PG&E

Sempra Generation, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), announced that its Mesquite 1 solar farm is now delivering energy to the power grid in Arizona.

On September 1st, the California Energy Commission (CEC) will conduct a webinar on that state’s increased renewable portfolio standard, or RPS, which on April 12 was raised to 33 percent by 2020, superseding the former goal of 20 percent by 2010.

California, a national leader in renewable energy technologies like solar, wind and geothermal, is once again leading the pack with standards designed to protect renewable energy consumers using “Smart Meters” from fraud and identity theft.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the largest municipal utility in the U.S., is reportedly ready to reintroduce a solar incentive program (SIP) it abruptly dropped in April, ostensibly to address issues like lack of funding, a backlog of more than 500 applications, some safety concerns, and possible misrepresentations by solar installers.

Southern California Edison (SCE), a subsidiary of Edison International (NYSE: EIX), said today it has launched its annual call for proposals to add to the 14,549 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable power (system rated capacity of 3,720 megawatts) it delivered to its 4.9 million customers in 2010. The company said its 2010 renewable power output was 19.4% of its total power deliveries.

BrightSource Energy, Inc. said Monday it has finalized U.S. federal government loan guarantees of $1.6 billion and has received a $168 million equity investment from Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) for its proposed 392-megawatt (MW) Ivanpah thermal solar power project under construction in California’s Mohave Desert.

California utilities may soon have to get one-third of their electricity from renewable energy by 2020, but they just missed a more modest goal of generating 20 percent of their power from renewables by last year. In this interview, environmental journalist Todd Woody explains why the state missed the mark and how it hopes to reach the goal set for the next decade. He also discusses the challenges facing the solar industry.

Calgary-based clean energy project developer Greengate Power Corp. recently signed deals to sell renewable energy credits from its Alberta wind operations to Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PCG), Northern California's largest utility, after receiving regulatory approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

Those watching the America's solar power incentive scene lately might be inclined to believe that the honeymoon – inspired in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, also known as the stimulus) – is over.

Butte College announced plans to complete a massive solar array by 2011 that will produce more energy than the college consumes, making it the first grid positive college in the U.S. and the largest solar producing college in the world.