Solar energy facts
Seen in www.bbc.co.uk:
Hydro & wind power facts
*On a sunny day at noon, each square metre of the earth's surface receives around 1 kilowatt of solar power.
*It is said that enough solar energy falls on the earth every second to provide all the world's energy needs for a year - the problem has been how to harness it.
*Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels convert sunlight directly into electricity that can be used in the home, but the panels are expensive to install.
*The initial outlay for a 1kilowatt system, which would give you enough electricity for 20 light bulbs, a fridge, a computer, 20" tv, cd player, mobile phone charger and fan, would be about $8,000.
*For generating large amounts of energy, that can feed into a grid, scientists are now looking at the potential of what's called Concentrating Solar Power.
Labels: Solar Energy, Solar News, Solar power
Solar Stocks Fall on Barron's Interview
Some Yesterday's news:
September 28, 2009 4:04 PM EDT
Most solar stocks are moving lower today even in light of crude oil which finished slightly higher this afternoon. Traders are attributing the weakness to a bearish article in Barron's over the weekend. The Claymore/MAC Global Solar Index ETF (NYSE: TAN), or the TAN, is down more than 1.2% today.
The publication did an interview with Hapoalim Securities Gordon Johnson, a noted-solar bear for quite some time now (October 2008). The analyst is currently expecting supply within the PV sector of 7.1GW for 2009 and 10.8GW for 2010. Looking at demand, Johnson is modeling for 4.3-4.5GW this year and about 6GW next year. Bottom line, "things will remain challenging for the solar companies."
Johnson believes solar stocks have recently run due to unwarranted excitement related to a recent announcement out of China that it will consider a local feed-in tariff. The analyst believes that this recent rally allows bearish investors a great entry point to short.
Labels: solar ETF, Solar News, Solar Stocks, TAN
New World PV Efficiency Record
Making solar cells and modules as efficient at converting light to electricity as possible has been a long-standing goal in the solar photovoltaic space. Much progress has been made in the past few years, but this week world-record breaking efficiencies were reached...
Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. announced that it has beaten all previous records, including its own, for multi-crystalline silicon module conversion efficiency. The new world-record conversion efficiency (aperture area only) was measured at 16.53% by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.
Suntech's world-record breaking multi-crystalline silicon module is powered by Pluto PV cells utilizing solar grade silicon with each PV cell having a conversion efficiency well over 17%.
...
Sunovia Energy Technologies Inc and EPIR Technologies, said that they have fabricated single-junction and two-junction cadmium telluride (CdTe) based solar cells that have far surpassed the long-standing world record open circuit voltage (Voc) for thin-film CdTe solar cells.
The companies' single-junction and two-junction devices exceeded the highest Voc values ever reported publicly by research institutions on thin film CdTe solar cells, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and others, by over 45%.
Full article
sourceLabels: solar cells, solar efficiency, Solar power, Solar Stocks, Solar Technology, Suntech Power
Ascent Solar shares jump
Shares of Ascent Solar Technologies Inc. jumped Wednesday on news that the solar company signed a multiyear supply agreement with TurtleEnergy LLC, a New Jersey-based photovoltaic systems integrator.
Ascent Solar shares rose $1.22, or 17.4 percent, to $8.22 in afternoon trading.
On Wednesday the company said it has agreed to deliver up to 67 megawatts of its high-efficiency flexible CIGS photovoltaic modules - or solar cells made from copper, indium, gallium and selenium - during the five-year contract period. Shipping is scheduled to begin early next year.
Rodman & Renshaw analyst Amit Dayal said he is encouraged by the company's updates on building integrated photovoltaic supply agreement developments.
"These are good indications for the market's reception of Ascent Solar's technology," Dayal said.
Dayal maintained a rating of "Market Outperform" and a $10 price target.
ForbesLabels: Ascent Solar Technologies Inc., ASTI, Solar News, Solar Stocks
Eye on Insiders: First Solar
Watching insiders is like participating in a weeks-long stakeout. You expect something to happen, but you don't know what. So you settle in, sip your coffee, and wait for clues to solving the big case.
