Restored archive. The original History Commons is no longer online; this is a read-only edition of its timelines. Content is licensed CC BY-NC-SA.

US Solar Industry

112 events in this timeline

Open-Content investigative project managed by matt, Derek, KJF, mtuck

This is the home page for the US Solar Industry investigative project, one of several grassroots investigations being hosted on the History Commons website. The data published as part of this investigation has been collected, organized, and published by members of the public who are registered users of this website.

Showing 1–50 of 112

  1. 1816-09-27 September 27, 1816: Scottish Inventor Patents Solar ‘Heat Engine’
  2. 1964-08-28 August 28, 1964: Nimbus Satellites Use PV Array
  3. 1998-08-06 August 6, 1998: Solar-Powered Aircraft Sets Altitude Record
  4. 2000-03-23 March 23, 2000: Climate Change Expert Says Push for Renewable, Clean Energy Necessary to Alleviate Effects of Global Warming
  5. 2000-05-08 May 8, 2000: Expert Says US Government Could Stimulate Solar Cell Production, Price Drop by Investing in Cell Purchases
  6. 2009-04-30 April 30, 2009: Yale Opinion Column Calls for Series of Renewable Energy Research Institutes
  7. 2009-05-18 May 18, 2009: Australia Announces Intention to Invest Billions in Clean Energy, Carbon Reduction
  8. 2009-05-19 May 19, 2009: Government Sets Fuel Efficiency Standards for 2016
  9. 2009-06-18 June 18, 2009: Study Shows Transition to Clean Energy Economy Viable, Profitable
  10. 2009-09-01 September 1, 2009: Venture Capitalist to Invest $1 Billion in Clean Tech Startup
  11. 2009-10-12 October 12, 2009: Philanthropist Announces $1 Billion Investment in Clean Energy Technology
  12. 2010-06-16 June 16, 2010: Oregon Pilot Program Offers Solar Producers New Incentives for Solar Development
  13. 2011-01-11 January 11, 2011: China Leads in Renewable Energy Investment, Global Spending Rising
  14. 2011-03-16 March 16, 2011: Author: ‘Moore’s Law’ Illustrates Precipitous Drop in Cost of Solar Energy Generation
  15. 2011-03-29 March 29, 2011: US Outspent by China, Germany in Clean Energy Investment
  16. 2011-08-06 August 6, 2011: Conservative Author Claims Solar Power Plants Require Huge Tracts of Land to Produce Significant Amounts of Consumable Energy
  17. 2011-09-23 September 23, 2011: US Department of Defense Tripled Spending on Clean, Renewable Energy by 300 Percent between 2006 and 2009, Report Finds
  18. 2012-02-05 February 5, 2012: Media Analysis: Long-Term Environmental Impact of Solar Power Plants in Southwestern Deserts Impossible to Estimate
  19. 2012-04-13 April 13, 2012: Federal Green Jobs Program Slower to Produce Jobs than Anticipated
  20. 2012-04-18 April 18, 2012: Small New Jersey Utility Leads Nation in Providing Solar-Generated Electricity for Customers; Utility Once Ran One of Dirtiest Coal Plants in State
  21. 2012-08-01 August 1, 2012: Conservative Business Journal Claims Solar Energy Dirtier than Fossil Fuel-Derived Energy, Uses Huge Amounts of Land
  22. 2012-08-13 August 13, 2012: Wall Street Journal Claims Solar Energy Requires Huge Swaths of Land to Produce Sufficient Energy
  23. 2012-09-04 September 4, 2012: Wall Street Journal Makes Misleading Claim that Solar Energy Plant Construction Would Add to Carbon Emission Burden
  24. 2012-10-03 October 3-4, 2012: Fact Checkers Show Romney Misstated Crucial Data about Obama Administration’s Clean Energy Investments
  25. 2012-10-15 October 15, 2012: Columnist Derides Renewable Energy Industries, Says Liberals Using Them to Gain Government Handouts
  26. 2013-02-07 February 7, 2013: Fox News Expert Falsely Says Germany’s Solar Industry Outperforms US’s because Germany Gets More Sunlight than the US
  27. 2013-02-07 February 7, 2013: Expert: Difficult for Utility Companies to Modernize
  28. 2013-04-09 April 9-12, 2013: San Antonio Utility Plans to Slash Amount Paid Solar Energy Producers, Claims They are Costing Utility Revenue
  29. 2013-05-01 May 1, 2013: Kyocera Solar Opens Large Solar PV Facility in Southwest Arizona
  30. 2013-05-10 Shortly Before May 10, 2013: Solar Installers Form Lobbying Group to Challenge Utilities’ Efforts to Curb Solar Power Policies
  31. 2013-05-15 May 15-21, 2013: Solar Expert Explains Solar Industries’, Utilities’ Views of Handling Solar Generation by Consumers
  32. 2013-07-16 July 16, 2013: Arizona Public Utility Proposes Surcharge for Solar Rooftop Arrays; Solar Advocates Say Surcharge Would Decimate Industry, Cost Jobs
  33. 2013-07-31 July 31, 2013: Scientist Debunks ‘Myths’ Propagated by Enemies of Renewable Energy Industries
  34. 2013-08-13 August 13, 2013: Residents, Environmentalists Raise Concerns about Solar Power Plants in California Deserts
  35. 2013-08-14 August 14, 2013: Arizona Solar Advocates Push Back against Utility Proposal to Cut Subsidies, Raise Rates on Solar Consumers
  36. 2013-09-13 September 13, 2013: Columnist Explains Three Ways Americans Can Have Solar Power Generation without Buying Expensive Rooftop Arrays
  37. 2013-09-22 September 22, 2013: Solar Power Plant in Mojave Desert Comes Online; Predicted to Almost Double Amount of Commercial Solar Thermal Energy Generated in US
  38. 2013-09-23 September 23, 2013: Analysis: Utilities Losing Ground in Regulation Fight with Solar Energy Industry
  39. 2013-10-02 October 2-11, 2013: Rise in Fuel Efficiency, Drop in Usage Totaling Improvement in Carbon Emissions
  40. 2013-10-17 October 17, 2013: Arizona Public Utility Opens Solar Energy Storage Facility
  41. 2013-10-21 (October 21-25, 2013): Arizona Utility Admits to Paying Conservative Organization to Launch Ad Campaign Attacking Solar Industry
  42. January 2013: Utility Institute Report Projects Massive Loss of Revenues, Surge in Rates as Solar Energy Erodes Revenue Base
  43. Late January, 2003: North Carolina Allows Citizens to Buy Renewable Power
  44. February 2009: Federal Government Invests $90 Billion in Clean Energy Projects
  45. June 2009: Design Firm Submits Proposal for Solar-Powered Arcology in Dallas Inspired by Anasazi Dwellings
  46. July - September 2002: Upgraded Solar Aircraft Demonstrates Abilities in Telecommunications, Agriculture
  47. 0010 - 0500: Roman Bathhouses, Dwellings Use Sun to Warm Chambers; Law Recognizes ‘Sun Rights’
  48. 1200 and After: Native Americans Use Sunlight to Heat Homes
  49. 1767: First Solar Collector Built
  50. (1860 - 1880): Scientist Constructs First Solar-Powered Steam Engines