As a distributed power resource, solar energy is not just changing the way Americans see their relationship to electric utilities. It’s also making our armed forces more mobile and less dependent on traditional sources of energy, which means less hauling gas around in convoys, which means making our troops safer in battle zones.

Powering modern warfare is an aspect of defense funding that not many Americans think about on a daily basis. How do you keep communications equipment and tactical devices running in the field? How do you deal with transporting batteries, generators, and enough fuel to run an entire mission off base? A recent article by Brian Robinson in Defense Systems highlights a new technology that will give Marines stationed in war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq a whole new way to keep powered up on the move.

The Ground Renewable Expeditionary Energy System (Greens) uses arrays of solar panels and rechargeable batteries to provide an average continuous output of 300 watts, enough to power most of the essential communications and targeting electronics that Marine forces would need in remote locations. It can provide as much as 1,000 watts of power.

While Marines will benefit from this new solar technology, the Navy is actually developing it. The Navy signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Agriculture last month to start working on renewable energy and biofuels technology. Strategically, U.S. armed forces would like to be as independent as possible, for obvious reasons; and by 2020, “at least 40 percent of the Navy’s total energy consumption should be from alternative sources”, said Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.

Isn’t a kit of solar panels and batteries just as awkward logistically to move around as generators? No, says the Office of Naval Research. And not all of a GREENS kit needs to go on each mission. “The GREENS toolkit feature allows Marines to enter their expected mission profile and determine which components of the GREENS system they will need to take with them. GREENS can be rapidly deployed and is HMMWV transportable.”

No new technology is perfect. Solar cells are less efficient at high temperatures, and GREENS can only produce about 85 percent of its 300 continuous watts at temperatures higher than 116 Fahrenheit. However, over the next two years, the Navy hopes to have the system operating at 100 percent capacity under any conditions. As in many other arenas of technology–communications, most notably–military and defense R&D may actually drive advances in the field at large. Improving efficiency is one half of the solar industry’s two main goals right now; the other is driving down cost.

Ironically, incorporating solar energy into distributed troops’ technology is a major cost saver for the military. As Robinson reports,

Transporting fuel in Afghanistan and Iraq along some of the riskier routes can raise fuel costs from a regular price of $1 per gallon to about $400, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway told a recent Navy energy forum. If an airlift is necessary, the price can reach $1,000.

Renewable energy in the military isn’t just showing up in products for deployed forces, either. Just to name a few other projects: a Marine Corps base in Georgia is working on a 2 MW power waste-to-energy power plant; the largest Marine base in the country, California’s 29 Palms, has had a 1,291 kw solar panel array providing power since 2003 (a BP Solar installation); the Miramar, CA Marine Air Station will be using solar carports by this spring; and just days ago, the Department of Defense awarded a total of $100,000,000 in PPA-funded renewable energy contracts (including solar).

Here’s your daily dose of solar energy news and related info to wrap up the week…

New York is on the verge of revising its net-metering laws%

A bill that could have seriously damaged Arizona’s solar industry has been pulled from the legislature, says House Spokesman Paul Boyer. Rep. Debbie Lesko (R) is going to withdraw the bill that would have hit solar with a double whammy: first, by removing the Corporation Commission’s ability to set renewable portfolio standards for state electric utilities; and second, by including nuclear and hydroelectric power as renewable energies.

Several high-profile solar energy companies have been vocal about their opposition to the bill over the last couple of weeks. Most notably, the solar panel manufacturer Suntech (NYSE: STP) said it would relocate its planned facility in Goodyear if the bill went through.

So solar shines on in the Grand Canyon State! But if you’re an SRP customer, remember to get quotes on your home solar installation ASAP so that you can submit your rebate application before the end of April, when the utility’s solar rebate will decrease from its currently generous $2.70/watt.

A new bill in the Golden State could soon give home- and business-owners access to a statewide loan program that would help them finance solar installations and other renewable energy projects. The bill, SBX8 26, would create a program to standardize Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs across California and authorize a $50 million PACE fund to be used as “credit enhancements for qualified PACE financing programs to further lower financing costs.”

The long and short of it is, bill SBX8 26 has the potential to make solar adoption more financially viable for Californians—and not just those living in select cities or municipalities—by giving residential and commercial property owners the option to partially finance their energy retrofits through bonds or loans from their local government. These loans could then be repaid over time via reassessments in the borrower’s property tax bill. For more on the (rather popular) PACE model, Adam has a terrific run-down of San Francisco’s newly-unveiled PACE program here, with the nitty-gritty boiled down to a few key points.

