol Area.

In keeping with Governor Schwarzenegger’s 2004 Executive Order that directed the “greening” of State buildings, the new Central Plant will be built to achieve the Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

“Four years ago the Governor challenged us to demonstrate leadership in energy efficiency and environmental responsibility in state buildings,” said Secretary Marin. “This new Central Plant will do just that and help reduce the impact state facilities have on climate change.”

Originally built in 1968 at 625 Q Street, the existing Central Plant produces the steam, chilled water, and control air for more than 5.5 million square feet of State-owned office space serving approximately 20,000 employees. In the nearly 40 years since it was built, the current facility has nearly reached its operating capacity as construction of new State buildings in the Capitol area has increased nearly 24 percent.

The new Central Plant will incorporate the latest technological advances to help the State reduce its energy costs and greatly reduce the amount of water needed within the plant. The new facility will have cooling towers for extracting heat from the buildings, eliminating the need to use well water to extract the heat from the buildings and the need to discharge the same water into the Sacramento River. The plant will also feature a 140 ft. tall, 4.25 million gallon, thermal energy storage tank. With the tank in place, DGS will be able to produce reserves of chilled water during off-peak energy demand times. Overall, the more technologically advanced new Central Plant will use only 1/10th of the water needed by the existing Plant. Solar panels will also be installed on the new facility to power the energy needs of the office space within the plant.

“Each day State workers across downtown Sacramento expect one simple thing – to stay cool when it is hot and warm when it is cold and the new Central Plant will allow DGS to continue to make this happen each day,” said DGS Director Will Bush. “What is even more important is that the new Plant will allow us to do this while saving energy, conserving water, and protecting the environment.”

The new Central Plant is being designed and constructed by the Design/Builder, Skanska USA Building, Inc., with local Sacramento firm, Nacht and Lewis Architects, San Francisco’s Flack and Kurtz, plus Lawson Mechanical and Redwood City Electric and a host of other designers and subcontractors working with the State and its major consultants, Capitol Engineering Consultants, Inc. and Lionakis Beaumont Design Group, and Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. The $181 million project is expected to take 30 months and will include the recycling of much of the demolition material from the old Central Plant.

Online Retailer to Sell Green Products

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Just in time for the holiday shopping season, EVO announced that evo.com is open for business to provide shoppers with the widest selection of green gift items on the web. EVO has prescreened millions of products for their green attributes and only offers products for sale on evo.com that earn an EVO rating of one to five leaves. evo.com features more than 100,000 green products and services from 1,200 retailers in one location to make it easy for holiday shoppers to find great green gifts for everyone on their list, from babies to grandparents to business associates.

“Consumers want safer, healthier products, but don’t have unlimited time to scour the web and become green experts,” explains Dan Siegel, EVO’s founder and CEO. “evo.com provides a direct connection for busy people to easily find the largest selection of high quality green products. For example our toy boutique offers more than 5,000 unique, earth friendly toys from more than 50 vendors. Every toy on evo.com has been prescreened and hand selected to be lead free and nontoxic, so parents can minimize the fears caused by all the recent toy recalls.”

In addition to toys, evo.com features gift baskets, clothing, jewelry, bath and body products, food, home accessories, gadgets, and even eco-travel packages, cars and solar energy products. Retailers offering products and services on evo.com range from specialty brands to large retail giants and include American Apparel, Baby Center, Burt’s Bees, Comet Skateboards, Eileen Fisher, GE, Hanna Anderson, HP, Home Depot, Macy’s, Method, No Sweat Apparel, Nordstrom, Patagonia, REI, Target, Toys “R” Us, Toyota, Under The Canopy, Whole Foods, Victoria’s Secret, Viva Terra, and more than a thousand other sellers.

EVO has partnered with Trees for the Future to plant a tree in the name of everyone who joins the evo.com community, and has pledged to plant at least 100,000 trees this holiday season.

EVO’s founders have a strong commitment to growing the green marketplace and their backgrounds are well suited for this endeavor. Both have extensive experience building large marketplaces made up of groups of disaggregated consumers and businesses. Siegel was a cofounder of Student Advantage, which built a community of two million university students and more than 20,000 businesses that wanted to provide them with products and services. EVO cofounder Mark Eastwood has helped create successful online marketplaces including rent.com, a 40-million subscriber eBay company, and online toy merchant eToys, where he oversaw the development of its highly regarded consumer experience.

