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	<title>SolarTown Blog</title>
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	<link>http://www.solartown.com/blog</link>
	<description>SolarTown blogs about solar energy products, solar policy and solar events.</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:32:30 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>New Look for SolarTown Learning Center: Learn the Ins and Outs of Solar Policy and Solar Energy Products</title>
		<link>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2012/01/new-look-for-solartown-learning-center-solar-policy-and-solar-energy-products/</link>
		<comments>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2012/01/new-look-for-solartown-learning-center-solar-policy-and-solar-energy-products/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:32:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy Products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SolarTown Current Affairs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar backpacks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy System]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar modules]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar ovens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar panel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar panels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar power products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Refrigerator]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar showers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SolarTown]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.solartown.com/blog/?p=849</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of our primary goals at SolarTown is to educate consumers on solar energy in general and solar energy products in particular. We know that you have perused the over thousand solar energy products that we are selling. We hope that you have also spent some time at SolarTown’s Learning Center to learn about solar power products. We know that our customers like our Learning Center, but as the number of articles has ballooned, it has become more unwieldy to navigate. We have put in a new interface to allow you to click on the category that you are looking for.
]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2012/01/new-look-for-solartown-learning-center-solar-policy-and-solar-energy-products/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Solar Energy Again in the Spotlight in State of the Union: Old Theme with New Shoes?</title>
		<link>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2012/01/solar-energy-again-in-the-spotlight-in-state-of-the-union-old-theme-with-new-shoes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2012/01/solar-energy-again-in-the-spotlight-in-state-of-the-union-old-theme-with-new-shoes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:01:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Solar Policy & Incentives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[clean energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nuclear energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[offshore drilling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[promoting renewable energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar module]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar panel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solyndra]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sources of energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[state of the union address]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.solartown.com/blog/?p=844</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Did you catch the State of the Union address last night? Hurray for renewable energy, but it is a speech that he could have given two years ago, pre-Solyndra. But a lot has happened in the last two years. In mild understatement, Obama conceded that, “Some technologies don’t pan out; some companies fail.” And some companies fail in a big way. Now the demise of Solyndra will be a big campaign issue, regardless of the merits of whether the federal government should have provided a loan guarantee to Solyndra. This accommodation of fossil fuel is simply recognition that this country will be dependent on non-renewable sources of energy for decades to come. Whether Obama’s moderate energy vision will gain any traction in an election year is a matter of considerable dispute. We shouldn’t lose hope that some energy policy will emerge, but don’t count on much progress in this election year.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2012/01/solar-energy-again-in-the-spotlight-in-state-of-the-union-old-theme-with-new-shoes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Solar Makes Sense for Rural Electrification: My Off-Grid Solar Energy System in Brazil</title>
		<link>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/12/solar-makes-sense-for-rural-electrification-my-off-grid-solar-energy-system-in-brazil/</link>
		<comments>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/12/solar-makes-sense-for-rural-electrification-my-off-grid-solar-energy-system-in-brazil/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:58:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Solar Around the World]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Home Panels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home solar panels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[off grid home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[off grid system]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rural electrification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar batteries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar energy in Brazil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy System]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar modules]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.solartown.com/blog/?p=831</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My family installed a solar energy system in rural Brazil twelve years ago. A little bit of social consciousness and a lot of economic reasons persuaded us that solar energy was the way to go for our home in Minas Gerais in the interior of Brazil. This is our first-hand account of how and why we went solar. Access to the house was and still is restricted to one dirt road. At the time, there was no electricity, since power lines stopped several kilometers away from us. For the first two years, kerosene lamps lit our lives at night. The electricity grid was not and has not been extended, despite our good efforts. In 1999, we decided to buy the property and install home solar panels to replace the kerosene lamps, radically transforming our electricity consumption there. For twelve years, solar energy has provided us with reliable electricity in the temperate rainforest in Brazil. Lack of infrastructure, a need for electricity and a desire to do the right thing toward the community convinced us to install solar energy in this rural and remote place…and the cherry on top is that we have never and will never receive an electricity bill in the mail.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/12/solar-makes-sense-for-rural-electrification-my-off-grid-solar-energy-system-in-brazil/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Solar Gifts 2011 Light Up the Holidays</title>
		<link>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/11/solar-gifts-2011-light-up-the-holidays/</link>
