Solar investments continue in Inland Empire amid industry's troubles

Solar investments continue in Inland Empire amid industry's troubles California solar firms collected nearly $1. Next 10's 2012 California Green Innovation Index included a special section on solar power specifically due to the recent bad press for the solar industry, particularly surrounding the bankruptcy of a company called Solyndra. The community college built the solar facility at a price of $6. Crafton administrators hope to achieve around $800,000 per year in power savings from the panels, and Weinstein said the solar installation could pay for itself in eight or nine years while producing 80 to 90 percent of the campus' electricity needs. "That's why this is such a big deal," he said. Kaiser Permanente plans to install solar panels at 15 California medical centers, including its Fontana Medical Center. Solar panels built at the top of a parking structure may generate as much as 10 percent of the hospital's electricity needs. Solar Trust of America, which was developing a solar plant in the Blythe area of eastern Riverside County, is another company experiencing difficulty. Large-scale solar plants are not the only places where new investments in solar and other environmentally technologies can be found. Moreover to nearly $1. California also surpassed the 1,000-megawatt mark for installed solar capacity last year, and Next 10 predicts San Diego will next year become the first California city where solar-generated electricity is no more expensive than power generated from other sources. San Bernardino County institutions like Crafton Hills College and Kaiser Permanente have made solar power a major component of their energy plans, but there is no denying the solar industry is facing tough challenges. Solar panels and fuel cells are part of the overall strategy," Rick Ginley, Kaiser Foundation's executive director of national facilities communications said in a statement. At Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa, administrators plan to commemorate the installing of a 1. "There is not a single `silver bullet' for reducing energy usage overnight. BrightSource's decision to cancel its IPO has not captured as much attention as the bankruptcy of Solyndra, another Oakland company that manufactured cylindrical solar panels before declaring bankruptcy and suspending operations last year. Solyndra secured a $535 million Energy Department guarantee in 2009. Ivanpah workers have also installed roughly 20,000 heliostats, BrightSource spokeswoman Kristin Hunter said. The firsttower has reached its top height of 459 feet, the company reports. The Ivanpah power plant is expected to be completed in 2013. Solar investments continue in Inland Empire amid industry's troubles Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 22/04/2012