Hat tip to Street Insider for the following analyst comments on FSLR following earnings:
Citi: 09 guidance cut due primarily to decision to vendor finance a portion of 09 shipments. Citi is concerned about compressing margins and increasing inventories. Maintains Hold rating but is cutting estimates and price target goes from 170 to 160
Deutsche Bank: believes FSLR may still be best positioned solar company but is cautious due to customer, industry and macro … Read the rest
Hoku Materials, Inc, has just with Stone and Webster, Inc, to redefine the company’s responsibilities in the construction of Hoku’s new polysilicon plant. Under the terms of the change order agreement, Hoku will delay engineering and construction of the trichlorosilane production area of the plant until April, and will transfer construction management services to JH Kelly, LLC.
Dustin Shindo, Hoku’s chairman and CEO, described how the change will affect the company:
“The revised scope of … Read the rest
Toshiba will construct 2 new 1,400 MW nuclear plants in Texas under an agreement with Texas utility companies NRG Energy and CPS Energy. The two new plants are being built as part of the South Texas Project, an expansion of an existing nuclear plant that provides power to NRG and CPS customers.
According to MSN Money, the new plants will be unique because "They will be the first in the U.S. that are advanced boiling … Read the rest
Suntech just announced that they have signed an exclusive distribution contract for the North American market with Eagle Roofing. Under the agreement, Eagle Roofing will incorporate Suntech’s SolarBlend(tm) roof tiles into the Eagle Solar roof. Eagle expects that this agreement will lead to the SolarBlend tiles being installed in over 1,000 homes. Eagle will also offer Suntech’s Black Label(TM) STP 175S – 24/Ab-1 175-watt modules to its customers. Along with Suntech’s products, Eagle will also … Read the rest
A major milestone amidst the solar doom and gloom…
Despite bleak estimates for the next few quarters, there are reasons to remain very optimistic on FSLR. The company announced it broke the $1/watt barrier today saying that it has produced a solar cell with a cost of .98/watt and expects to meet its target of producing cells with a cost of .65 – .75 watt by 2012 which would be in line with traditional energy … Read the rest
First Solar (FSLR), the best of breed thin film solar producer, smashed estimates after the bell today reporting an EPS of $1.61. That was well ahead of estimates of $1.30 and more than double over the year ago quarter. Revenues also more than doubled over the year ago quarter with the company posting 4Q revenues of $433.7. Indeed, a very impressive quarter but wall st doesn’t care about what you did lately, they care about … Read the rest
Suntech is planning on expanding its Japanese market. In 2009, the company expects Japanese sales to be approximately 400-500 MW, according to JLM Pacific Epoch.
At first, the company "will focus on exporting monocrystalline modules." However, as part of its expansion plans, Suntech will also set up 100 stores across the country to sell solar-powered household goods to Japanese consumers. On March 1st, Suntech will launch a subsidy system in Japan. … Read the rest
Although GE may deliver 14 percent fewer wind turbines worldwide in 2009, deliveries to China are up. GE says that its Chinese deliveries will double for the next two years as China’s wind market expands by leaps and bounds. From AIndianews.com, here are more details and comments from GE leadership:
… Read the restShipments will jump to 320 this year from 159 in 2008, and double again to 600 in 2010, Steve Fludder, head of GE’s environmental
NRG Energy just announced that it purchased the development rights to 500 MW of solar projects that use eSolar’s solar technology. NRG plans to develop these projects and take them to completion. Here’s more from an open letter NRG issued to its shareholders:
… Read the restWhile this acquisition does not represent a substantial upfront commitment of NRG capital—less than $10 million—it nonetheless signifies a meaningful step forward in NRG’s efforts to be a leader in solar development
Evergreen Solar (ESLR) announced this afternoon that the first stage of construction is nearly complete for one of Germany’s largest solar installations. The roof of a tunnel on Germany’s A3 highway will be outfitted with 16000 Evergreen Solar panels on 2.7 km and generate 2.8MW of energy which is enough to power around 600 homes annually.
“This project is a testament to the fact that when both government and developers work together in a … Read the rest