Hoku Scientific CEO Dustin Shindo told the HonoluluAdvertiser.com that the company expects to have part of its Pocatello, Idaho plant up and running by the end of this year. At full speed, the $390 million plant will employ approximately 200 workers to produce 4,000 metric tons of silicon per year.
The plant should have power by June or July, according to Shindo, who stated "One of the reasons we selected Pocatello and the state of … Read the rest
Applied Materials just launched a revolutionary new product called the HCT MaxEdge Wire Saw. Why is this revolutionary? The saw uses a dual-wire management system with four independently-controlled direct drive motors and advanced process control to reduce wire tension. Lower wire tension reduces wire wear, decreases ingot scrap and unplanned downtime, and most importantly, allows silicon to be cut into thinner wafers without reducing their throughput capacity. So, solar PV manufacturers will be able to … Read the rest
The Australian division of ABB Ltd assisted Oceanlinx in the production of a 250kW Wave Energy Conversion prototype. The prototype is capable of extracting energy from waves and either converting it to electricity for general use or using it to power saltwater desalinization facilities. Oceanlinx developed the technology, but ABB participated in modifications and installation of the Wave Energy Conversion unit hood and steel work.
Oceanlinx’s CEO, Stuart Weylandsmith, complimented ABB on the work it … Read the rest
NRG Energy has issued an open letter to its shareholders regarding Exelon’s attempt to force a merger between the two companies. The letter argues that Exelon’s offer is not high enough to be fair to NRG’s stockholders and that NRG’s recent deals with Reliant Retail and eSolar have added value to the company. In the letter, NRG also expressed concern about Exelon’s financial standing, including its relative value, financing plan and managing plan.
Here is … Read the rest
Ener1 (HEV), the developer of lithium ion technology for electric cars, reported a 4th quarter revenue surge but the development stage company continues to rack up losses on the earnings side of the coin. The company reported record quarterly revenue of $6.3 million but lost .12/share in the quarter due to an increase in R&D and admin costs.
The company finished 08 with $14 million in cash along with a $30 million loan facility to … Read the rest
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. and the City of Santa Barbara have announced the activation of the City of Santa Barbara’s first large solar power system. The 384 KW system system uses Suntech modules and is capable of producing 550,000 kWh of clean energy per year, taking out the equivalent of 191 metric tons of CO2.
"Working with the City of Santa Barbara and Tioga Energy has been a pleasure for Suntech," said Marco Garcia, … Read the rest
LDK Solar is planning to expand into the European PV station market through a partnership with Q-Cells SE, one of the world’s top solar cell producers, according to TradingMarkets.com. Up until now, LDK had not attempted to stake out part of the PV station sector. Here’s how TradingMarkets.com expects the move to benefit the company:
… Read the restThe win-win cooperation will help LDK Solar and Q-Cells win more orders, once the silicon market warms up, estimated
According to StreetInsider.com, Piper Jaffray is out with a Sell rating on LDK after the company reported poor earnings yesterday and slashed the price target from $9 to $3. Here are Piper’s notes on LDK:
– steadily deteriorating balance sheet
– plan to construct a polysilicon plan too much of a risk and possible liquidity drain
– hundreds of millions of customer prepayments that had been promised to fund the new plant are now … Read the rest
3rd Rock Systems of San Francisco and Suntech Power (STP) have announced a strategic alliance in developing 7.2MW of solar power within the US. 3rd Rock will be the developer and leverage existing relationships to raise project financing while Suntech will supply the solar modules, engineering and construction services through its subsidiary, Suntech Energy Solutions.
“This alliance creates an excellent opportunity to leverage 3rd Rock’s expertise in monetizing a broad variety of tax credits, loans … Read the rest
ReneSola (SOL) reported an expected EPS loss in the 4th quarter, posting a loss of .05/share on revenues of $158.6 million which was a touch above estimates and 65% over the year ago quarter. The quarter marks the first time in 2 years that the company didn’t post sequential quarterly revenue growth. For the full year 2009, the company expects sales of $650 – 700 million, vs the analyst expectation of $700 million
RenSola … Read the rest