GE Solar To Light Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE Energy (NYSE: GE) has supplied 363 roof-mounted solar panels at the top of 45 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City that will help generate electricity for the first solar powered Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The Christmas tree is decorated with 30,000 new energy-efficient LED lights, on five miles of wire, which will help illuminate Rockefeller Center with a cleaner source of holiday power.

The Rockefeller Center solar installation is the largest privately owned solar energy generation station in Manhattan and the GE manufactured panels, installed by Tishman Speyer, through altPOWER, will help reduce the building’s electricity consumption. The panels will create a 70-kilowatt DC generation station that will be tied to the Rockefeller Center grid through ConEdison.

“GE is proud that our technology is a part of the energy conservation initiatives for Rockefeller Center and that we can be a part of this historic tree lighting,” said Victor Abate, vice president – renewables for GE Energy. “Solar energy will play an important role in the future of the global energy market and is an integral part of our renewables portfolio.”

The Christmas tree will be lit at an official ceremony, traditionally viewed live by thousands of spectators, and shown as part of an NBC special to be televised on Wednesday, November 28 between 7-9 p.m. EST.

Solar power is among the renewable energy technologies that play a key role in ecomagination, GE’s corporate-wide initiative to address challenges such as the need for cleaner, more efficient sources of energy, reduced emissions and abundant sources of clean water. Under ecomagination, which was launched in May of 2005, GE will invest $1.5 billion annually in research in cleaner technologies by 2010, up from $700 million in 2004.

Spectators can view the lighted Rockefeller Center Christmas tree each day from November 29, 2007 to January 8, 2008 (5:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m.); all day on Christmas (24 hours); and from 5:30 a.m.-9 p.m. on New Year's Eve. A history of Rockefeller Center Christmas trees, as well as more information about the tree, is available on www.TheTreeNYC.com.

About GE Energy

GE Energy (www.ge.com/energy) is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies, with 2006 revenue of $19 billion. Based in Atlanta, Ga., GE Energy works in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels. Numerous GE Energy products are certified under ecomagination, GE’s corporate-wide initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet pressing environmental challenges.

Google Goes Green In a Big Way

Mountain View, Calif. (November 27, 2007) – Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced a new strategic initiative to develop electricity from renewable energy sources that will be cheaper than electricity produced from coal. The newly created initiative, known as RE

"We have gained expertise in designing and building large-scale, energy-intensive facilities by building efficient data centers," said Larry Page, Google Co-founder and President of Products. "We want to apply the same creativity and innovation to the challenge of generating renewable electricity at globally significant scale, and produce it cheaper than from coal."

Page added, "There has been tremendous work already on renewable energy. Technologies have been developed that can mature into industries capable of providing electricity cheaper than coal. Solar thermal technology, for example, provides a very plausible path to providing renewable energy cheaper than coal. We are also very interested in further developing other technologies that have potential to be cost-competitive and green. We are aware of several promising technologies, and believe there are many more out there."

Page continued, "With talented technologists, great partners and significant investments, we hope to rapidly push forward. Our goal is to produce one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity that is cheaper than coal. We are optimistic this can be done in years, not decades." (One gigawatt can power a city the size of San Francisco.)

"If we meet this goal," said Page, "and large-scale renewable deployments are cheaper than coal, the world will have the option to meet a substantial portion of electricity needs from renewable sources and significantly reduce carbon emissions. We expect this would be a good business for us as well."

Coal is the primary power source for many around the world, supplying 40% of the world's electricity. The greenhouse gases it produces are one of our greatest environmental challenges. Making electricity produced from renewable energy cheaper than coal would be a key part of reducing global greenhouse-gas emissions.

"Cheap renewable energy is not only critical for the environment but also vital for economic development in many places where there is limited affordable energy of any kind," added Sergey Brin, Google Co-founder and President of Technology.

