Solar statistic of the day

This 70,000 panel solar installation at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada produces 15 megawatts, or only about one-tenth of what a new French solar installation will produce when completed. (Wikimedia Commons photo)

France is building what will be the world’s largest solar power plant, producing 143 megawatts of power, according to an AFP (Agence France-Presse) story on Physorg.com.

The plant is being built by a green-energy subsidiary of the French energy company EDF called EDF-EN. It is being constructed on a 1,025 acre former NATO air force base at Toul-Rosieres in eastern France.

Solar prices have been dropping consistently for a decade in the U.S.

It is becoming easier for individuals and businesses to tap into renewable energy and reduce dependence on coal-fired plants as national average prices for solar systems drop in the U.S.

Solar system costs have been declining thanks to cheaper installation rates and lower module prices, according to a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study.

The study shows solar system prices dropping more than 30 percent in the U.S. between 1998 and 2008. The most significant drop has been in the prices of small, residential photovoltaic (PV) solar systems.

This RDC Fine Homes Net-Zero home in Whistler, British Columbia is hosting Olympic athletes. (RDC Fine Homes Photo)

VANCOUVER, Canada -- While athletes have been grabbing the spotlight at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Suntech, the world's largest producer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules, has put itself in the global green energy spotlight by providing the solar panels to power British Columbia's first net-zero home.

The showcase home, located in the Whistler resort, brings the concept of accessible zero-energy living to attendees of the event. The net-zero home was designed by Vancouver-based RDC Homes.

Net-metering, which allows consumers to sell excess power produced by their solar systems, has received a new boost from the California State Assembly.

The California State Assembly passed AB 510, a bill to raise the cap on a key solar policy called “net metering." Net metering is a simple billing arrangement that allows solar customers to get fair retail credit for the excess electricity their systems generate during daytime hours. Having passed the Senate last week, the bill now needs the Governor’s signature to become law.