Following a hot fourth of July the solar industry is heating up. This week get ready for a series of new introductions from the Intersolar conference in San Francisco. Looking back at last week Houston became one of the greenest cities in the U.S., meanwhile Louisiana upheld net-metering, giving that state a chance to become greener and solar advocates in Arizona are pushing hard to make sure solar incentives there aren’t compromised or diluted.  

Houston became one of the greenest cities in the country recently when the city chose to purchase 50 percent of its power from green sources late last month. In late June Houston signed up to purchase more than 140 megawatts of green energy annually from its utility, Reliant Energy, an NRG Energy company. The deal, which runs through June 1 2013, to July 30, 2015 will make it the largest green city in the country. Though in terms of overall green energy use on a percentage basis, Oak Park, Ill., is currently sourcing 91.9 percent of its electric use from green sources. 

Louisiana also gave green energy a vote of confidence, when the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) upheld net metering in the Crescent State recently. The head commissioner had proposed a regulation changes that would have ended net-metering in the state the proposal was voted out on a three to two margin. The victory for solar was attributed in part to solar activists and the Voices of Louisiana Solar Campaign. 

Similarly net-metering is under attack in Arizona. There The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC) is fighting a renewed attack on net-metering led by Arizona Public Service (APS). Last week the organization delivered a counterpunch requesting the Arizona Corporate Commission, which approves utility rates in the state, a letter requesting that it consider raising—not eliminating PV net-metering rates in the state. 

To help bring down the soft costs of solar farther requires addressing the soft costs—non-system costs—of solar. This includes making the permitting an inspection processes easier and quicker. That’s what the recently launched Project Permit intends to do. The program, which rates local permitting processes throughout the country was launched by the Vote Solar Initiative recently and features tools to show local officials how and why they should make permitting solar easier. 

Another way to make solar more cost-competitive with other energy sources—if not downright cheaper—is to rethink pricing of electricity across the board in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. That’s what a new report from Next 10 suggests California regulators should do if the state is to meet its emissions reduction goals.

While Christians will call themselves the shepherds of the earth, many denominations within the faith continue to avoid taking a stance on climate change and renewable energy. That’s no longer the case with the United Church of Christ, a Protestant denomination with more than 5,200 churches and 1 million members across the U.S. Last week the church announced a new climate change program that will divest itself from fossil fuels and fossil fuel investment as soon as 2018. The resolution was introduced and approved at its national convention in California last week. It became the first major U.S. religious institution to take an aggressive stance to reduce its interest in fossil fuels.