Strategic Investments and Grants

"Lots of groups are doing great work trying to produce inexpensive renewable energy. We want to add something that moves these efforts toward even cheaper technologies a bit more quickly. Usual investment criteria may not deliver the super low-cost, clean, renewable energy soon enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change," said Dr. Larry Brilliant, Executive Director of Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm, "Google.org's hope is that by funding research on promising technologies, investing in promising new companies, and doing a lot of R&D ourselves, we may help spark a green electricity revolution that will deliver breakthrough technologies priced lower than coal."

Working with RE

* eSolar Inc., a Pasadena, CA-based company specializing in solar thermal power which replaces the fuel in a traditional power plant with heat produced from solar energy. eSolar's technology has great potential to produce utility-scale power cheaper than coal. For more information, please visit http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/esolar.pdf.
* Makani Power Inc., an Alameda, CA-based company developing high-altitude wind energy extraction technologies aimed at harnessing the most powerful wind resources. High-altitude wind energy has the potential to satisfy a significant portion of current global electricity needs. For more information on Makani Power, please visit http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/makani.pdf.

Ongoing Commitments

Today's announcement represents just the latest steps in Google's commitment to a clean and green energy future.

Google has been working hard on energy efficiency and making its business environmentally sustainable. Last spring the company announced its intention to be carbon neutral for 2007, and is on track to meet that goal. To this end, the company has taken concrete steps to reduce its carbon footprint and accelerate improvements in green technology, including:

* Developing cutting-edge energy efficiency technology to power and cool its data centers in the U.S. and around the world.
* Generating electricity for its Mountain View campus from a 1.6 Megawatt corporate solar panel installation, one of the largest in the U.S.
* Accelerating development and adoption of plug-in vehicles through the RechargeIT initiative, including a $10 million request for investment proposals (http://www.google.org/recharge/)
* Joining with other industry leaders in 2007 to form the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a consortium that advocates the design and use of more energy-efficient computers and servers (http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/).
* Working on policies that encourage renewable energy development and deployment, such as a U.S. Renewable Energy Standard, through Google.org.

For more information on Google's commitment to a clean energy future, see http://www.google.com/renewable-energy

Nyland Community to Use Sharp Solar Arrays

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sharp, the world’s leading provider of solar electric solutions, is collaborating with Namaste Solar Electric to bring solar power to Colorado’s Nyland neighborhood. Nyland, in Lafayette, Colorado, was built in 1990 as one of the first cohousing communities in the country. Namaste Solar will install 23 Sharp OnEnergy^TM solar systems in the community by the end of 2007 – 22 on homes, and one on the community-owned and operated Wood Shop.

Sharp’s OnEnergy solar electric system blends seamlessly into existing building designs. It uses a simplified, flexible mounting system – available only from Sharp – to make installation faster, easier and more cost-effective.

“The Nyland community’s commitment to solar demonstrates true environmental stewardship that can be emulated by communities across the country," said Ron Kenedi, vice president of Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group. “This commitment to solar is great for the Nyland community, great for the environment, and great for the state of Colorado. By harvesting Colorado’s abundant sunlight and adding solar power to their homes and common buildings, Nyland residents are realizing tremendous savings on their utility bills, while staying true to their values.”

Nyland is a cohousing community of 42 private homes, built by Wonderland Hill Development Company, located in a rural setting six miles outside of Boulder, Colorado with an expansive view of the Rocky Mountains. There are approximately 135 resident members with varied backgrounds, careers, ages and views that share meals, meetings, workshops and miscellaneous events at the common house, a centerpiece of the neighborhood.

“Wonderland Hill is proud that our Nyland homeowners have decided to add clean, reliable solar power,” said Jim Leach, president of Wonderland Hill Development Company. “Making smart use of renewable energy on homes and common structures is yet another way to enhance this successful, sustainable community.”

Namaste Solar Electric is a values-based, employee owned solar electric company dedicated to the betterment of the planet by bringing clean, reliable, and affordable renewable energy technologies to homes, businesses and nonprofits throughout the Front Range. Integrating both holistic and traditional business methods, Namaste Solar is currently the #1 solar electric company in Colorado*. With more than 350 solar electric systems installed since 2005, Namaste Solar’s work will offset more than 4100 tons of CO2.

