University of California, San Diego (UCSD), in collaboration with UC Davis will use a two-year, US $700,000 grant from the California Energy Commission to expand the development and use of solar energy in the state. The new California Solar Energy Collaborative will analyze existing solar research, facilitate research in gap areas where existing data are insufficient and develop consensus among key solar stakeholders based on this research by tracking the evolving landscape of solar technology development and use in California.

This new collaborative is intended to help California achieve an ambitious target of installing 3,000 MW of solar in California by 2017. One of the Solar Collaborative's goals is to help establish comprehensive energy policy for the State of California, including the development of roadmaps for introducing solar technologies to the state. UCSD and UC Davis will also work to determine which solar technologies will be most efficient by evaluating market and growth trends, as well as regulatory, economic and financial constraints and barriers.

This work falls under the California Energy Commission's California Renewable Energy program, which includes three other existing collaboratives focused on biomass, geothermal and wind energies. The total funding for all four initiatives, including the Solar Energy Collaborative, is US $3 million.

By Vasil Sidorov on April 20, 2009 after RenewableEnergyWorld.com