CleanTech OC Daily - 9/14/12

An Argument Over Wind

The wind sector’s main trade association is at odds with Exelon, the power generation company that opposed a renewal of the credit. American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) expelled Exelon as a member last week because of the dispute. AWEA says that if the tax credit expires, approximately 37,000 jobs will be eliminated next year.

Employees Of Green Companies Work 16 Percent Harder

Researchers at UCLA have released a new study that suggests that companies with green operating practices enjoy a higher level of employee productivity – up to 16 times more productive. However, according to the researchers, these results fail to address the common complaint that green practices actually stifle business.

$10M Rooftop Solar Competition Opens With Soft-Cost Focus
The U.S. Department of Energy’s competition Race to the Rooftops is intended to encourage businesses and communities to find new ways to reduce the cost of solar power. The competition is underway after a few rounds of revisions to the ultimate goal of the program – the final goal to install 5,000 systems between 2 and 15 kW with non-hardware costs that average $1/W. The payout to the winners is $10 million!