JUNO BEACH, Fla. — In an effort to give more access to solar power options, the Florida Power & Light Company last week proposed a voluntary, community-based, solar partnership pilot program for consideration by the Florida Public Service Commission.
If approved, FPL will install new, solar-powered generating facilities in Florida communities. The program is funded by contributions from FPL customers.
HONOLULU — The Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI), a research unit of the University of Hawai’i Manoa, recently installed six solar photovoltaic arrays as a part of its ongoing energy-efficiency and solar research.
WASHINGTON — In his State of the Union address last week, President Barack Obama praised the nation’s efforts to create clean, renewable energy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
BRUNSWICK, Maine — A proposed solar power complex at Bowdoin College will be eight times larger than any solar installation in the state of Maine.
The school’s board of trustees last week approved the 1,300-kW system, set to generate energy for the school’s largest athletic facilities, to create a new standard of sustainability in the state. Currently, Maine’s largest solar installation is Thomas College’s 170-kW system.
BOSTON — Achieving its state goal of 250 megawatts (MW) of solar energy four years early, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced a new, more ambitious state goal of 1.6 gigawatts (GW) to be installed by 2020.
CEDARVILLE, Ohio — A large-scale solar power system was dedicated at Cedarville University in Ohio on April 26.
The 2,154-kilowatt solar array will convert sunlight into electricity, which helps meet the campus’ growing power requirements and supplies an average of 10 percent of the school’s energy demand, enough to serve the needs of 250 homes and contribute to cleaner air by removing more than 2,478 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year.
MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Schindler, a global elevator and escalator provider located in Morristown, used its expertise to launch a solar-powered elevator system on April 2, as well as provide support for Solar Impulse, the first zero fuel airplane project, to take flight in early May.
AUSTIN, Texas — Despite President Obama’s plans to increase renewable energies, such as wind and solar power, renewable energy advocates in Texas are struggling to make progress in those areas.
