Saturday, November 28, 2009

Nov 23-27: Stocks Take Dubai World of Hurt


Get yourself a man-made island...

About $60 billion in debt is in danger of default by Dubai World, a state-owned conglomerate in the Middle East. This is the company making those surreal palm-shaped island resorts for the world's mega-rich. Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates, which figuratively mints money with black gold. (Ed.: One would wonder how an area so enriched by gross oil revenues could ever be over-extended on credit.) According to the Dubai World website, the conglomerate Fortunately however, it looks as though most debt liability will be taken by European institutions as most lenders in Europe are generally exposed to the Middle East.

Still, the possible default had a negative impact late this week on U.S. stocks, helping to set back the Dow down eight points and the NASDAQ about seven. The 20 Solar Stocks Index (20SSI) dipped just over five points. Fifteen of the 20 stocks finished down but none by much. Canadian Solar continued its strong position in the PV industry with a 51 cents per share gain, the index leader.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of Nov 23-27, 2009

Monday Open Friday Close Up/Down % Change Close 1/5/09* Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA 10318.16 10309.92 -8.24 -.0799% 8952.89 6626.95
NASDAQ 2146.04 2138.44 -7.600 -.3554 1628.03 1293.85






Akeena Solar AKNS 1.07 .95 -.12 -12.63 2.28 .61
Amtel Systems ASYS 6.15 6.20 +.05 +.8130 4.00 2.73
Applied Materials AMAT 12.28 12.29 +.01 +.0814 10.67 8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ 21.01 21.52 +.51 +2.427 7.00 3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER 10.57 10.15 -.42 -4.138 29.33 17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB .1071 .1140 +.0069 +6.442 .28 .23
Evergreen Solar ESLR 1.47 1.39 -.08 -5.755 3.60 1.03
First Solar FSLR 121.18 120.30 -.88 -.7315 157.80 108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR 4.74 4.83 +.09 +1.898 4.00 4.02
JA Solar JASO 3.96 3.83 -.13 -3.394 5.09 1.91
Kyocera KYO 78.90 78.65 -.15 -.3178 71.87 54.21
LDK Solar LDK 7.89 7.61 -.28 -3.679 14.84 4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR 12.08 12.06 -.02 -.1658 15.76 13.68
Renesola SOL 4.08 3.85 -.23 -5.974 5.15 2.1201
Satcon SATC 2.02 1.97 -.05 -2.538 1.60 1.23
SolarFun SOLF 6.64 6.39 -.25 -3.912 6.12 2.30
SunPower SPWRA 21.48 20.05 -1.43 -7.132 45.13 23.39
SunTech STP 15.18 14.18 -1.00 -7.052 13.55 5.34
Trina Solar TSL 44.43 44.13 -.30 -.6798 10.09 7.23
Yingli YGE 13.75 13.37 -.38 -2.842 7.25 3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative: Previous 389.09 Current 383.83 Change -5.26/+1.37% Avg Stock -2.091% 1/05/09* 415.41 3/06/09** 266.01
* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** The Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.
NOTE: All above stocks have market capitalization of $100M+ except Akeena Solar, Amtel Systems
and Entech Solar. This listing is strictly informational and implies neither endorsement or disapproval
of any stock listed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.


allvoices

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Nov 16-20: Solar Tops Dow, NASDAQ


Third straight positive week for solar

The 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI) gained just over 6 points for the week but it was enough for a 1.58% rise since last Friday. The Dow hopped about 48 points for about a .5% gain; the NASDAQ actually lost 22 points, slightly over a 1% drop.

MarketWatch reports most U.S. stocks ended the week with losses but small gains in health care stocks and consumer-related shares kept things from being worse. Although solar stocks did fairly well, most tech stocks were the biggest losers.

Twelve companies in the 20SSI finished ahead; average increase per stock was 2.64%. It was the third consecutive week of gains for the index and LDK Solar, SolarFun, Canadian Solar, Trina Solar and Akeena Solar lead the pack. SunPower was the week's biggest loser, dropping 23%.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of Nov 16-20, 2009

Monday Open Friday Close Up/Down % Change Close 1/5/09* Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA 10270.47 10318.16 +47.66 +.4643% 8952.89 6626.95
NASDAQ 2167.88 2146.04 -21.84 -1.017 1628.03 1293.85