		<comments>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/11/solar-gifts-2011-light-up-the-holidays/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:10:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy Products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eco Friendly Gifts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eco gifts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green gifts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[outdoors products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Electronics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar gift ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar gifts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar landscape]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar landscape lights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar lights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Oven]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar panels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar power products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar powered lights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar shower]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar showers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.solartown.com/blog/?p=817</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Look here for the top ten solar gifts for this holiday season. You are getting nervous as the holiday season approaches and you don't have any ideas of what to get your eco minded friends and relatives. Please do not fret as we are offering all kinds of green and solar gift ideas for every budget and for every taste.  A solar gift for the holidays is just what you are looking for. You will notice some repeats from previous years, just more efficient and better quality. The basic technology has not changed very much in decades. We continue to think that solar landscape lights make terrific gifts. The quality and brightness of our selection of solar powered lights continues to improve every year so take a look at our featured products or just browse our solar lights and garden section. Check out these and other solar gift ideas.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/11/solar-gifts-2011-light-up-the-holidays/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cash Grant for Solar Energy Products Terminus Redux</title>
		<link>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/11/cash-grant-for-solar-energy-products-terminus-redux/</link>
		<comments>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/11/cash-grant-for-solar-energy-products-terminus-redux/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 2011 23:07:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Solar Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Policy & Incentives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[clean coal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[government incentives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[investment tax credit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar energy industries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy Industries Association]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy Industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar panels]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.solartown.com/blog/?p=813</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I know that you may have a heck of a time trying to give up with the jargon, and your Latin may be rusty since high school. One thing if for sure: the solar industry is hoping for a minor miracle that the cash grant program will be extended. The solar energy industry is still dependent on government incentives and the cash grant is the most effective of all of government support for the solar industry.  The naysayers will roll their eyes: “Handouts are for losers,” they grumble. Tell that to every other energy industry that have received generous support over the years.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/11/cash-grant-for-solar-energy-products-terminus-redux/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>SolarTown Offers Free Shipping</title>
		<link>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/11/solartown-offers-free-shipping/</link>
		<comments>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/11/solartown-offers-free-shipping/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:46:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy Products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SolarTown Current Affairs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[free shipping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[free shipping policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[promotional code]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar backpack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Electronics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar gifts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar lights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar power products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar powered lights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar radio]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.solartown.com/blog/?p=809</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you are getting your holiday gift lists ready, you will definitely need to include some solar gifts for your friends and relatives who are energy conscious. SolarTown is now offering free standard shipping in the Continental US on orders over $49 on most of our solar energy products. At this time, you will need to enter promo code freeship during checkout to receive this offer.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/11/solartown-offers-free-shipping/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>SolarTown Awarded GSA Contract for Solar Energy Products</title>
		<link>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/11/solartown-awarded-gsa-contract-for-solar-energy-products/</link>
		<comments>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/11/solartown-awarded-gsa-contract-for-solar-energy-products/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:00:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[SolarTown Current Affairs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freezer packages]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[general services administration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[government purchasers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[government sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gsa contract]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gsa schedule]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy Products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar ovens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar power products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Refrigerator]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar refrigerators]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.solartown.com/blog/?p=798</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are pleased that we have a contract vehicle for SolarTown to sell solar power products to the government.  We are pleased to offer solar ovens, solar refrigerators, solar freezers, and solar refrigerator and freezer packages, and we will be adding more products to our GSA schedule. If you are a government purchaser, you can save a lot of time by ordering from SolarTown's GSA schedule. ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/11/solartown-awarded-gsa-contract-for-solar-energy-products/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Occupy DC Protesters and Solar Energy</title>