Here, the "case" is direction: Which way is your stock headed? The "clues" come in the form of insider buying and selling action. Have a look at First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) over the past year.
Continue reading on
Fool.comLabels: First Solar Inc, FSLR, Solar News, Solar Stocks
First Solar 2 GW solar power plant in China
First Solar has announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chinese government to build a 2 GW solar power plant in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, China.
Phase one of the solar power plant will be a 30 MW demonstration project that will begin construction by June, 2010 and be completed as soon as practicable. Phases two, three and four will be 100 MW, 870 MW, and 1 GW. Phases two and three of the solar power plant will be completed in 2014 and Phase four will be completed by 2019.
“This major commitment to solar power is a direct result of the progressive energy policies being adopted in China to create a sustainable, long-term market for solar and a low carbon future for China,” First Solar CEO Mike Ahearn says.
“The Chinese feed-in tariff will be critical to this project,” Ahearn adds. “This type of forward-looking government policy is necessary to create a strong solar market and facilitate the construction of a project of this size, which in turn continues to drive the cost of solar electricity closer to ‘grid parity’ – where it is competitive with traditional energy sources.”
SourceLabels: First Solar Inc, FSLR, Solar Stocks, solarstocks
Solar Stocks Gapping Up
Some solar stocks gapping more than 1% for today's opening:
CSIQ 2.5%
FSLR 2.0%
STP 2.0%
Commodity prices are up and the solar sector follows.
Crude Oil and Polysilicon prices can go up until the end of this year, and pulling the whole solars along.
The chart looks overbought in the short-term but the Bulls keep pushing up:
Labels: Canadian Solar Inc., CSIQ, First Solar Inc, FSLR, solar charts, solar ETF, Solar Stocks, STP, Suntech Power, TAN
Solar Stocks Retreat
After the massive rally last week, the market is retreating as expected. Most of the Solar Stocks are in the red and would expect some bearish moves in the next few days. Maybe it's time to get back on the Short side.
First Solar, Inc. (Public, NASDAQ:FSLR) Chart gapped this morning, but it's still not obvious that we are going towards new lows, and I would prefer to see another down day tomorrow if I wanted to get Short on Solar. Just don't forget your Stops!
Labels: Bearish, First Solar Inc, FSLR, solar charts, Solar Stocks
Suntech (STP): Solar 'ChangeWave'
Some comments regarding Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (ADR) (Public, NYSE:STP):
Long-standing growth stock expert Toby Smith looks to Suntech Power (NYSE: STP: 16.42, 0.24) as a long-term investment in alternative energy. Here's the latest from his ChangeWave Investing.
"Suntech, like every other solar company, has been impacted by a lack of financing from the slow release of the Stimulus funds -- and its latest quarterly results reflect that.
"Prices for its solar panels fell 8% in Q2 and will likely drop another 15% to 20% in the current quarter. Still, Suntech's Q2 profit topped consensus by 3 cents on revenue that fell by one-third, to $321 million."
"The company has 2 gigawatts (GW) of projects in the United States and is on the short list for another 1 GW. In China, STP will probably benefit from government subsidy and tariff programs in the near future."
sourceAfter so many Bearish Analysis, STP starting rallying and just had today one week of consecutive gains. Short-term is getting overbought but don't get short with this strength across board. Mid-term trend is still sideways.
Labels: solar charts, Solar Stocks, STP, Suntech Power
State of the TAN (Solar Stock ETF)
After the recent rally, Solar Stocks now seem to be slowing down, and we could be close to the start of a Down-Swing.
Claymore/MAC Global Solar Index (ETF) is a good Benchmark for the whole Solar Stock Sector. This ETF should find a resistance near the $10 mark, with the mid-term trend still down since the last top in June.
Many of the Solar Stocks are still positive for today and I will remain Bullish until we see a reversal flag on the daily chart.
