Cupertino may be the next to join a growing list of California counties, cities and towns that offer to homeowners low-interest loans for the installation of solar panels, reports San Jose Mercury News. If Cupertrino joins the CaliforniaFirst Program, its residents will be able to finance renewable energy systems and energy-efficiency projects by borrowing from their local government. The funds would then repaid through property taxes over a 10- to 20-year period. See this post on solar energy financing in San Diego for more details.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom yesterday welcomed a new solar company to town. According to the San Francisco Examiner, Spain-based GA-Solar recently opened a new headquarters in downtown SF. Newsom had a pretty slick sound byte for the occasion: “San Francisco’s global reach, innovative environmental policies and clean technology industry infrastructure make it an ideal location for GA-Solar’s headquarters.”

In other Spain + Solar news: Ingeteam, a Spain-based maker of solar and wind energy equipment, yesterday announced it will build a big, $15 million manufacturing plant in Milwaukee, Wisc., via The Business Journal of Milwaukee.

President Obama yesterday announced $8 billion in federal loan guarantees to build two nuclear reactors at an existing plant site in Georgia. The announcement has set the Web and blogosphere abuzz — literally, there are tens of thousands of articles and posts out there. If construction goes ahead, the reactors will be the first built in the U.S. since the 1970s. For a balanced discussion on the pros and cons of nuclear power — and the fiscal risks of the federal government’s backing of it — check out “A Comeback for Nuclear Power?” via NYTimes.com.

Three big companies won’t renew their membership to the Climate Action Partnership, a broad business coalition that, according to WSJ.com, “had been instrumental in building support in Washington for capping emissions of greenhouse gases.” The move by BP, ConocoPhillips and Caterpillar to quit the organization highlights growing skepticism that Congress will pass cap-and-trade legislation ahead of mid-term elections in November.

In lieu of cap-and-trade, is a national renewable energy standard — or renewable portfolio standard — a politically viable alternative? Kate Galbraith of Green Inc. discussed this very topic about a year ago to the day.

To tax or not to tax? To subsidize or not to subsidize? While many governments are taking steps to encourage growth in the renewable energy sector, Wyoming’s Governor is proposing a move that amounts to the opposite. Gov. Dave Freudenthal wants to tax on wind energy, reports The Associated Press. Speaking of wind power, Freudenthal had this to say: “It can help keep people in agriculture. It can help people have jobs, and hopefully it can lead to some manufacturing facilities in the state. Having said all that, they [wind industry participants] are not entitled to a free ride. This is the first opportunity that this state has had in my lifetime to actually diversify its tax base.” The proposed excise tax would come out at $3 per megawatt-hour. It bears noting that Wyoming is a huge oil, gas and mining state.

Finally, ever consider wearing solar panels? Via CNET comes news of a new, super-flexible solar cell technology that could ultimately be incorporated into clothing. This could bring a whole new meaning to the term “power suit…” Cheesy jokes aside, the real benefits of the emerging technology will likely center on its low cost, durability and ease of installation.

That’s all for this Wednesday. Stay plugged in with GetSolar.