“We’re thrilled to have deployed solar arrays in this creative neighborhood that has integrated an environmental ethic and sustainable solutions into its design and construction,” said Namaste Solar co-owner Blake Jones. "Nyland is a wonderful cohousing community that effectively works solar into its collective environmental consciousness,” added Stephen Kane, co-owner of Namaste Solar.

Sharp’s Solar Energy Solutions Group, based in Huntington Beach, California, is a unit of Sharp Electronics Corporation, the U.S. subsidiary of Sharp Corporation, Osaka, Japan. Sharp is the world market leader in solar cell production, and offers both standard and integrated roof modules for home applications. Sharp also is the U.S. market leader and maintains solar panel assembly operations at its manufacturing facility in Memphis, Tennessee. The solar manufacturing facility assembles a variety of panels for residential and commercial installations.

Cox Utilizing Solar to Conserve

ROSEVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Solar Power, Inc. (“SPI”) (OTCBB:SOPW) has completed work on the installation of a photovoltaic (“PV”) system to help power Cox Enterprises, Inc.’s 336,000 square foot facility which serves as an operations and communications hub for the company’s cable telecommunications division, Cox Communications. The facility is located in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. While the 100 kilowatt (“kW”) system will provide only a fraction of the facility’s total annual electricity requirements, it represents an important element of the company’s green energy initiative, Cox Conserves. “Cox Enterprises has a companywide initiative in place to further reduce our company’s carbon footprint, or greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by the year 2017,” said Steven Bradley, senior manager of engineering alternate energy & business continuity with Cox Enterprises. “We hope the technology will serve as an ongoing example to our employees and the communities we serve of the benefits a photovoltaic solar system can deliver. Live feeds from the photovoltaic system in Rancho Santa Margarita will connect directly to our Heritage Center museum at our Atlanta headquarters. The feeds will be part of Cox Conserves multimedia exhibit and will feature a real-time report of energy generated as well as the cumulative reduction of traditional energy the system produces over time.”

“As advocates for and providers of turnkey solutions utilizing renewable photovoltaic solar energy, we are excited to be able to work with the Cox team as they continue with this very important initiative,” said Steve Kircher, CEO of Solar Power, Inc. “Cox Enterprises has been a leader and innovator in a variety of fields for many years. Their Cox Conserves initiative is another example of their leadership in an important area that many companies are just beginning to take notice of.”

The 100.8 kW system is Cox Enterprises’ first commercial-grade photovoltaic installation and features approximately five hundred seventy six 175-watt roof-mounted panels and a highly efficient 125-kilowatt inverter. “We worked closely with the Cox team to ensure a seamless integration of the system without any interruption in operations at the facility. We were able to accomplish this and also completed the project on time and on budget,” said Kircher. “We look forward to working with the Cox team again as they continue the advancement of their Cox Conserves program throughout all of their areas of operation across the country.” The Cox Conserves initiative calls for 10% of companywide electric energy to come from renewable energy forms, of which photovoltaic solar energy will be an important component. The Rancho Santa Margarita photovoltaic system was completed on November 14, 2007.

Envision Solar Acquires Generating Assets LLC

LA JOLLA, Calif., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Envision Solar International Corporation, the leading provider of solar integrated building systems and designs, today announced the acquisition of Generating Assets LLC (GA), a San Francisco-based solar development company, and the appointment of Karen Morgan as president.
With additional operations in Darien, Connecticut, San Francisco and Seattle, Envision Solar, which specializes in the turnkey design and installation of solar shade structures for parking lots, has expanded its service offerings and capabilities to include a financial solutions group,
GreenShade Network(TM). Envision Solar and the GreenShade Network will leverage the breadth of financial experience to enhance and accelerate partner financing and project execution.
"The Generating Assets acquisition, with Karen Morgan coming onboard as president, represents a major advancement in Envision Solar's international expansion plan and our ability to offer the full range of services in solar development projects," said Robert Noble, Envision Solar's founder and CEO. "We're meeting the challenge to get more solar out there."
Founded by Karen Morgan in August 2006, GA targets projects under one megawatt in size throughout California and brings $30M in power purchase agreements and pending projects to Envision Solar. Envision Solar will serve as prime contractor on all GA projects already underway. The company is staffed by LEED accredited architects, has its contractor's license and truly mitigates the challenges of integrating solar systems into corporate clients' renewable energy portfolios. Two former members of the GA team, Todd Grenich joins as vice president, finance and Kent Colwell, former tax equity executive with Transamerica, joins Envision Solar's advisory board as senior advisor, tax equity.
"Our GreenShade Network represents the intersection of transportation, renewable energy and the concept of shade. Drivers have long recognized the value that shade provides, and now we have created unique financial models around this amenity and solar power. We see a bright future in this space and Envision Solar is prepared to lead the movement," said Morgan.
"Bringing GA and Envision Solar together to execute our GreenShade Network projects provides a powerful platform for deploying more projects, and ultimately ensuring a significantly reduced cost per watt of clean energy."

