Green Project Marketing Blog

The Commerce Department, in its preliminary finding over illegal subsidies, said solar panels imported from China would face a duty of 2.9% to 4.73%, smaller than what some had hoped for.

By Don Lee and Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times

March 20, 2012, 9:16 p.m. -Washington and Los Angeles—

Ratcheting up the battle over a vital energy industry, the U.S. Commerce Department decided to impose tariffs on solar panels imported from China after concluding that manufacturers there received illegal government subsidies.

 The Commerce Department, in its preliminary finding over illegal subsidies, said solar panels imported from China — now dominating the U.S. market — would face a duty of 2.9% to 4.73%.

The tariff is considerably smaller than what some had hoped for but nonetheless marks another step by the Obama administration to get tougher on trade with China. It also highlights efforts aimed at supporting U.S jobs and a renewable energy future.

Additional tariffs could be imposed in mid-May when the Commerce Department is expected to determine whether China has been dumping the panels in the U.S. at below-cost prices.

Some American lawmakers and solar firms hailed the finding on illegal subsidies, saying the new tariffs will help create a more-level playing field for the domestic solar market, which has been growing rapidly despite the bankruptcy of some panel makers. The high-profile failure of solar equipment maker Solyndra of Fremont, Calif., was attributed in part to a sudden influx of low-cost Chinese panels.

The 449 megawatts of power installed in the U.S. in the third quarter are more than all the installations in 2009, according to a new report on the solar energy industry.

The Solar Micro Generating Facility at Victor Valley College in Victorville in May 2010. In the third quarter of this year, 44% of solar power installations in the U.S. were in California. (Mark Boster, Los Angeles Times / May 24, 2010)

By Ronald D. White, Los Angeles Times

December 15, 2011

Solar power is a booming business in the U.S., with more domestic solar installations completed in the third quarter of this year than during all of 2009, according to a report released Wednesday by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Assn

"The U.S. solar industry is on a roll, with unprecedented growth in 2011," said Rhone Resch, chief executive of the solar group. "Solar is now an economic force in dozens of states, creating jobs across America."

...is the national trade group for the U.S. solar energy industry, and it has 1,100 member companies.

Buildings are the major source of global demand for energy and materials that produce by-product greenhouse gases (GHG). The raw resource extraction, manufacturing, transportation, construction, usage, and end-of-life stages of building products each generate significant GHG emissions. Slowing the growth rate of GHG emissions and then reversing it is the key to addressing climate change and keeping global average temperature below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

CNBC.com - Stephanie Dhue; December 15, 2011

Bringing greater energy efficiency to commercial buildings promises to be big business. Pike Research estimates the market will increase to $100 billion by 2017.

Companies doing retrofits — including Johnson Controls, Honeywell, United Technologies, and Ameresco — stand to reap the benefits from buildings going green. Property managers are also promoting the cost savings and other benefits of energy-efficient building.

Randy Harrell of CBRE said green buildings are more desirable, especially for high quality tenants.

Nobember 18, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In his remarks after touring the GE solar manufacturing facility in Arvada, Colorado today, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu highlighted the choice America faces on whether we should accept defeat and watch solar jobs go overseas, or play to win in the $240 billion clean energy market and create jobs here in the U.S.

Excerpts and full text of remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:

“I’m here at a critical time for America’s energy future.It’s a time of challenge, but it’s also a time of opportunity.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today recognized four leading organizations for expanding the market for electricity produced from renewable energy sources during the 11th annual Green Power Leadership Awards in San Francisco, Calif. These organizations’ innovative “green power” programs provide consumers with the opportunity to purchase clean energy from environmentally-preferred sources, such as wind and solar energy.

Organizations that offer and promote green power programs support an industry that creates thousands of jobs each year, making clean, renewable energy accessible and affordable to the homeowners and businesses they serve. DOE encourages the growth of these programs nationwide by selecting exemplary programs to receive Green Power Leadership Awards.

November 3, 2011

The Washington Business Journal reported on October 31 that legislation will be introduced in Washington D.C. that will create an alternative to the much maligned LEED bond requirement in the D.C. Green Building Act of 2006.

Under the Act, as currently written, as of January 1, 2012, all new construction greater than 50,000 square feet must obtain LEED certification. Under the proposed legislation, developers will be permitted to make a binding "pledge" that LEED certification will be attained.

Renewables Surpass Nuclear

A new report puts renewables at 12.25% of domestic energy production, surpassing nuclear by 18%, closing in on oil.

October 6, 2011 - According to the most recent issue of the "Monthly Energy Review" by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), with data through June 30, 2011, renewable energy has passed another milestone as domestic production is now significantly greater than that of nuclear power and continues to close in on oil.

During the first half of 2011, renewable energy sources (biomass & biofuels, geothermal, solar, water, wind) provided 4.687 quadrillion Btus of energy or 12.25% of U.S. energy production. By comparison, renewables accounted for 11.05% of domestic production during the first half of 2010 and 10.50% during the first half of 2009. (On the consumption side, which includes oil and other energy imports, renewable sources accounted for 9.45% of total U.S. energy use.)

May 12th - The US Department of Energy released its 2011 Strategic Plan, a PDF document that outlines the broad, cross-cutting and collaborative goals that stretch across our complex. It is intended to serve as a blueprint for the Department of Energy to help address the nation’s energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.

Michel Stevens of Green Project Marketing and Achieve Marketing Group introduced and listed sponsors for Project 319 at grand opening event.