Solar Decathlon at National Mall Washington,

DC Smithsonian Metro Stop For three weeks in October 2009,

the U.S. Department of Energy 8 will host the Solar Decathlon—

a competition in which 20 teams of college and university students

across the globe compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive,

effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house.
The Solar Decathlon is also an event to which the public is invited
 to observe the powerful combination of solar energy,
energy efficiency, and the best in home design.

Exact dates of the 2009 event are:

    * Oct. 8-16—Teams compete in 10 contests
    * Oct. 9-13—Houses are open to the public
    * Oct. 15-18—Houses are open to the public
    * Oct. 19-21—Teams disassemble their houses.

The Solar Decathlon houses will be open for public tours
11 a.m.­–3 p.m. Monday–Friday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
 Saturdays and Sundays.

Australia plans to build the world's largest solar power station
with an output of 1000 megawatts in a A$1.4 billion (US$1.05 billion) investment,

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Sunday. Skip related content Related photos /

videos M of Australia Rudd delivers remarks on world economic crisis in Washington

Enlarge photo

Related contentThe plant would have three times the generating capacity

of the current  biggest solar-powered electricity plant, which is in California,
Rudd said during a tour of a power station.
Tender details will be announced later in the year,
and successful bidders will be named in the first half of 2010.
Rudd said the project was aimed at exploiting the country's ample
sunshine, which he called "Australia's biggest natural resource. By Gary Norris,

The Canadian Press
TORONTO - Timminco Ltd.

(TSX:TIM will rise again when the outlook for the solar 

of silicon for solar cells told shareholders Friday.
Despite this assurance, Timminco shares tumbled to a new two-year low Friday,

a day after a group of investors filed a class-action lawsuit accusing the

Toronto-based specialty metals producer of misle ading them  about the company's

growth and profit potential;

A Manhattan Beach start-up called Solaren Corp

of giant solar power collectors into orbit 23,000 miles above Fresno and beam the energy to Earth.

PG&E has signed a contract to buy the power -- if Solaren can make the technology work.
The proposal is a potential energy game-changer, supporters say.

Homeowners in British Columbia will soon be able to reduce their

home energy costs with new solar technology.

The Government of Canada is investing $400,000 in the Solar Hot Water Heating

program through the ecoENERGY for Renewable Heat initiative.

The smart grid has become a favorite talking point for policy makers.

However there are about 200 different standards that apply to the new technology.

If the socet in the wall only maches one manufacturer's appliance, that's not going to work.

The Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (H.R. 1424)

more commonly known as the "Wall Street Bailout Bill"

includes the long awaited extension

of the solar investment tax credit system and installation costs,

it also extends the tax incentive for the next 8 years. But it gets better: H.R. 1424

extends tax incentives to utility companies and commercial installations!

a 30% tax credit for residential and commercial

solar installations Eliminate the flat $2,000

cap for residential solar electric installations, 

replacing it with a 30% tax credit effective

for qualified renewable energy systems 

installed after December 31, 2008.

Eliminates the prohibition on utilities from benefiting

from the credit. Allows Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) filers,

both businesses and individuals,

to take the credit 

Authorizes $800 million for clean energy bonds energy generating facilities,

including solar only does H.R. 1424 improve the federal solar tax credit

from a flat $2000 to 30%