Akeena Solar AKNS .95 1.07 +.12 +12.63 2.28 .61
Amtel Systems ASYS 5.80 6.15 +.35 +6.034 4.00 2.73
Applied Materials AMAT 12.72 12.28 -.44 -3.583 10.67 8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ 18.45 21.01 +2.56 +13.87 7.00 3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER 10.94 10.57 -.37 -3.500 29.33 17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB .1200 .1071 -.0129 -12.04 .28 .23
Evergreen Solar ESLR 1.48 1.47 -.01 -.6802 3.60 1.03
First Solar FSLR 118.30 121.18 +2.88 +2.434 157.80 108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR 4.72 4.74 +.02 +.4237 4.00 4.02
JA Solar JASO 4.12 3.96 -.16 -4.040 5.09 1.91
Kyocera KYO 81.11 78.90 -2.21 -2.801 71.87 54.21
LDK Solar LDK 6.39 8.00 +1.61 +25.19 14.84 4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR 13.07 12.08 -.99 -8.195 15.76 13.68
Renesola SOL 4.05 4.08 +.03 +.7407 5.15 2.1201
Satcon SATC 1.92 2.02 +.10 +5.208 1.60 1.23
SolarFun SOLF 5.59 6.64 +1.05 +18.78 6.12 2.30
SunPower SPWRA 26.42 21.48 -4.94 -22.19 45.13 23.39
SunTech STP 13.72 15.18 +1.46 +10.64 13.55 5.34
Trina Solar TSL 39.70 44.43 +4.73 +12.67 10.09 7.23
Yingli YGE 13.45 13.75 +.30 +2.230 7.25 3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative: Previous 383.02 Current 389.09 Change +6.07/+1.58% Avg Stock +2.64% 1/05/09* 415.41 3/06/09** 266.01
* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** The Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.
NOTE: All above stocks have market capitalization of $100M+ except Akeena Solar, Amtel Systems
and Entech Solar. This listing is strictly informational and implies neither endorsement or disapproval
of any stock listed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.


allvoices

Friday, November 13, 2009

Nov 9-13: Dow Surges; NASDAQ, Solar Up, Too


Dow just misses Wednesday's 13-month high...

For the second consecutive week the Dow showed strong gains finishing at 10270.47 on Friday, nearly a 2.5% gain. Since Oct. 30 the index has gained a gaudy 558 points. The NASDAQ finished the week slightly stronger at 2167.88, over a 2.6% rise. The 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI) showed a modest gain of nearly five points, a 1.28% increase over last week.

MarketWatch reports Palm Inc. shares gained 8.3% during the regular trading session on the NASDAQ today and this accounts for about .9% of the index's gain. Palm's stock surge is an anticipation of Sunday's launch of the company's latest smartphone, the Pixi. Palm is working exclusively with Sprint Nextel Corp and the two launched the first webOS device, the Pre, last May. Analysts, says MarketWatch, are optimistic about Palm but suggests its webOS devices should be offered through other mobile carriers to be successful.

The Dow was aided by gains in Disney and Goodyear Tire shares.

Fifteen of the 20SSI stocks were up this week, nudging the index up for a second week. JA Solar, LDK Solar and Yingli showed appreciable gains of 10% or more. Even Applied Materials was up slightly despite announcing 1500 company-wide layoffs this week.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of Nov 9-13, 2009

Monday Open Friday Close Up/Down % Change Close 1/5/09* Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA 10023.42 10270.47 +247.05 +2.464% 8952.89 6626.95
NASDAQ 2112.44 2167.88 +55.44 +2.624 1628.03 1293.85






Akeena Solar AKNS .93 .95 +.02 +2.150 2.28 .61
Amtel Systems ASYS 5.10 5.80 +.70 +13.72 4.00 2.73
Applied Materials AMAT 12.40 12.72 +.32 +2.580 10.67 8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ 16.78 18.45 +1.67 +9.995 7.00 3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER 11.49 10.94 -.55 -5.027 29.33 17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB .1400 .1200 -.02 -16.66 .28 .23
Evergreen Solar ESLR 1.42 1.48 +.06 +4.225 3.60 1.03
First Solar FSLR 117.93 118.30 +.37 +.3137 157.80 108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR 5.24 4.72 -.52 -11.02 4.00 4.02
JA Solar JASO 3.71 4.12 +.41 +11.05 5.09 1.91
Kyocera KYO 83.95 81.11 -2.84 -3.501 71.87 54.21
LDK Solar LDK 5.74 6.39 +.65 +11.13 14.84 4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR 12.66 13.07 +.41 +3.238 15.76 13.68
Renesola SOL 3.95 4.05 +.10 +2.531 5.15 2.1201
Satcon SATC 2.00 1.92 -.08 -4.166 1.60 1.23
SolarFun SOLF 5.12 5.59 +.47 +.0918 6.12 2.30
SunPower SPWRA 26.60 26.42 -.18 -.6813 45.13 23.39
SunTech STP 12.70 13.72 +1.02 +8.031 13.55 5.34
Trina Solar TSL 38.18 39.70 +1.52 +3.981 10.09 7.23
Yingli YGE 12.14 13.45 +1.31 +10.79 7.25 3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative: Previous 378.18 Current 383.02 Change +4.84/+1.28% Avg Stock +2.14% 1/05/09* 415.41 3/06/09** 266.01
* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** The Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.
NOTE: All above stocks have market capitization of $100M+ except Akeena Solar, Amtel Systems and Entech Solar. This listing is strictly informational and implies neither endorsement or disapproval of any stock listed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.


allvoices

Friday, November 6, 2009

Nov 2-6: Dow, NASDAQ Up Over 3%; Solar Almost 2%


Solar holding its own...