Candian Solar Inks Deal With China Sunergy

JIANGSU, China, Nov. 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Canadian Solar Inc. ("the Company'', or ''CSI'') (Nasdaq: CSIQ) today announced that it had entered into various purchase agreements (the ''Agreements'') last week with China Sunergy Co., Ltd. (''China Sunergy''). The Agreements with China Sunergy are for a total volume of 25MW of solar cells for 2008. Under the Agreements, China Sunergy will supply approximately 12MW and 13MW of solar cells to Canadian Solar in the first and second half of the year respectively. The Agreements will be denominated in both Chinese Yuan and US dollars, with approximately 24% of the volume being based on fixed pricing terms and the remainder being determined on a quarterly basis. Commenting on the Agreements, Dr. Shawn Qu, CEO of Canadian Solar, said: "We are pleased to have added China Sunergy to our list of partners, thus continuing to demonstrate the ability of CSI to establish win-win relationships with companies in the solar value chain. This announcement provides further visibility to the supply contracts we already had in place
in support of our 2008 business plan. We look forward to working closely with China Sunergy as a part of our long-term supply chain strategy, which includes continued direct purchasing from a selected number of long-term strategic cell suppliers in addition to our internal solar cell
production." Commenting further, Allen Wang, CEO of China Sunergy, added: "Following on from this and the recent agreement with aleo solar of Germany, I am very pleased with our ability to expand sales both domestically and abroad. This latest agreement signifies a substantial development in our relationship with Canadian Solar, one of the leading China-based module manufacturing companies, and is a positive example of how we are developing our high quality global customer base while further enhancing our brand recognition within the industry."

About Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq: CSIQ)

Founded in 2001, Canadian Solar Inc. (CSI) is a vertically integrated manufacturer of solar cell, solar module and customer-designed solar application products serving worldwide customers. CSI is incorporated in Canada and conducts all of its manufacturing operations in China. Backed by years of experience and knowledge in the solar power market and the silicon industry, CSI has become a major global provider of solar power products for a wide range of applications. For more information, please visit www.csisolar.com .

Trina Release Q3 Results

CHANGZHOU, China, Nov. 21 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Trina Solar Limited (NYSE: TSL) ("Trina Solar", "we", or the "Company"), a leading integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic products from the production of ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of PV modules, founded in 1997, today announced its financial results for the third quarter of 2007.

Third Quarter 2007 Highlights

-- Total net revenues increased 9.7% sequentially and 155.2% year-over-year to $82.6 million

-- Gross profit increased 16.7% sequentially and 95.4% year-over-year to $16.6 million

-- Net income increased 0.5% sequentially and 86.8% year-over-year to $7.2 million

-- Solar module shipments increased 4.0% to 21.15 MW from 20.33 MW in the second quarter of 2007 and 164.0% from 8.01 MW in the third quarter of 2006

"We are pleased with our results during the third quarter of 2007. As we prepared for capacity increases to come on line during the fourth quarter, we benefited from higher average sales price ("ASP") while further demonstrating our strong sales and marketing capabilities in both existing and new markets. In addition, during the quarter we commenced in-house test
production of both multicrystalline ingots and wafers, and we fully reduced our monocrystalline wafer production thickness from 220 to 200 microns thickness in line with our stated goals to expand capacity while reducing costs as a vertically integrated solar PV manufacturer," said Mr. JifanGao, Trina Solar's Chairman and CEO.

