Washington, D.C. - The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), an educational non-profit focused on helping utilities integrate solar power into their energy portfolios, is leading 19 utility executives and managers to Southern California on its U.S. Fact Finding Mission from November 13-18. This trip marks the first time SEPA brings its popular Fact Finding Mission program to the United States.

Washington, D.C. - The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) is pleased to announce and welcome Darren Deffner to the newly created position of Director of Policy. In this role, Mr. Deffner will lead SEPA’s efforts to monitor and analyze proposed and current federal and state policies to ensure that the organization’s members understand the potential impacts to their businesses.  He will provide members with timely information on state solar policy trends and the impact of those trends on solar markets and utility operations.  Mr. Deffner will also serve as a valuable resource for utility members who have questions about policy issues specific to their own company.

Washington, D.C. - Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) President Julia Hamm released the following statement in response to CPS Energy's announcement that it will be seeking up to 400 MW of solar electricity rather than the 50 MW it originally solicited earlier this year. CPS Energy is the nation's largest municpally-oned utility providing both natural gas and electric service.

"SEPA applauds CPS Energy's desire to integrate up to 400 MW of solar electricity into its grid. That is enough electricity to power 80,000 homes and will provide significant benefits to the utility's San Antonio, Texas customers."

Washington, D.C. – America’s electric utilities are ramping up their use of solar power, and not just in the sunny Southwest. That’s one of the principal findings of the new 2010 SEPA Utility Solar Rankings report released today by the Solar Electric Power Association.

Washington, D.C. – The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) announced today unprecedented first-quarter growth in its utility membership for 2011. So far this year, five major utility groups have joined SEPA increasing its membership by more than 100 percent. SEPA’s utility membership now represents more than 95 percent of the nation’s annual installed solar capacity and 47 percent of all U.S. electric customers.

Washington, D.C. – Julia Hamm, President and CEO of the Solar Electric Power Association, today offered the following comment for attribution on the recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Energy that a $1.45 billion loan guarantee has been finalized for Abengoa Solar Inc.’s Solana project. When completed, the 250-megawatt (MW) project will be the largest parabolic trough concentrating solar plant in the world, as well as the first large-scale solar plant in the United States that can also store the electricity it generates.

Washington, D.C. – Julia Hamm, President and CEO of the Solar Electric Power Association, today offered the following comment for attribution on the recent announcement by Sempra Generation that it has completed construction on the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in the United States. The 48 MW Cooper Mountain plant is located in Nevada, and the power will be sold to Pacific Gas & Electric in California. Prior to Cooper Mountain coming online this month, the largest PV plant in the country was the 25 MW DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center owned and operated by Florida Power & Light.

Washington, D.C. – Julia Hamm, President and CEO of the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), today called for utilities and solar companies to work more closely together as both look for opportunities to modernize the electric grid through the utilization of renewable and “smart grid” technologies. Her remarks came during a panel as part of the annual GridWeek conference in Washington.

Los Angeles – The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) today announced the results of the 2010 SEPA Solar Business Achievement Awards. The SEPA Board of Directors and staff are proud to recognize these utilities and solar companies who are responding to the challenges of the solar marketplace with action and innovation. Winners were selected in six categories based upon their demonstration of clear vision and imaginative business strategies.

Washington, D.C. – The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) today released the second phase of its Utility Solar Business Models (USBM) report, entitled “Utility Solar Business Models: Developing Value in Solar Markets.” The report provides a uniquely detailed look at the business models of 21 utilities that have integrated solar energy into their energy portfolios. SEPA has been working with electric utilities on USBM development and understanding since 2007 through working groups, reports, workshops, presentations and case summaries.

Washington, D.C. – The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), an educational and research non-profit focused on helping utilities integrate solar into their operations, today released its Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Characterization Review. The review provides an analysis of technical metrics across the commercialized PV materials, including manufacturing processes, efficiency and performance, market applications, and environmental characteristics.

