Alright, kids — time for your daily dose of solar energy news and information. Normally, I promise to keep the side comments to a minimum. But I couldn’t help it this morning, so you’ll just have to bear with me as we paw through news on: New York’s solar power market; the past and future of a traditional energy hub, Houston; and the prospects of Desertec, a solar power project that could strengthen economic ties between Europe and the countries of northern Africa. Let’s get started:

The New York Solar Energy Industries Association is calling for a higher solar rebate level to “reverse the dramatic slowdown in the New York solar market,” via Solar Industry. Since the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) revised downward the amount available for solar rebates from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), interest in solar energy has slowed: “NYSERDA reported that average PV applications for January and February were $1.5 million per month – a drastic reduction from the 2009 average of over $5 million per month. Total PV program applications in the first two months this year were down 70% from the same period in 2009.” Money is still on the table, though, and with spring on its way, there’s no better time to be considering a New York solar installation for your home or business.

The Financial Times — the somewhat stuck up British cousin of the Wall Street Journal — yesterday ran an excellent profile of Houston, Texas. Items covered include: the recent boom in U.S. onshore shale gas; the Houston arts scene; and a few salty quotes from oil man T. Boone Pickens. While we’d certainly like to see renewable energy technologies deployed at a scale on par with the oil and gas industry, the article suggests it may be a while: “there are 3,468 energy-related firms in the Houston metropolitan area, of which only roughly 400 are involved in alternative energy. Wind or solar energy and biofuels depend on government subsidies and are a long way from reaching critical mass.” We’ll see about that… Regardless, the article is definitely worth a read.

Despite the recent announcement of new partnerships with the likes of First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR), Europe’s Desertec solar power project may face a cloudy future, according to Chris Morrison of BNET Energy Blog. In effect, the project envisions importing solar-generated electricity from northern Africa, making use of yet-to-be-built undersea transmission lines.

Among the concerns and obstacles? (1) The transmission lines would be vulnerable to attack. (2) Europe would still be relying on foreign sources of energy, namely the countries across the Mediterranean to the south. And (3) human rights activists may balk if Desertec ends up deploying assets in Western Sahara, a country whose sovereignty has long been disputed by Morocco.

I’m not entirely convinced these facts will derail the project. Why? (a) Undersea transmission lines are a heck of a lot less vulnerable to terrorist attacks than over-land ones. (b) I understand that Europe dislikes relying on Russia for much of its natural gas, but this notion of energy independence is kind of getting out of hand. What’s needed is a new focus on energy interdependence. As far as I can tell, the Desertec project would help Europe diversify its energy portfolio. (c) I’m not sure what to make of the human rights argument. Oil and gas companies have for decades operated in contentious and/or volatile regions. While these activities can lead to local power struggles and, in the worst cases, engender violence (see Nigeria, Sudan), my guess is that a workable revenue-sharing agreement could be devised in this instance. Any thoughts or insight from our readers?

And with that, we’ll let you go… Have a great weekend — we’ll see you back here next week.