Applied Materials entering the competition
Applied Materials (AMAT) is now competing in the solar panel market, with more manufacturing plants, Barron's source:
Is serious competition coming to solar panel darlings First Solar (FSLR) and SunPower (SPWR)? The two’s shares traded down today after a note from Friedman, Billings, Ramsey analyst Mehdi Hosseini stated that a customer of equipment maker Applied Materials (AMAT) was able to build a panel factory in three months’ time using Applied’s tools, according to the Associated Press, signalling that Applied could boost supply in the market, which could conceivably spell sharper competition for First Solar and SunPower.
...
“Applied’s customers are attempting to make a similar thin film solution to First Solar’s that is applicable to the same end market,” he noted, “But First Solar is producing higher efficiencies than Applied on an R&D basis.”
Applied Materials Perhaps Not So Bad For First Solar, SunPowerLabels: AMAT, factory, FSLR, solar cells, SPWR
Future Apple Devices May Be Solar-Powered
Employees at Apple have filed a patent for integrating solar cells into portable devices by placing them underneath the layers of a touch-sensitive display, according to the filing.
Solar power could help make devices truly portable, freeing from the need for wires to connect them to a power supply.
When generating electricity from solar panels, the larger the panel the better -- but as the patent "Solar cells on portable devices" warns, after allowing space for buttons, screens and a way to hold the device, only a small area is left on most devices for solar cells.
Continue reading at
PC WorldLabels: Apple, ipod, isolar, solar cells, Solar Powered
Evergreen Solar signs sales contracts worth $1B
Evergreen Solar (ESLR) closed yesterday with a 20% move up, after being revealed the latest contracts won by the solar company.
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Solar panel producer Evergreen Solar Inc. said Thursday it received two long-term sales contracts worth nearly $1 billion.
The company received a $750 million deal with Germany-based Ralos Vertriebs GmbH for panel deliveries starting this year through 2013 and another deal with an unspecified U.S.-based installer.
Evergreen Solar was one of the laggards, in the solar niche, but seems to be catching up nicely with this move.
ESLR is up 2.5% in the pre-market but expect some resistance in the $12 area.
Labels: ESLR, Evergreen Solar, Solar Contracts, solarstocks
Suntech Power Earnings
Suntech Power Holdings (NYSE: STP) has posted earnings ahead of expectations. The earnings were $0.35 EPS and revenues rose 76% to $434.5 million; First Call estimates were $0.28 and $378 million. The gross margin increased to 22.2% in Q108 compared to 19.0% for Q107.
The company also sees Q2 revenues of $430 to $440 million, above the $426.62 million consensus.
PV cell production capacity was 540MW at end of the first quarter and it is on track to reach its goal of 1GW PV cell production capacity by 2008 year-end.
Suntech shares are up 2% today, contrary to the big corrections we are seeing in SOLF and CSIQ.
Expect some resistance at the $50 level, and support around $42.
Labels: CSIQ, Earnings, SOLF, STP, Suntech Power
Solarfun Power Holdings cut to sell at Goldman Sachs
Shares of Solarfun Power Holdings Co. Ltd. fell Thursday after the China-based solar cell maker was downgraded to sell from neutral at Goldman Sachs, which said it expects to see rising downward pressure on the bottom line and growing financial pressure.
The stock opened 6.5% down at $24.70 on volume of 838,000 shares.
"We believe the 53.8% run-up in Solarfun's share price since last week is mainly fueled by anticipation of strong first-quarter earnings," analyst Cheryl Tang said in a note to clients.
"Though Solarfun raised 2008 shipment guidance and its market presence has been improving ... we believe that, given muted future top-line growth and looming margin and cash flow pressure, its premium valuation is unwarranted."
full articleLabels: downgrade, Goldman Sachs, Solarfun, solarstocks, SOLF
Claymore/MAC Global Solar Index (ETF) TAN
Claymore/MAC Global Solar Index (NYSE:
TAN)
TAN is the only Solar ETF in the market right now, started trading in April and should be one of the few ways to trade a fund that follows the solarstock industry, that is being tracked in this Blog.
The solar stocks performance has been great in these last weeks and so is TAN, up more than 12% since its inception.
You can check more information about this ETF in Claymore Securities official page:
Claymore/MAC Global Solar Energy Index ETF: OverviewThis is not only a solar companies only ETF, but one that has most of its Holdings on solarstocks that I track daily:
Top Fund Holdings as of 5/20/08
Name Weighting
FIRST SOLAR INC 8.25 %
RENEWABLE ENERGY CORP AS 6.89 %
Q-CELLS AG 6.78 %
SUNTECH POWER HOLDINGS ADR 5.41 %
LDK SOLAR CO LTD-ADR 5.32 %
ENERGY CONVERSION DEVICES 5.05 %
SOLARWORLD AG 4.81 %
SOLARFUN POWER HOLDINGS CO 4.76 %
JA SOLAR HOLDINGS CO LTD 4.65 %
CANADIAN SOLAR INC 4.57 %
YINGLI GREEN ENERGY - ADR 4.35 %
SUNPOWER CORP-A 4.31 %
MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS INC 3.82 %
CENTROTHERM PHOTOVOLTAICS 3.74 %
TRINA SOLAR LTD-SPON ADR 3.51 %
SOLARIA ENERGIA Y MEDIO AMBIENTE SA 3.00 %
ERSOL SOLAR ENERGY AG 2.69 %
CHINA SUNERGY CO LTD 2.63 %
EVERGREEN SOLAR INC 2.62 %
SOLON AG FUER SOLARTECHNIK 2.40 %
MEYER BURGER TECHNOLOGY AG 2.38 %
CONERGY AG 2.21 %
ROTH & RAU AG 2.08 %
MANZ AUTOMATION AG 2.03 %
EMCORE CORP 1.74 %
Labels: Claymore, ETF, FSLR, fund, Global Solar Index, LDK, MAC, Q-CELLS AG, solar companies, solar fund, STP, TAN
Jim Cramer Bullish on First Solar
First Solar, Inc. (NDAQ: FSLR) shares edged higher in pre-market trading after CNBC's Jim Cramer revealed his bullish sentiment on the stock Monday. The solar manufacturer is admitedly one of the most expensive stocks in the industry, but the television star believes that earnings momentum will continue to propel its lofty valuation. However, Cramer recommended that investors wait to get in at a lower price.
