Free Republic

(Reuters) - The “great majority” of solar cells being produced at Tesla Inc’s factory in upstate New York are being sold overseas instead of being used in the company’s trademark “Solar Roof” as originally intended, according to documents reviewed by Reuters. The exporting underscores the depth of Tesla’s troubles in the U.S. solar business, which the electric car maker entered in 2016 with its controversial $2.6 billion purchase of SolarCity. Tesla has only sporadically purchased solar cells produced by its partner in the factory, Panasonic Corp, according to a Buffalo solar factory employee speaking on condition of anonymity. The rest...

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday signed a bill that completes his “million solar roofs plan,” a move he says will put California on the cutting edge of renewable energy while also boosting the economy. The bill and action by the state Public Utilities Commission in January use a rate increase, about $15 a year for the average residential customer, to provide rebates lowering the cost of installing solar panels. The goal of the $3.2 billion program is to create 3,000 megawatts of clean solar power – or 5 percent of the state's total need – during the next decade,...

For Immediate Release: 12/13/2005 For More Information: Contact Bernadette Del Chiaro (916) 446-8062 x 103 $2.9 Billion Solar Roofs Program Proposed For California 3,000 MW in 11 Years Could Make California World Leader in Solar Power SAN FRANCISCO—The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) officially unveiled its version of the Million Solar Roofs program, called the California Solar Initiative, proposing an 11-year, $2.9 billion incentive program to install 3,000 MW of solar on a million homes, businesses, farms, schools and municipal buildings. The program, if approved in mid-January by the 5-member Public Utilities Commission, will be the nation’s largest solar power...

Gov. Schwarzenegger's latest green initiative – to blanket the state with solar power - has come under attack from, of all places, Democrats. The bill - SB 1 - shows once again how closely tied California's Democratic politicians are to organized labor, their biggest source of money. The Democrats talk a good game about improving the schools, helping the poor or protecting the environment. But on almost every issue, their actions come down to: What do the unions want? What the unions wanted was a guaranteed piece of the business. They amended the bill to require that only certified electricians...

Gov. Schwarzenegger is fighting the good fight, so we can forgive him when he occasionally misfires. His "Million Solar Roofs Initiative" to subsidize photovoltaic (PV) systems is one such error. PV systems convert sunlight into electricity. This is great but for a few problems: the systems are costly; they rarely produce the electricity claimed; and, even with subsidies, PV does not pay for itself. Senate Bill 1 is the legislative vehicle for the governor's initiative. It passed the state Senate on a 30-5 vote with only Republican opposition. The next stop is the Assembly, then the governor's desk. California has...