MarketWatch reported today says a surge in GE stocks helped the DJIA go above 10,000 again after a two-week losing period. Week's end closing showed the Dow up 3.2% and NASDAQ up 3.3% while solar stocks in the 20SSI gained about 1.9% since last Friday.

As expected, declines for the Dow were lead by financials and conventional energy firms, which were effected by a $2 per barrel drop in oil. MarketPlace said about half of the Dow's gain could be attributed to a 6.2% spike in GE after analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein and Oppenheimer upgraded the conglomerate to a "outperform" rating.

Market players on Wall Street are disgruntled with unemployment figures but all-out panic has been tempered simply by 22 consecutive months of job losses. Bulls are pointing to month-to-month slowing of job cuts as a sign a full-blown turnaround is on its way, mayber as early as next quarter.

Meanwhile, both residential and commercial solar activity seems to be percolating nicely in California. The Ca Center for Sustainable Energy, which administers the CA Solar Initiative rebate for SDG&E customers, received 200 rebate reservations for residential installations in September after a flat August but a 350 reservation request month in July. Of course, high air-conditioning usage during these months resulting in fat electric bills can account for the solar backlash. But the surprising number of rebate reservations comes even as the rebate has triggered down to $1.55 per installed AC watt in July and now stands at $1.10 in the SDG&E service area.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of Nov 2-6, 2009

Monday Open Friday Close Up/Down % Change Close 1/5/09* Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA 9712.73 10023.42 +310.69 +3.198% 8952.89 6626.95
NASDAQ 2045.11 2112.44 +67.33 +3.292 1628.03 1293.85






Akeena Solar AKNS .94 .93 -.01 -1.075 2.28 .61
Amtel Systems ASYS 5.40 5.10 -.30 -5.882 4.00 2.73
Applied Materials AMAT 12.20 12.40 +.20 +1.639 10.67 8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ 14.58 16.78 +2.20 +15.09 7.00 3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER 10.77 11.49 +.72 +6.685 29.33 17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB .1450 .1400 -.0050 -3.571 .28 .23
Evergreen Solar ESLR 1.45 1.42 -.03 -1.398 3.60 1.03
First Solar FSLR 121.93 117.93 -4.00 -3.391 157.80 108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR 5.25 5.24 -.01 -.1908 4.00 4.02
JA Solar JASO 3.83 3.71 -.12 -3.234 5.09 1.91
Kyocera KYO 83.47 83.95 -.48 -.5750 71.87 54.21
LDK Solar LDK 6.78 5.74 -1.04 -18.12 14.84 4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR 12.41 12.66 +.25 +2.014 15.76 13.68
Renesola SOL 3.68 3.95 +.27 -7.336 5.15 2.1201
Satcon SATC 2.04 2.00 -.04 -2.000 1.60 1.23
SolarFun SOLF 4.75 5.12 +.37 +7.789 6.12 2.30
SunPower SPWRA 24.81 26.60 +1.79 +7.214 45.13 23.39
SunTech STP 12.67 12.70 +.03 +.2367 13.55 5.34
Trina Solar TSL 32.52 38.18 +5.66 +17.40 10.09 7.23
Yingli YGE 11.58 12.14 +.56 +4.835 7.25 3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative: Previous 371.21 Current 378.18 Change +6.97/+1.87% Avg Stock +.8% 1/05/09* 415.41 3/06/09** 266.01
* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** The Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.
NOTE: All above stocks have market capitization of $100M+ except Akeena Solar, Amtel Systems
and Entech Solar. This listing is strictly informational and implies neither endorsement or disapproval
of any stock listed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.


allvoices

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Solar Feed-in Tariff in UK Starts in April


And a London doctor consults Solar Advice for Free...


After an active debate for two years, Great Britain will begin offering a feed-in tariff (FiT) for residents and businesses producing energy with solar photovoltaics (PV).

As of today, the tariff is set to peak at 36.5p (about 60 US cents) per kilowatt-hour produced. However, PV trade organizations in the UK--both profit and non-profit--are suggesting the tariff be bumped up another 10p to sufficiently jump start solar power in England. They point to the success of Germany which had both an attractive tariff and low-interest loans that stimulated tremendous growth for solar earlier in the decade and continuing today.