http://investerms.com/top_news/375.html
Labels: Bullish, Cramer, First Solar, FSLR, Jim Cramer, solar
Solarfun (SOLF) up on the Pre-Market
Solarfun Power Holdings (SOLF) is up 10% on the Pre-Market, with earnings coming this week, May 21 before the opening bell.
SOLF is one of the top performers in the latest week, and seems to be recovering from a downward trend since the beginning of the year.
A solarstock to watch this week for sure:
Labels: Earnings, Power, premarket, solar, Solarfun, solarstock, solarstocks, SOLF, Stocks
Gigawatt-Scale Factory to be Built in Malaysia
Some news on Earth Times:
SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, today announced plans to build its next solar cell fabrication plant in Malaysia. When fully operational, Fab 3 is expected to have a nameplate rating in excess of 1-gigawatt of annual production capacity.
The new manufacturing facility is expected to be constructed in two phases, with the first phase comprised of 14 solar cell production lines with a nameplate capacity of 40 megawatts each. After completion of phase two, at a scale in excess of 1-gigawatt, Fab 3 is estimated to achieve materially lower capital cost per watt compared to SunPower's Fab 1 and Fab 2.
Solar cell production in Fab 3 is likely to begin in 2010, with the integrated site development planned to start later this year. SunPower will launch its manufacturing operations with its industry-leading 22 percent minimum rated Gen 2 solar cells, and expects to add production of its recently announced, higher-efficiency Gen 3 solar cells at a later date.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/sunpower-announces-third-solar-cell-fab,398804.shtml
Labels: SPWR Solar factory "solar panels"
Canadian Solar Inc. Earnings
CSIQ is soaring 28.5% up for today. I will post the charts later, since most of the solar companies I use to track are having a very good day.
Canadian Solar Q1 profit tops estimates, shares soarChina's Canadian Solar Inc (CSIQ.O: Quote, Profile, Research) posted a first-quarter profit that topped Wall Street estimates, helped by higher market demand, strong pricing and effective foreign exchange exposure management, and forecast second-quarter revenue above the market view.
Shares of the company soared more than 28 percent to an all-time high of $43.82 in midday trade, making them one of the top percentage gainers on Nasdaq.
Labels: canadian, CSIQ, Earnings, soaring, solar
Canadian Solar Inc. at new highs
Canadian Solar Inc (NASDAQ:CSIQ) was touching new historical highs last week, recovering from a long correction since the beginning of the year.
With other titles like FSLR, CSIQ has one of the best bullish trends, but expect some resistance at this levels.
CSIQ will hold a conference call on Tuesday, May 13 at 8:00 am to reveal its quarter earnings for 2008.
Many solar energy stocks are swinging up with the Crude Oil reaching new highs, above $121, and expect many stocks in the industry to start catching up, after the last Bear rally putting some companies in a very attractive position.
Labels: Canadian Solar, CSIQ, Earnings, FSLR, historical highs, solar, Solar Stocks, solarstocks, stock
Emissions from solar power technologies continue to fall
Emissions from solar power technologies continue to fall
Photovoltaic (PV) technologies which harness solar energy in solar power installations are making rapid progress. The latest life cycle analysis of four current PV systems shows a trend for all of these to have significant and increasing environmental benefits in terms of reducing emissions compared with conventional electricity production.
All forms of electricity generation create emissions at some point during their life cycle. PV systems generate sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxide emissions, resulting from the fossil energy used in production. The production of PV systems is also responsible for toxic metal emissions, including arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and nickel, as all these elements are present in fossil-fuels.
Full article at environmental-expert.comLabels: carbon, emissions, Solar power technologies
North California surging ahead on solar power
When California launched the nation's biggest solar incentive program at the beginning of 2007, the idea was to transform the landscape by installing a million solar rooftops throughout the Golden State.
The California Solar Initiative provides rebates to homeowners, businesses and nonprofit organizations that install rooftop solar panels, also known as photovoltaic systems.
Now a progress report reveals that fogbound homeowners in San Francisco and Northern California are rushing to “Go solar” at a much higher rate than residents in sunny San Diego and the rest of Southern California.
The difference is practically like night and day.
continue readingLabels: california initiative, Solar power
