California Adds To Climate Change Legislation

California continues to lead the charge on climate change, with the California Senate passing a comprehensive package of bills last week.  

Go Solar California, a joint effort of the California Public Utilities Commission and Governor Schwarzenegger's "Million Solar Roofs" program, had a goal to encourage Californians to install 3,000 megawatts of solar energy systems on homes and businesses by the end of 2016. For larger CA utilities such as PG&E and SCE, the rebates have run out, but for smaller municipal utilities such as the Truckee Tahoe Public Utility District, rebates still exist. 

Putting solar photovoltaic panels on homes and other buildings has proved to be so popular, it’s driving rebate prices down. A record-setting rate of recent solar installations has resulted in rebate stepdowns for the California Solar Initiative.

Solar Racers Defy Overcast Skies on Grand Prix Race Day

Hundreds of middle school and high school students raced solar cars in a Solar Grand Prix in Long Beach, Calif., April 10. The cars were model-sized; most finished the race despite overcast skies. In January, participants were given a small solar panel and a motor; they had to incorporate those pieces into their car design.