Atlanta Business Chronicle: Georgia Gov. Signs Bill Letting Solar Installers Offer Third-Party Financing

Georgia property owners will get more affordable options for installing solar panels at their homes and businesses under a bill Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law Tuesday.

The legislation, which sailed through the General Assembly unanimously, will let solar installers offer customers third-party financing of installations. That’s a major change from the old law, which required customers to pay up front.

TechCrunch: FTC Officials Back Tesla’s Right to Sell Cars Direct to Consumers

Key officials at the FTC aren’t mincing words in a new post defending the right of manufacturers to sell directly to consumers: Part of the U.S. regulatory trade organization’s executive team detailed its wider position following the publication of a letter of comment specific to new legislation in Michigan that would ease that state’s blanket ban on manufacturer-direct sales, but only for a unique new category of vehicle dubbed “autocycles.”

Tesla has long borne the brunt of these kinds of state laws, which were ostensibly first put in place to protect consumers, but which now serve largely to protect third-party dealer interests.

Reuters: India Eyes $1.1 Billion Solar Loan From German Bank KfW

German development bank KfW could lend India $1.1 billion for rooftop solar projects, on top of another loan it has extended to help the Asian country fund its ambitious green energy plans, India's top renewable energy bureaucrat told Reuters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to quintuple India's renewable energy capacity to 175 gigawatts by 2022, making clean energy part of his fight against climate change without necessarily committing to a timeline for emission cuts.

Guardian: FBI Spied on Keystone XL Opponents

The FBI breached its own internal rules when it spied on campaigners against the Keystone XL pipeline, failing to get approval before it cultivated informants and opened files on individuals protesting against the construction of the pipeline in Texas, documents reveal.

Internal agency documents show for the first time how FBI agents have been closely monitoring anti-Keystone activists, in violation of guidelines designed to prevent the agency from becoming unduly involved in sensitive political issues.

Concord Monitor: Solar Demand Is Up in New Hampshire, but Rebates May Be on the Way Out

Solar energy companies are expanding in New Hampshire, even though the state budget threatens to wipe out a fund many say is vital to the industry.

SolarCity, a nationwide solar company, recently announced it would open up shop in New Hampshire. The California-based company employs a business model that allows customers to lease panels and save money on electric bills, as opposed to buying the solar technology upfront.

But that solar market expansion comes at a time when renewable energy advocates are decrying a move by the New Hampshire House to pull roughly $50 million from the state’s renewable energy fund to patch a hole in its budget plan.