Labels: Bullish, Global Solar Index, solar charts, solar ETF, Solar Stocks
Solar Stocks keep rising
After tomorrow's big rally, some Solar Stocks keep rising today, with a special focus on positive news from First Solar, Inc. (FSLR up 5%)
Shares in Norwegian solar energy equipment maker Renewable Energy Corp. (REC.OL) rise 3.7 percent and Germany's Q-Cells' (QCEG.DE) shares rise 2.0 percent after signs of a recovery in global demand for solar power lifted U.S. peers.
First Solar (FSLR.O) said on Tuesday it plans to build the world's largest solar plant in China, while Suntech Power Holding (STP.N) said global demand for solar power has improved substantially in the last month.
"First Solar's deal is lifting REC and the entire sector," one trader says, adding there is also talk about prices for solar wafers starting to stabilise after a precipitous drop this year.
ReutersFirst Solar's Chart still looks good for mid-term Bullish moves, but lookout for a possible resistance around the $140-$150 area:
Labels: First Solar Inc, FSLR, QCE, REC, Renewable Energy Corp, Solar Stocks, STP
SolarFun Power Holdings
Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (ADR) (Public, NASDAQ:SOLF) is gapping up today, around 5%, with the following news:
Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd. ("Solarfun" or "the Company"), a vertically integrated manufacturer of silicon ingots and photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules in China, today announced that Jiangsu Linyang Solarfun Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Solarfun, has signed a letter of intent with the government of Hohhot City, the capital city of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China, to develop two solar projects with an aggregate capacity of 600MW. In support of these two projects, Solarfun also intends to construct a 100MW PV module production facility.
SourceActually most of the solar stocks traded in the US are gapping right now, so it should be an interesting opening today.
Keeping my eyes on the usual stocks: STP, FSLR, CSIQ, SPWRA
Labels: CSIQ, FSLR, Solar News, Solar Stocks, Solarfun, SOLF, SPWRA, STP
First Solar to Produce Twice as Much in 2009
Starting this week with some Solar Stock related news:
Leveraging its low-cost thin-film process, U.S.-based First Solar Inc. is set to surpass its crystalline competitors to become the world's largest producer of Photovoltaic (PV) cells in 2009, according to iSuppli Corp.
First Solar in 2009 is set to produce 1,100 Megawatts (MW) worth of solar cells, more than double the 503MW it made in 2008. This will give First Solar nearly twice as much production of total solar cells as its nearest competitor, Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. As iSuppli noted in an Aug. 10 release, SunTech in 2009 is set to become the leader of the crystalline segment, which is a subset of the total solar cell market.
Full ArticleLabels: First Solar Inc, FSLR, Solar News, Solar Stocks, STP, Suntech Power
Suntech Power Holdings Co. (STP) Goes up, and then higher
Investors and Analysts started getting very Bearish, right after the market does another relative bottom, so the Market does the opposite and STP gaps up 6% yesterday.
This is the perfect exemple of buy the bad news, sell the bad rumor, and this is the market buying, or covering the shorts, with the bad news all over the internet.
Suntech Power will probably gap up around 3% today, the chart looks good for short-term Bulls.
More in the news, now positive for Suntech Power and negative for SunPower Corp. (SPWRA)
SunPower Losing California Sales to Sharp, Suntech
SunPower Corp., the largest supplier of solar power panels in California, is losing market share to China’s Suntech Power Holdings Co. and Japan’s Sharp Corp. as developers seek cheaper modules, says Pacific Crest Securities.
Sharp has won 28.5 megawatts of solar power projects this year under the California Solar Initiative, topping SunPower’s 26.2 megawatts. Last year, developers chose SunPower for 51.9 megawatts, almost double Sharp’s 27.5 megawatts, said Mark Bachman, an analyst at Portland, Oregon-based Pacific Crest. Suntech orders year-to-date more than tripled to 15.7 megawatts.
“We expect SunPower to continue to lose share as investors are not willing to pay the premium prices for its commodity product,” Bachman said today in a note to clients. Sharp, Suntech and Germany’s Solarworld AG “are best positioned for market share wins in the U.S.”