Trina Solar's net revenues in the third quarter of 2007 were $82.6 million, an increase of 9.7% sequentially and 155.2% year-over-year. Total shipments increased to 21.15 MW, up from 20.33 MW in the second quarter of 2007 and 8.01 MW in the third quarter of 2006. The average sales price ("ASP") was $3.75 in the third quarter of 2007, compared to $3.70 in the
second quarter of 2007, and $4.04 in the third quarter of 2006. Sales to customers in Germany accounted for 44% of total revenues in the third quarter of 2007, with Spain and Italy accounting for 37% and 15%, respectively, of total revenues.

Next Generation Traffic Signs Go Solar

HUNTSVILLE, AL--(Marketwire - November 19, 2007) - In the largest city in northern Alabama, traffic engineers are hard at work to protect the safety of city residents. The city's traffic calming program is a dynamic one; constantly expanding to meet the challenges of keeping local streets safe.

Traffic Logix speed cushions have been installed on residential roads in all five council districts to slow cars and keep pedestrians and motorists safe. However, the city has begun to recognize the need for an additional traffic calming technique to slow cars on larger collector roads. On these streets, which have two lanes in each direction and daily volume in excess of 2,500, physical measures such as cushions did not seem the right response.

When Traffic Logix recently introduced their next generation radar speed signs, Huntsville decided to try this solution to slow cars. The city installed one of the company's next generation radar speed signs on a local road where residents have been complaining of excessive speeding. The street is a minor collector residential feeder with a speed limit of 30 mph. It experiences a traffic volume of around 7,500 vehicles per day.

The goal of the Huntsville engineers was to use the interactive sign to alert drivers of their speed in order to slow them down. For the first week that the sign was up, the city kept the sign turned off while the data collection feature was left on. In this way, traffic data was collected for use as a comparison once the sign was enabled.

Once the sign was powered on, data was collected after one week and again three weeks later. The first time data was downloaded, the 85th percentile dropped from 37 mph to 33.5 mph. The average speed, factoring in both excessive speeders and the slowest vehicles, was brought down from around 33 mph to below the posted speed limit of 30. The second time that the city downloaded data, the speeds dropped even further.

The city is pleased with the excellent performance of the radar speed sign.

Andy Dinges, Huntsville's Traffic Engineer III, commented that in addition to the city being happy with the superior performance of the sign, residents have responded positively as well. The city has received excellent feedback, including several emails expressing gratitude for the city's dedication to keeping the street safe. As one resident commented, "Knowing that the radar sign is there makes us feel safer walking up and down the street."

Mr. Dinges noted that in addition to the sign's successful performance, the city was pleased with the user friendliness of the sign as well. "All I had to do was hook up a couple wires to connect the solar panel and it fired right up. The sign is really quite easy to use." The city purchased the sign with the optional solar panel.

Huntsville plans to purchase several more of the Traffic Logix signs to calm traffic on local collector roads.

To learn more about Traffic Logix radar speed signs, or their other traffic calming solutions, visit them online at www.trafficlogix.com.

Open Energy Inks Distribution Deal With Petersen-Dean Roofing

SOLANA BEACH, CA--(Marketwire - November 20, 2007) - Open Energy Corp. (OTCBB: OEGY) is pleased to announce that effective November 16, 2007 Open Energy signed a distribution agreement with Tri-Valley Wholesale and Petersen-Dean Roofing Systems, one of the largest residential and commercial roofing contractors in the US, to supply SolarSave® PV Tiles on new homes across the country. The agreement includes a minimum commitment to purchase Open Energy's SolarSave® products, including tiles and balance of system equipment. Petersen-Dean Roofing joins Eagle Roofing as Open Energy Corporation's exclusive channel partners for its building-integrated SolarSave® PV Tile products.

Open Energy President and COO David Field said, "This contract with Petersen-Dean is a validation of our superior BIPV products, and our go to market strategy of utilizing building industry professionals as our sales, installation and service channel partners. Petersen-Dean is one of the premier roofing contractors in the country, and we are honored to be working with them to bring safe, secure, renewable energy to homeowners across the country."

