U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar dedicated the first utility-scale solar facility built on public lands at a ceremony today near the community of Primm.

The photovoltaic plant created over 380 construction jobs, and will produce enough renewable energy to power about 9,000 Nevada homes, displacing some 42,000 metric tonnes of CO2 per year, and taking the equivalent of about 8,000 cars off the road.

“Today is about making believers out of skeptics,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “As the first solar project on U.S. public lands completed and ready to deliver energy to thousands of homes across Nevada, the Silver State North Solar Project is really at the forefront of our nation’s clean energy economy. I applaud the work and vision of many that have made this day a reality, including the Bureau of Land Management, the State of Nevada, First Solar and Enbridge.”

“While traditional energy sources will be with us for a long time, it’s clear that, over time, we are transitioning to a lower carbon-intensive economy,” said Al Monaco, President, Enbridge Inc. “To that end, Enbridge has invested almost $3 billion in wind, solar, geothermal, waste heat recovery, fuel cell and a host of other alternative energy technology projects that, together, have the capacity to generate almost 1,000 megawatts of emissions-free energy. We are proud to celebrate one of our latest investments, and are particularly pleased that Secretary Salazar was able to join us to launch Silver State North.

“Along with our investment, Silver State North was made possible through the Nevada Government’s Renewable Portfolio Standards Program, the Federal Government’s incentive program under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the long-term contract that Enbridge has with NV Energy,” Mr. Monaco added. “We are also grateful to First Solar for building this project in such an environmentally responsible way.”

“We are very pleased to bring on line the first utility-scale PV solar project on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Nevada, which would not have been possible without support from the Department of the Interior and the hard work and dedication of county, state and BLM officials,” said Frank De Rosa, First Solar Senior Vice President for Business Development, the Americas. “This is a project built by Nevadans that will use a Nevada natural resource, plentiful desert sun, to generate clean, renewable energy.”

Enbridge acquired Silver State North in March 2012. First Solar developed and constructed the facility using its advanced thin film photovoltaic modules, and will operate and maintain the project for Enbridge. First Solar expects to recognize revenue from Silver State North in the second quarter of 2012. NV Energy will purchase the facility’s output under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement.”

Read more: Press Release

“LED technology is the future of lighting, and Intematix phosphors and remote phosphors are key components to making this possible,” said Maurice Carson, Chief Financial Officer for Intematix. “This investment further enables Intematix to continue its growth trajectory as it addresses the light quality needs required by the general lighting and display markets.”

While lighting LEDs have grown in efficiency they have faced challenges in color quality and thermal management in small form-factors. Intematix phosphors enable white light comparable to conventional sources and ChromaLit remote phosphor systems have shown more efficient cooling leading to compact light bulb solutions.”

Read more: Intematix Press Release

“The market for solid state lighting is expected to grow from $3 billion in 2011 to more than $25 billion in 2015,” said Bill Watkins, Bridgelux’s Chief Executive Officer. “This investment marks the beginning of our cooperation with Kaistar to lead the transition to solid state lighting. Kaistar’s cost-competitive manufacturing capabilities combined with Bridgelux’s high performance packaging solutions will continue to drive down the cost of solid state technology for general lighting, helping to more rapidly expand the market for LED.””

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“There is a growing desire to utilize renewable energy,” said Bill Fehrman, president of MidAmerican Renewables. “Solar plays a crucial role in meeting renewable energy targets and portfolios. The closing of the Topaz project acquisition makes it the second solar project in our renewables business, and we look forward to evaluating and acquiring additional opportunities.”

The Topaz project will be built, operated and maintained by First Solar. Construction began in December 2011 and is expected to be complete by early 2015. The project will create approximately 400 construction jobs and 15 ongoing operations and maintenance jobs.

“We are pleased to be moving forward with MidAmerican Renewables on the Topaz project — one of the two largest PV projects in the world, which are both being built by First Solar,” said Frank De Rosa, First Solar senior vice president for business development — the Americas. “First Solar is the leading developer of utility-scale PV projects, and MidAmerican Renewables’ investment in these renewable resources is a significant endorsement.”

Pacific Gas and Electric Company will purchase the electricity from the Topaz project under a 25-year power purchase agreement, helping California meet its mandate to generate 33 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020.

Developed by First Solar, the Topaz project will incorporate the company’s advanced thin-film PV modules, which generate electricity with no emissions, waste or water use and have the smallest carbon footprint of any PV technology. Electricity generated from the Topaz project will displace approximately 377,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year — the equivalent of taking approximately 73,000 cars off the road.”

Read more: Press Release

SDG&E customers are now among the first in the nation to be able to download their energy usage data in a simple-to-read format and share it with third-parties for energy evaluation and analysis.

“The Green Button is an exciting step forward that continues to position SDG&E as a trendsetting, forward-thinking utility, and is one of many initiatives designed to offer our customers choice, convenience and control,” said Ted Reguly, SDG&E’s director of customer programs and assistance. “The Green Button exemplifies SDG&E’s move from the monthly bill cycle to accessible meaningful data. With customers in charge of how the information is used, we anticipate the data will be used in ways we haven’t even thought of yet.”

The Green Button is available as part of “Energy Charts” in the My Account web portal, which provides customers with detailed information on when they use electricity and how much.

By clicking on the Green Button, up to 13 months of past energy consumption data is instantly exported into customer- and computer-friendly standard formats. The data can be delivered in standardized file formats for easy export to other applications. The expectation is that access to this information will inspire innovative consumer applications and devices from entrepreneurs, businesses, and students.

In September 2011, United States Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra challenged utilities throughout the United States to develop a tool to provide energy consumers timely access to their own energy data with the click of a single button online. Inspired by the call-to-action from the White House, the Green Button is the resulting national initiative that was developed by the energy industry, with similarities to the “Blue Button” that was created to provide access to health care data. The Green Button concept aims to ensure that consumers have timely access to their own energy data in consumer-friendly and computer-friendly formats.”

Source: Press Release