Here is your solar energy news for April 15, the national day of vexation er, taxation…

Appropriately enough, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee yesterday suggested that tax credits should be expanded for manufacturers of renewable energy technologies, via WSJ.com (subscription required):

“If we are not aggressive about expanding our green manufacturing capacity, these manufacturing jobs will be created overseas and the United States will become more reliant on products that are produced outside of our borders,” he [Chairman Sander Levin (D., Mich.)] said.

The stimulus bill passed last year provided $2.3 billion in investment tax credits for low-carbon technology manufacturers, but more that $8.1 billion in applications flooded Treasury and the Department of Energy. The Administration has proposed an additional $5 billion of these tax credits for a new round of competitive awards.

Oncor Energy is adding $6.9 million more in funding for its Texas solar rebate program, via the Fort-Worth Star Telegram. As is often the case with solar rebate programs, Oncor’s proved so popular that it ran out of funds at the end of February, 2010, just two months after the program was launched. According to the Fort-Worth article, “Oncor is offering rebates of up to $22,500 for a residential project and $175,000 for nonresidential projects. The incentive rate is $2.25 per watt, or $2,250 per kilowatt, for residential systems, and $1.75 per watt, or $1,750 per kilowatt, for nonresidential.” If you’re interested in learning more about home solar energy in Texas, feel free to contact us using the form to the right. Also, you’ll want to read up on Texas’s net-metering rules, as they’re not as straightforward as they are in other states.

[Ed. note: I may geek out a little in the next paragraph. Continue reading at your own risk.]

John Hempton of Bronte Capital wrote a pretty fun, informative and opinionated piece for Greentech Media (GTM), entitled “Why I Am Short First Solar.” It’s worth a read. First, Hempton defines good technology from an investor’s standpoint: (1) it must “change part of the world in a useful way,” and (2) it “must keep the competition out.” He then goes on to discuss how Garmin — the maker of GPS unites — succeeded on the first account, but failed on the second. Simply put, there are now cheap (nearly free) alternatives to technology that, just a few years prior, was exclusively Garmin’s bread and butter.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR), Hempton argues, will fall prey to the same folly. Why? Two main reasons: (1) Polysilicon prices — the main feedstock used by First Solar’s principle competitors — have come down from 2008 highs, and (2) Other firms (the article discusses Applied Materials, for one) are learning how to use less and less polysilicon to make their panels. Both facts will, Hempton concludes, make it difficult for First Solar to, in his words, “keep the competition out.”

One item the article fails to address, however, is the possibility of higher silicon prices in the future. I’m not a trader or analyst, but isn’t it reasonable to suggest that silicon prices may go higher four, five, six years down the line? Solar-panel makers aren’t the only buyers of the stuff, after all. Anyway, I’m not the only one with the urge to resist Hempton’s short call. Take a peek at the bottom of the article and you’ll find the following: “Note: GTM analyst Shyam Mehta has threatened to write a piece on why he is short Bronte Capital.”

Related:

Whew, that was a serious detour… We’ll wrap it up today with news of a new Colorado solar installation. Commissioners of Alamosa County, Colo., this week approved a 37.4-megawatt solar facility, via the Valley Courrier. The Alamosa County solar project is expected to create between 75 and 125 jobs, during construction. Go solar in Colorado!

That’s all for today. Thanks for reading. Good luck with your taxes, for you late filers. And we’ll see you back here tomorrow.