SourceLabels: Sharp, solar charts, Solar Stocks, solarstocks, SPWRA, STP, SunPower Corp, Suntech Power
Solar Stocks ETF: TAN
Solar Stocks ETF TAN (Claymore/MAC Global Solar Index) seems to be pointing for an upswing in the short term. The 200 day moving average and the $8 area should serve as support.
In today's Opening we had a confirmation up gap, and would be nice to see this Solar Stock ETF continue higher tomorrow, confirming the upswing technical movement.
Labels: solar ETF, Solar Stocks, TAN
Solar Powered Catamaran
Solar panel manufacturer SunPower Corp. has announced its solar cells will be used by PlanetSolar's new solar catamaran.
Currently under construction, the motorised vessel is expected to be the largest of its kind and will be powered exclusively by SunPower's high-efficiency solar cells.
PlanetSolar is being built by Knierim Yacht Club, in Kiel, Germany. Construction of the solar powered catamaran is expected to be completed in February 2010 and PlanetSolar will then initially be sailing on the Baltic to conduct a series of tests in real-life conditions. Departure for the world tour from a Mediterranean port will occur in April 2011 and the journey is expected to comprise of around 140 days of navigation.
The catamaran will be home to two sailors during the round-the-world attempt, and can accommodate up to fifty people during the promotional trips planned at each port of call.
Approximately 38,000 of SunPower's solar cells will be included in the skin of the catamaran, with each cell offering a sunlight conversion efficiency of approximately 22 percent.
Labels: Solar power, Solar Projects, Solar Stocks, SPWRA
Solar Stocks Bounce Up
The 'Short Solar' News articles continue to pop-up and the more bias the analysts get, the more the markets will probably NOT follow...
I believe it's getting so obvious, in the fundamentals, that we should short solar stocks, that looking to the technical side, that information can be already discounted and the bad news could be the old news...
Today we are getting a little bounce, and considering the negative bias, I would not be admired if the Market started a short-term Bullish Rally.
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (ADR) (Public, NYSE:STP) Chart looks good for shor-term Bulls. 200 Moving Average as Support, with a nice reversal Hammer candle:
Other solar stocks with the same technical moves: FSLR, YGE, JASO
Labels: First Solar Inc, FSLR, JA Solar Holdings Co., JASO, solar charts, Solar Stocks, STP, Suntech Power, YGE, Yingli Green Energy Hold
First Solar Bearish Run
Cheap polysilicon and abundant sources are inded a threat to First Solar.
Some years ago the issue was the lack of suppliers of polysilicon, now is the crash of the commodity making a dent on the solar industry.
But you can still disagree, and if the economy gets a quick recovery, all commodities, including polysilicon, might get a speculative Bullish Rally.
Just don't try to guess where the bottom is...
First Solar (FSLR) is overvalued and faces a serious problem in the form of cheap polysilicon. Sound familiar? It should, it's been the refrain from analysts since May. Today's shot at First Solar comes from Gordon Johnson of Hapoalim Securities, on Tech Ticker.
Johnson says First Solar is a sell, with a target of $90. His argument trods well worn ground, but in case you missed it, here it is.
First Solar makes its panels out of cadmium telluride. Most of its competitors make panels out of polysilicon. Last summer, thanks to generous subsidies around the world, especially in Spain, the price of polysilicon shot up to $450 per kg. At such a high price, First Solar had an advantage on the competition.
However, the price has crashed to $60 per kg, and might fall even further, thus wiping out First Solar's advantage. First Solar had told investors not to worry, that it could compete with lowered polysilicon prices. During it's Q2 conference call, it signaled a slight change in its thinking saying it would give rebates to customers to lower the price of the panels. Another worry from Q2, the odd revenue recognition detailed by Barron's, and refuted by e4.
Full articleFirst Solar, Inc. (Public, NASDAQ:FSLR) The chart does show how deep the current Bearish Rally has taken this Solar Stock:
Labels: Bearish, First Solar Inc, FSLR, Polysilicon, Solar Stocks