		<link>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/10/occupy-dc-protesters-and-solar-energy/</link>
		<comments>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/10/occupy-dc-protesters-and-solar-energy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:05:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy Products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar backpack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar bag]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Electronics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar kits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar ovens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Portable Charger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar portable module]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar power products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar shower]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.solartown.com/blog/?p=792</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What do you do if you are protesting corporate greed in the Nation’s Capital and spending the night in McPherson Square? Do you fire up that old diesel generator that is going to contribute to global warming? Surely not, when there are solar energy alternatives. One of the protesters visited SolarTown’s offices.What solar power products do you have for me, she asked. Like a lot of customers who call us, she wanted to find out what solar energy products you can use off the grid. She purchased a portable solar shower—make that two, she said. It is sunny today in Washington, DC, but unseasonably cold. So if you want to see some protestors across from the White House bathing in warm water from a portable solar shower, you should get down to McPherson Square today. Dress warmly.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/10/occupy-dc-protesters-and-solar-energy/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why the US Needs a National Solar Energy Policy</title>
		<link>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/10/why-the-us-needs-a-national-solar-energy-policy/</link>
		<comments>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/10/why-the-us-needs-a-national-solar-energy-policy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:16:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Solar Policy & Incentives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy policy act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[itc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[renewable energy policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy Industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar energy policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar installation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar power]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.solartown.com/blog/?p=786</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Is this any way to drive an industry? The answer is a resounding no. The US has virtually no federal renewable energy policy, and almost by accident has become a major solar market in the world despite itself. Many naysayers like to frame the argument in terms of subsidies and handouts, but virtually all forms of energy get some form of governmental support, which for those industries is called policy—somehow people call it subsidies when referring to support for the solar industry and other renewable energy. What makes the solar energy industry special is the extent to which it has had to depend on a patchwork of state and local incentive structures that are as fragile as the state and local budgets to which they are beholden. As local budgets tighten, the windows close leaving many homeowners out of luck and out of patience. Only those who have been able to maneuver their way to the front of the line get the reward. As states cut back on their budgets, solar support has become precarious. Underfunded and handled on a state-by-state basis, failed incentives are leaving homeowners who want to put solar panels on their homes out in the cold and the market unstable and unpredictable. There is a clear need for a stable, long-term federal incentive structure and Congress and the Administration should see that it is in the interest of the country to forge this policy sooner than later.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/10/why-the-us-needs-a-national-solar-energy-policy/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What the #%*!? is Going on in the Solar Energy Industry?</title>
		<link>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/10/what-the-is-going-on-in-the-solar-energy-industry/</link>
		<comments>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/10/what-the-is-going-on-in-the-solar-energy-industry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:33:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Solar Home Panels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Policy & Incentives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[discount solar panel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[evergreen solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grant program]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home solar panels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[investment tax credit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar companies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar energy business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar energy companies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar energy stocks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar incentives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar panels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[state incentives]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.solartown.com/blog/?p=775</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The whirl of events have left even the closest market observers shaking their heads in disbelief at how much has changed in the solar industry over the past several months. The solar industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. Just how much is the solar energy business growing in the US. Well, a lot if you are counting watts. If you take the second quarter of 2010, 186 megawatts was installed; 2011, 314 megawatts, or an increase of 69%. The irony is that despite this explosive growth in the solar industry and a lot more people putting solar panels on their roofs, solar companies are getting hammered. Their margins are being squeezed and they are not making much money. I am not even talking about the woes of Evergreen Solar, which filed for bankruptcy and is down 99% year-to-date. We won’t even talk about the spectacle of Solyndra, the financial problems of which may only be the least of the problems for some of the executives there. (When the FBI comes knocking on your door, they are usually not bringing gifts.) If you are or were an investor in solar energy stocks, don’t even look at your stock holdings unless you want to barf up your breakfast. But if you are a homeowner interested in a home solar panel system, you may still be smiling as prices have come way down.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.solartown.com/blog/2011/10/what-the-is-going-on-in-the-solar-energy-industry/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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