About ten days ago, Solar Advice for Free was contacted by a doctor in London who is considering taking the solar plunge. With the Dr. Stein's ascent, our exchange follows.

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009

Dear David

Your blogs are excellent!

I am a doctor but am becoming very interested in solar energy after watching a great docudrama called "Age of Stupid" that has caused a seismic shift in my awareness of global warming.

London (where I live) has little sunshine; nevertheless I heard that it is possible to generate solar electricity even on fairly overcast days. Is this correct or should I give up on the idea of promoting solar energy in England?

I would be most grateful if you could you point me to a minimum sunshine requirement before installing solar panels on my roof.

All best wishes

Mike

Dr. Mike Stein


Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009

Dr. Mike: Thank you for your kind words and for your interest in solar photovoltaics (PV).

Funny you should say London gets little sunshine. I was in Richmond in '94 for my goddaughter's confirmation and the very day I got there we stood in line to get into Wimbledon "after tea" time. It was sunny and stifling hot and it dawned on me that evening that I had traveled all the way from San Diego to England to get a sunburn!

Anyway, although I am a strong advocate for solar power I cannot mince words: You simply will not get nearly as much power from a PV installation in the UK than you would here in the American Southwest. However, you will get some appreciable production and always remember that the source is always free, as reliable as tomorrow's sunrise, and clean. During summer when your days are quite long and you to get some real solar irradiation, PV panels will kick ass, as we Americans say. But even during cloudy weather, some production is made with standard silicon panels. Some other PV technologies will work better in indirect, diffuse light.

While standard panels, made from high-grade crystal silicon respond mostly to red/infrared light which is prevalent during high, mid-day sun. Amorphous silicon (implying non-structured chemical combos) is a thin-film technology that often has a dual- or even triple-junction structure: That is, instead of just responding to red/infrared, it also responds to the blue band of the spectrum (morning daylight) and green/yellow (later afternoon). Thus the triple-junction cell begins producing a little earlier in the day and produces a little longer in the afternoon as opposed to a standard crystalline cell. There are several thin-film makers using various chemical layers but UniSolar (out of Michigan) makes the oldest triple-junction PV cell in use. UniSolar used to sell their technology as framed modules, laminates and even shingles (mimicking asphalt shingles) but only produce the laminates now which can be bonded to steel-seam roof pans (metal tongue-and groove) or bonded to single-membrane roof material (common on newer large, flat industrial buildings). Ascent Solar (Colorado) is about to come out with a line of thin-film PV that could be an alternative for you. Either UniSolar and Ascent can be found online.

The downside of most thin-film is that it is less efficient than silicon panels, thus requiring more roof or ground space to get the same output. (Generally speaking, in temperate latitudes in summer at high noon on a clear day the sun will produce 1000 watts of electricity per square meter. Today's most advanced crystalline panel-available for sale-is about 22% efficient (SunPower). Most silicon panels run 13-16% efficiency and are the most affordable. Thin-film PV runs between 5-10%. First Solar (Arizona), the most popular thin-film PV is about 5% (and cheapest per-watt cost in the world) and UniSolar is about 7%; I haven't yet heard what Ascent's will be. (Ed note: Visiting Ascent's exhibit at Solar Power International last week, the company is claiming 10-12% efficiency now and adding 1% annually for the near future.)

I read last summer the UK is considering a very attractive feed-in tariff as high as about 69 cents per kilowatt hour produced by solar power[See updated information at beginning of this article]. This would be a whopping incentive. The reason Germany's PV movement was so strong earlier this decade is because the government gave a 57-cent incentive and low-interest loans that customer's could be paid with their utility bill. Last year Germany surpassed Japan as the leader of the world in PV installations (California is a distant last but way ahead of the rest of the US). China recently made a major commitment to solar so they could be #1 before long.

Should you be an advocate for solar? Absolutely. Even with limited sunshine this source of power never needs to be mined nor drilled for nor nuclear reacted to produce electricity. And, as I said earlier, it's as reliable as tomorrow's sunrise. Cheers!

David Brands

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Dear David

Thanks for your words of encouragement and excellent information!

I always thought that it made sense to tap into the earth's largest off-shore nuclear power station so it's good to have that confirmed! I had been looking at wind and tidal power but am persuaded that solar makes much better sense for our little planet in the long term.

My intention now is to buy a solar system for my apartment (luckily I own the roof) and start reading about the science behind solar energy; and to do a correspondence course. (Have you thought about doing a series of webinars for beginners like me?)

Very good to be in touch with someone so passionate about solar!

All best wishes

Mike

allvoices
 

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