Seeing as the bill passed unanimously (32-0!) hot off the California Senate floor yesterday morning, its chances of moving through the Assembly are good, though any number of obstacles could present themselves before the bill becomes law. Still, the bill’s main angle—job creation—is a flag Democrats and Republicans alike can wave, and the bill’s sponsor, Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), appears upbeat.

From the press release:

“We can all agree on energy efficiency and jobs. This bill will bring down the cost of energy efficiency loans and help spur job creation. It benefits workers, consumers, businesses and the environment.” said [Pavley] after the unanimous bipartisan vote. “It’s important to show the people of California that when it comes to pressing issues for California families, Democrats and Republicans can work together in Sacramento.”

Jump-starting the economy, lowering unemployment and facilitating solar adoption? Sounds like a bill we can get behind.

At a shipyard in Germany today, PlanetSolar unveiled the world’s largest solar powered boat: a 30-meter long catamaran that will be powered exclusively by about 38,000 SunPower monocrystalline solar cells. Two sailors will circle the globe in a trip beginning early in 2011–this will be the first circumnavigation to be completed in an entirely solar-powered vessel of any kind. The catamaran will be launched for initial testing as early as next month. This will be the first solar powered ship to cross the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and maintaining an average speed of 8 knots (nautical mph) will make it the fastest solar ship to cross the Atlantic as well.

Artist's Rendering of the Solar Powered Catamaran

You’ll be able to admire the solar ship in person at its two U.S. stops, New York and San Francisco. PlanetSolar is committed to solar education and a lower-carbon way of doing business, to boot: the company’s website is hosted on a server powered by a solar installation, employees ride electric bikes instead of cars when taking short jaunts, the offices are in a partially solar-powered building, and they’ve been keeping track of the carbon impact of their project with the nonprofit MyClimate.

Sailing as close as possible to the equator in order to take advantage of the most hours of sunlight, the solar powered catamaran will be at sea for a projected 140 days as it travels nearly 25,000 miles. PlanetSolar CEO Raphael Domjan says, “We are excited that the solar-powered boat is now a reality…we look forward to our around-the-world trip, and are confident that SunPower’s proven technology will get us there.”

Currently, this is how PlanetSolar expects the route to look, though sea conditions may incur changes to the plan:

SunPower solar cells will power PlanetSolar's solar ship around the world

The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company Bloom Energy on Wednesday revealed its much-hyped fuel-cell technology, reports the Los Angeles Times. Dubbed the “Bloom Box,” the new device combines oxygen from the air with a fuel — either conventional or renewable — to generate electricity. The company already has a number of prominent customers, including FedEx, Staples, Walmart and Ebay. At $700,000-$800,000 a piece, the commercial boxes are well beyond the price range for homeowners. But, depending on how quickly the company can ramp up production and drive down costs, the Bloom Box may turn out to be the next big thing in distributed generation. A lot will also depend, explains Jesse Jenkins for Forbes’ “The Energy Source,” on: the price of fuel inputs; the durability of the fuel cells; and the technology’s ability to deliver meaningful, cost-effective emissions reductions. For a layman’s look at how the technology works, check out this overview from CSMonitor.

Pending state approval for tax incentives, Dow Chemical is set to launch a new project to make lithium-ion batteries and solar shingles, reports Detroit Free Press. The projects are expected to create 2,500 new jobs in Michigan, many in Saginaw County.

Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE), a Chinese manufacturer of solar panels, said it wants to build a manufacturing plant in Austin, Texas, according to the Statesman Business Blog. The $20.7 million proposal could create more than 300 jobs. To draw the investment in, the City of Austin is offering Yingli an 80-percent tax break on the plant and equipment.

GT Solar International Inc. announced that it signed more than $200 million in new contracts, reports Mass High Tech Business News. The New Hampshire-based company develops technology and equipment used in the manufacture of solar wafers, cells and modules.

First Solar Chairman Michael Ahearn recently sold about 40 percent of his stake in the company for $142 million, via BusinessWeek. According to a filing on Wednesday, Ahearn sold 1.3 million shares — “a clear signal that he sees headwinds,” said Gordon L. Johnson, head of alternative energy research at Hapoalim Securities USA Inc. in New York. “This should send a very negative signal to those who are long this stock,” he added. Shares of First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) have slumped since last week when Q4 earnings and 2010 guidance were announced.

