The NEI Afternoon Clip File

Here are some of the news clips we're reading at NEI this afternoon. The outlook has dimmed a bit for solar energy in California, where half of new homes are expected to run on solar power in 13 years. The problem is not a lack of interest -- quite the opposite, in fact:

American suppliers for the solar energy industry say that burgeoning demand both domestically and overseas, a weak dollar and shortages of raw material have created back orders of several months on electricity-generating photovoltaic, or PV, panels.

"For all the years I've been doing this," said Daryl Dejoy, owner of a solar installation company in Penobscot, Me., "I could get all the solar panels in the world and no customers. Now I have all the customers in the world and no product."

While this has created an inconvenience for customers and suppliers alike, the situation will hopefully lead to innovation:

[Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association]said the shortage of customary solar resources provided an opportunity for producers of newer "thin film" solar panels. These panels, which can be rolled up for portability or installed on curved surfaces, are now produced in relatively small quantities by several Silicon Valley manufacturers.

"The solar energy industry is diverse," Mr. Resch said, "and will meet the challenges the market presents."

It's important to remember that while solar and other renewables will have a place in a diverse energy portfolio, renewables still lack the heavy lift that only nuclear energy can provide. Oil prices broke a record for the second day in a row, reaching a high of $64.40 a barrel:

The report from the Energy Information Administration also showed a 2.1 million barrel decline in gasoline stockpiles due to strong demand and slower domestic production -- bringing them 7.9 million barrels below last year's level.

... U.S. gasoline demand has been running at a robust 1.4 percent higher than a year ago, despite record high retail prices at the pumps.

Come back tomorrow morning for more news from the NEI Clip File -- and most likely another report of record-breaking oil prices.

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