Jim Petersen, CEO of Petersen-Dean, added, "After careful research into the market, we believe that solar electric systems can significantly reduce the energy costs and increase the property values of our clients. We believe that SolarSave® Tiles integrated with standard cement tiles provide an elegant and functional solution for incorporating solar systems into tile roofed homes. We are committed to this business and believe that with Open Energy's involvement we are positioned for tremendous growth and success."

Open Energy will support Petersen-Dean's efforts with installation and service training, system design and engineering, solar rebate processing, and promotional materials. Open Energy Corporation's supply arrangements with Suntech Power of China will help ensure that Petersen-Dean's volume requirements will be met.

About Open Energy Corporation

Open Energy Corporation is a renewable energy company focused on the development and commercialization of a portfolio of solar technologies capable of delivering cost-competitive power and related commodities on a global basis. Open Energy offers "award-winning," high efficiency building-integrated photovoltaic (PV) roofing materials for residential and commercial customers. Marketed under the trade name SolarSave™, the product line includes roofing tiles, membranes, and custom architectural PV glass, and balance of systems equipment. The Company's Vision is to utilize both current and advanced PV technologies, to develop and supply these products exclusively to the building and roofing channels. For more information on Open Energy Corporation, please visit www.openenergycorp.com.

About Petersen-Dean Roofing Systems

Petersen-Dean, based in northern California, has operations from California to Texas and in Florida. Founded more than 20 years ago, Petersen-Dean serves new home builders, existing home owners, commercial contractors and property owners, and public projects.

Candian Government To Back Clean Solar Initiative

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Nov. 19, 2007) - The Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, today announced $1.1 million for demonstration projects promoting photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal power technologies for commercial and residential use. PV technology converts sunlight directly to electricity. Solar thermal technology uses the sun's energy to heat air for space heating.

"These hybrid demonstration projects will turn the exteriors and roofs of homes and businesses into clean-energy systems." said Minister Lunn. "This initiative is another example that our Government is getting the job done to protect the health of Canadians and our environment."

The four demonstration projects are in Ontario and Quebec. In addition to support from the Government of Canada, the initiative is being led by the Solar Buildings Research Network (SBRN) out of Concordia University, which brings together two dozen researchers from academia, governments and industry.

SBRN project partners include: Day4Energy Inc., Conserval Engineering Inc., Sustainable Energy Technologies Ltd., Sevag Pogharian Design, Les Maisons Alouette Homes, Regulvar Inc., Hydro-Quebec, l'Agence de l'efficacite energetique du Quebec and the City of Toronto.

Renewable energy technologies for generating electricity and heating and cooling are becoming more popular in Canada. Through its ecoENERGY Renewable program, the Government of Canada is investing more than $1.5 billion in two initiatives - ecoENERGY for Renewable Power and ecoENERGY for Renewable Heat - to make clean, low-impact renewable energy less expensive and more available to Canadians.

FOR BROADCAST USE:

Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn has announced $1.1 million in funding for a series of demonstration projects that will use the sun's energy to directly power and heat homes and businesses. The hybrid solar demonstration projects will turn the exteriors and roofs of buildings into clean-energy systems.

NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.nrcan.gc.ca/media.

DENVER -- Xcel Energy said its carbon dioxide emissions will decrease 10 percent by 2017, partly through a combination of renewable energy sources and replacing older coal-fired power plants with natural gas plants.

The company on Thursday announced it will add 800 megawatts of wind power on top of the 1,100 megawatts expected to be installed by the end of this year, boosting the total to 1,900 megawatts by 2015.

Xcel Energy also plans to add 254 megawatts of solar power by 2015, according to its Colorado Resource Plan, filed with state regulators every four years.

And the plan calls for reducing energy consumption by 694 megawatts through improving efficiency and programs encouraging conservation by customers.

Xcel Energy's last resource plan, developed in 2003, estimated its carbon dioxide emissions would increase by 20 percent by 2020. The utility's new plan, which will meet increased demand and replace other generating contracts as they expire, will remove about 6 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

"I think it's a major step forward for the state, a major step forward for all of us trying to do the right things for the environment," CEO Richard Kelly said in a conference call with The Associated Press.