Stamford, Conn., August 12, 2010 — Research undertaken by Gartner, Inc. and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) has revealed that utilities are becoming increasingly interested in procuring photovoltaic (PV) solar power generation systems. The Gartner/SEPA survey found that PV is one of the leading technologies for near-term renewable energy for utilities. The survey also found that utilities view onshore wind and biomass as the other key near-term renewable energy sources.

ANAHEIM, Calif. Solar Power International 2009, the largest business-to-business solar energy conference and expo in North America, broke attendance records for the sixth year in a row last week. The 2009 conference drew more than 24,000 industry professionals, an increase from 17,500 in the previous year. Attendees originated from 99 countries and a broad cross-section of solar and related industries, including electric utilities, construction and investment banking. The annual Public Night event, open free to the general public, attracted an additional 2,700 people from the Southern California region.

Washington, DC - To help utilities rise to the challenge of adopting solar power at a large scale, the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) has unveiled the industry's most comprehensive single source of information about solar electric power.  Executive Director Julia Hamm introduced the new web portal and database today at the Solar Power International Conference in Anaheim, Calif.

Washington, D.C. - Today the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) announced that they have formed a new jointly owned legal entity, Solar Energy Trade Shows LLC that will produce a portfolio of high-impact solar energy events designed to support the ongoing expansion of the U.S. solar energy industry. Solar Energy Trade Shows LLC will build upon SEPA and SEIA's track record producing some of the world's most successful solar industry events, and will continue to invest event proceeds toward the continued growth of the U.S. solar industry.

Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) is pleased to announce the Monthly Webinar schedule for the second half of 2009. These live monthly events provide key industry insight and are one of the outreach tools which make SEPA the go-to resource for business-critical networking and unbiased, comprehensive analysis of the issues and opportunities associated with making solar practical.

Solar Power International 2009, the largest business-to-business solar trade event in North America, will welcome 900+ companies from every part of the solar value chain to a sold-out exhibit floor at the Anaheim Convention Center. The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), co-presenters of Solar Power International since 2004, reported that the 2009 event will be more than double the size of the 2008 event, in terms of exhibiting companies and the net square footage of the trade show. More than 900 companies will exhibit, reserving a record 203,900 net sq. ft. of floor space. In 2008, Solar Power International had a total of 422 companies occupying 88,000 net sq. ft. of floor space.

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) commends the announcement today that Southern California Edison and First Solar have agreed to build two large-scale solar power projects in southern California. The agreement marks a key milestone in achieving SEPA's prediction that electric utilities will quickly become the largest and most important customer for the solar industry. According to Southern California Edison (SCE) and First Solar, the two installations will have a generation capacity of 550 megawatts of photovoltaic solar electricity, enough to provide power to approximately 170,000 homes.

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) commends the leadership of Duke Energy for finding common ground with the North Carolina Utilities Commission and reaching an agreement to move forward on the proposed $50 million utility-owned distributed photovoltaic (PV) program, the first of its kind in the southeastern United States. Under the terms of the agreement, Duke Energy will commission up to 10 megawatts of roof- and ground-mounted PV systems located on utility property, businesses, and homes, leasing customer roof space with the PV systems sending all of the electricity back into the electric grid. The customer's electric bill will remain unchanged but they will receive economic compensation from the lease.

Online Tool Released to Facilitate Utility Exchange of Solar Experiences and Lessons Learned

As utilities work to meet electricity demand, especially during peak summer days, examining the relationship between demand and solar photovoltaic (PV) output can be of significant value to the utility industry. Over the years, energy researchers have developed different statistical methods for calculating this relationship. However, there is no consensus across the utility or solar industries on a statistical method for calculating the capacity value of PV or its practical use in electricity markets and utility planning. The new report, Photovoltaic Capacity Valuation Methods, released today by the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) in consultation with project partners, and funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy?s Solar America Initiative, examines the variety of capacity calculation methods in use, and lays the foundation for building consensus within the solar industry, electric utility, and research communities.