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2009 U.S. Solar Industry Year in Review
WASHINGTON, DC - The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) today released the 2009 U.S. Solar Industry Year in Review, finding 2009 to be another year of strong growth despite the economic recession.

Overall U.S. solar electric capacity, including both photovoltaic and concentrating solar power installations, increased by 37 percent. This was driven primarily by strong demand in the residential and utility-scale markets, state and federal policy advances and declining technology prices. As a result, total solar industry revenue reached $4 billion, a 36 percent increase over 2008.
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Solar Energy Education for Local Gov't
April 16, 2010

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced up to $10 million over five years for two organizations to help accelerate the adoption of solar energy among local governments. The selected organizations, the International City-County Management Association (ICMA), and International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives-Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) will conduct outreach to thousands of local governments across the nation, sharing best practices for increasing solar energy use in their communities.

ICMA and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability will receive approximately $5 million each and will help provide responsive and proactive outreach to local governments to accelerate the implementation of solar technology deployment. They will reach local governments nationwide by providing a mix of educational workshops, peer-to-peer sharing opportunities, and national Web-based resources. Additionally, these two organizations will help local governments overcome technical barriers to solar energy adoption by sharing resources that have been developed through other DOE-sponsored activities, such as the Solar America Cities program.
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Turn Your Roof Into a Mini Power Station

It is possible to turn your roof into a mini power station. Pitched roofs are ideal locations for PV systems but even on a flat roof it is possible to install modules raised to an angle which catches the rays of the sun.

Using PV tiles you can integrate them with normal roof tiles and blended together they provide an aesthetically pleasing and simple method of generating electricity.

Re-roofing, building extensions or planning a new build are ideal times to consider including some PV tiles into your design. With a high power output per tile, only a small roof area is needed.
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