In other news related to thin-film solar, Global Solar Energy, a Tucson, Ariz.-based manufacturer, today announced that its Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) cells achieved 13.2 percent efficiency, a number confirmed by the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). ”Global Solar Energy is the first company to exceed the 13 percent efficiency target using thin films on a flexible stainless steel substrate, and joins a small number of PV companies who have met this high efficiency milestone for large thin film power modules,” said Dr. Ryne P. Raffaelle, Director of NREL’s National Center for Photovoltaics. “This result is remarkable, given that the module was made using standard production equipment and manufacturing processes at Global Solar Energy.”

Finally, with so many folks talking about the next generation of nuclear power plants here in the U.S. (the Obama Administration last week announced a set of federal loan guarantees for the construction of two new plants in Georgia), the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 on Wednesday to block the license renewal for the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, which is operated by Entergy. On this, check out this short blurb from Matthew Yglesias.

That’s all for now — stay plugged in with GetSolar.

At the Renewable Energy Expo and World Conference in Austin, Texas yesterday, solar energy received accolades from the editors and readers of the Renewable Energy World network of publications. The Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards are intended to recognize projects, people, and companies for “advancing the market for renewable energy in North America”.

Of the seven awards given out yesterday, six went to the solar industry. From Renewable Energy World:

Project of the Year – eSolar’s 5-MW Sierra SunTower

Utility-scale Renewables – Enbridge and First Solar’s 20-MW Sarnia Solar Project

Distributed and On-Site Renewables – Solyndra and Solar Power Inc’s 602-kW Rooftop CIGS PV Project for Costco

Building Integrated Renewables – Conserval Engineering’s 25-kW PV and 75-kW Thermal SolarWall Hybrid System at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University

Innovation in Renewable Energy – Enphase Energy’s Micro-inverter System

Leadership in Renewable Energy – For policy, Rhone Resch, President of the Solar Energy Industries Association; and for technology Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi, Founder and CTO of Suniva

Reader’s Choice Award – First Wind’s 203-MW Milford Wind Corridor

It’s great to see solar leadership honored in this way. Renewable energy technologies like geothermal and wind aren’t as sexy as solar is right now partly because they’ve had more legislative–and financial–backing over the years than solar; really, the solar energy industry is only now taking off in earnest. And while it’s growing so rapidly, innovations come quickly and development seems nearly exponential (unless you look at efficiency gains, but even there, progress is being made). Within this mad rush of growth, there truly are standouts, but the RE editors’ choices must have been tough: one awards ceremony certainly can’t distinguish them all.

Alright, kids, here’s your daily dose of solar- and renewable-energy news…

Chinese solar-panel maker Suntech (NYSE: STP) said that it might reconsider its recent decision to open a manufacturing facility in Goodyear, Arizona, reports the Phoenix Business Journal. In a story we’ve been following, the state legislature is currently considering HB 2701, a bill that would classify nuclear power as a renewable source of electricity as it pertains to the state’s renewable energy standard. Critics say the proposed change could seriously harm solar energy’s prospects in Arizona. Kyocera Solar, which has its U.S. headquarters in Scottsdale, echoed Suntech’s concerns about the House Bill: “It undermines our effort and progress made to create green jobs, and would be a major setback to Arizona’s reputation as a solar industry leader,” said Tom Dyer, senior vice president for the company, in a statement. “Quite simply, this bill does not support growing the local economy, nor does it assist in protecting the environment.” See Vote Solar’s blog for a sharp rebuke of HB2701.

U.S. Department of Energy Head Steven Chu was in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia on Monday, according to Zawya. While speaking to Saudi energy ministers, he said he expects the Kingdom to emerge as a major exporter of solar energy. “The kingdom’s drive to invest a portion of its oil revenue on scientific and technical research will enable it to strengthen diversification of energy sources and promote renewable energy programs,” Chu said. Diversification is a perennial issue for Saudi Arabia — or any country with an economy so-dominated by a single commodity, for that matter. While the Kingdom no doubt has enough revenue to invest in developing and deploying solar-energy technologies, something tells me their focus on oil (and gas) won’t wane significantly in coming decades. Just check out the Global Energy Outlook panel discussion from January’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. It’s a little long (55 minutes) and pretty wonkish, but in it you’ll hear Khaled Al-Faleh, Saudi Aramco’s President and CEO, talk about the future of Saudi Arabia’s — and the world’s — energy mix. (Hint: in his assessment, oil and gas ain’t going anywhere.)