Kelly said Xcel Energy will refile its plan in 2009 with the goal of finding a way to reduce emissions by 20 percent by 2020...read more about Xcel Energy reducing carbon emission with solar power

PG&E Asura Team To Build Thermal Solar Plant

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—Nov. 5, 2007—Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced that it has entered into a 177 megawatt solar thermal power purchasing agreement with Ausra Inc. The project, to be located in central California, is being developed by Ausra.

"Today's agreement between PG&E and Ausra highlights how clean energy will create jobs in California while delivering a reliable source of renewable energy," said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. "I'm pleased to see California companies rising to the challenge of AB 32, California's historic initiative to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. Clearly, California continues to lead the nation in clean energy research, development and generation."

The plant, to be located in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., is expected to begin generating power in 2010. Ausra has filed its Application for Certification for this plant with the California Energy Commission, which must grant approval before construction begins.

"Solar thermal technology provides our customers with a reliable source of clean renewable energy that is ideally suited to meet peak energy loads," said Fong Wan, vice president of energy procurement, PG&E. "By partnering with Ausra, we are taking another significant step in providing our customers with some of the cleanest energy in the nation."

Ausra projects that the power plant will create over 350 skilled jobs on-site during construction, and an additional 100 permanent jobs in the area. The plant will burn no fuel, use minimal water, and have no air or water emissions. At 177 megawatts of capacity, the project will use only one square mile (640 acres) of land due to the exceptional area efficiency of Ausra's collector technology.

"This 177-megawatt plant is the first manifestation of Ausra and PG&E's shared vision of competitively priced, large-scale solar electric power," said Glen Davis, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Ausra. "We're excited to be partnering with PG&E to deliver clean power at hours of peak demand."

Ausra's new Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar technology utilizes the heat from the sun's rays to create steam. Solar collectors boil water at high temperatures to power steam turbine generators, in much the same way as traditional fossil-fuel power plants, but without use of fuels or emissions.

At the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in September, PG&E and Ausra announced separate commitments to build and purchase 1,000 MW of solar thermal power over the next five years.

The agreement filed today with the California Public Utilities Commission is the latest example of PG&E's commitment to solar thermal technology. PG&E currently has 553 MW of solar thermal power under contract and is seeking regulatory approval of these purchasing agreements.

PG&E's solar thermal commitments are part of the company's broader renewable energy portfolio. PG&E currently supplies 12 percent of its energy from qualifying renewable sources under California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program. PG&E continues to aggressively add renewable electric power resources to its supply and is on target to exceed 20 percent under contract or delivered by 2010. On average, more than 50 percent of the energy PG&E delivers to its customers comes from generating sources that emit no carbon dioxide, providing among the cleanest energy in the nation.

California's RPS Program requires each utility to increase its procurement of eligible renewable generating resources by one percent of load per year to achieve a 20 percent renewables goal by 2010. The RPS Program was passed by the Legislature and is managed by California's Public Utilities Commission and Energy Commission.

About Ausra
Ausra Inc. develops and deploys utility-scale solar thermal power technology to serve global electricity needs in a dependable, market-competitive, environmentally responsible manner. Located in Palo Alto, Calif., Ausra is a privately held company funded by Khosla Ventures and Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. To learn more about Ausra and solar thermal electric power, visit www.ausra.com.

For more information about Pacific Gas and Electric Company, please visit the company's website at www.pge.com.

Solar Concentrator Boosts Efficiency Dramatically

At the Negev desert in Israel is located the National Centre for Solar Energy, the site where a new promising technology in solar power generation has been developed.

Israel-Times.com entrepreneur idea project start-up innovation Because Israel is typically a sunny nation, its scientists have established the development of new solar panel that magnifies the sunlight passing through. The researchers claim that the new solar power development would significantly reduce the usual high cost associated with solar power generation.

The new panel has a simple reflector that is made up of several mirrors to intensify the sunlight collected. The light collected could intensify for over a thousand times. As a matter of fact, that intensified light could even burn up a person. It is that hot...read more about Solar Concentrators