Speaking of fossil fuels, a subsidiary of Chevron will build a one-megawatt concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) installation at a mine in New Mexico. As explained by Greentech Media, the plan breaks from Chevron’s business-as-usual approach to solar project development. If built, the project would be the biggest CPV installation in the United States.

In investment news: Via Reuters comes news that Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE) has signed a three-year agreement with a German firm to sell 285 megawatts of its solar modules. Another Chinese solar-panel maker, Trina Solar, had a profitable fourth quarter of 2009, according to its press release.

In celeb-wonk news, check out Alec Baldwin’s Op-Ed on the hidden costs of nuclear power, via The Huffington Post. It’s not particularly insightful — essentially Mr. Baldwin asserts that nuclear power has “hidden costs” and is therefore “bad” — but perhaps this is not the point of his piece.

Finally, Suntech is really stirring things up this week: check out this morning’s press release (everyone loves a good press release, right?): “Suntech Power Holdings Co., the world’s largest producer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules, has provided the solar panels to power British Columbia’s first net-zero home at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.” At 6 kilowatts (kW), Suntech’s PV system will power the ultra-efficient, 2,200 square-foot showcase home, which some Canadian athletes will call home during the Olympics.

That’s all for this Wednesday. Stay in the know: stay plugged in with GetSolar.

Coney Island, New York’s erstwhile amusement park mecca, is en route to receiving an infusion of modernity via its iconic Wonder Wheel, which is slated to install 32 solar panels atop its 16 swinging cars this summer. The man behind the idea, Deno Vourderis, hopes to bring back the bright lights that once characterized the 150-foot-tall Ferris wheel while simultaneously reinvigorating it with green energy.

“It brings back the old look – the look that people knew the Wonder Wheel for,” he said.

The Wonder Wheel used to have bulbs lighting each car before the Vourderises, who have operated the 90-year-old carnival attraction for about three decades, removed them in the 1980’s due to safety concerns over the electrical wiring. However, Vourderis hopes that the Wonder Wheel’s 32 solar panels, which he says will provide 960 watts of electricity, will restore the landmark to the glory of its heyday. Should all go well, he says, he will install more photovoltaic panels and run the entire ride on solar the following year.

“We’ve been a part of Coney Island since the dark ages,” he said. “We are ecstatic.”

Here it is, folks, your daily dose of today’s solar energy news and info…

The big story this morning: BrightSource Energy on Monday got a preliminary OK for a monster federal loan guarantee, worth $1.4 billion, via the Los Angeles Times. As GetSolar’s Margaret Collins reported last week, the company has revised its plans in an attempt to mitigate the environmental impact of a huge California CSP plant, slated for construction in the Mojave Desert. If the project goes ahead, USA Today reports it could be the “world’s largest solar power complex.”

Also in California solar energy news, check out this brief Op-Ed by Tom Rooney, CEO of SPG Solar. Mr. Rooney, it seems, wants more money for the U.S. solar energy sector — can’t fault him for that.

Italy is cutting the tariff rate paid for solar energy, but not as much as anticipated, according to Reuters. The country’s feed-in tariff is among Europe’s most generous.

Germany, meanwhile, is cutting back, too, reports Duetsche Welle. In an already widely anticipated move, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet will soon consider a draft law that would cut the solar energy feed-in tariff by around 15 percent.

Tempe, Ariz.-based First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) expects to sign an agreement to sell 30 megawatts of its thin-film solar to a Chinese project developer, reports Reuters. First announced in September of last year, the deal could grow to as large as two gigawatts in the coming decade, though we’ll believe it when we see it… Shares of First Solar have been trending down since last week, when the company announced Q4 earnings and provided guidance for 2010.

Finally, if you missed it last week, United Nations Climate Chief Yvo de Boer resigned last week, reported the New York Times.

That’s all for today — a fairly light news day, all things considered, save BrightSource’s $1.4 billion loan guarantee. Be sure to stay tuned and stay plugged in with GetSolar.