As Greentech Media reported yesterday, at least one analyst has concluded that First Solar has achieved the nirvana of green power: grid parity, or being able to produce electricity that’s as cheap as or cheaper than conventionally produced power. According to Mark Bachman, an equity analyst at Pacific Crest,First Solar’s 12.6 MW system for Sempra Generation is producing power at a cost of .075/kilowatt hour, compared to conventional power’s cost of $.09/kilowatt hour.
Greentech … Read the rest
With the Obama administration just weeks away from move in day, there are quite a few articles out there being written about ways to play the coming infrastructure and green energy boom. Much has been made of Obama’s plan to decrease our dependence on foreign oil and to a lesser degree, plans to spend big on infrastructure. Certainly infrastructure and green energy will be two big themes over the next 4 years and possibly beyond, … Read the rest
Due to delayed installation at a few large commercial project, Akeena Solar (AKNS) is cutting its 2008 annual revenue growth estimate from 30 – 40% to 25 – 20%.
“As several large commercial projects got underway during the quarter, our customers encountered construction management issues that caused the solar installation phase to be pushed out into early 2009,” said Barry Cinnamon, president and chief executive officer. “In contrast to the lumpiness of the commercial business, … Read the rest
Suntech will open a new sales and customer service office in Milan, Italy, to cater to its customers in the growing Italian solar market. Solar energy is expected to expand next year in sunny Italy, helped along by generous government subsidies of up to EUR0.49/kWh.
Here’s what Mauro Sgherri, Suntech’s Director of Sales, Italy, had to say about Suntech’s expansion:
… Read the rest“Suntech’s involvement in many of the highest profile solar projects in Europe combined
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GT Solar International announced on Friday that it will lay off 25 workers from its Merrimack solar furnace operations. No further layoffs have been announced at this time, and GT Solar states that there is still strong enough demand for its polysilicon reactors to maintain current employment levels in its other locations. The 25 workers who were cut due to a slowdown in directional solidification system (DSS) furnace production rates. Due to the economic crisis, … Read the rest
Wal-Mart and Sunpower announced the completion of Sunpower’s first solar power installation under its contract with Wal-Mart. The project, a 554-KW solar power system, will produce about 15% of the energy needed to power Wal-Mart’s Hanford, CA store.
Wal-Mart is purchasing solar power from Sunpower and other companies for 22 of its locations in California and Hawaii, reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 7,000 to 8,000 metric tons per year. As part of the … Read the rest
EMCORE released preliminary 4th quarter results today. The company performed below expectations, posting a net loss (GAAP) of $19.4 million, or .25/share. The previous year, the company had posted a loss of $17.5 million, or .34/share. Looking at the Non-GAAP numbers, net loss was 12 cents a share, well below Wall Street’s expectations of .01/share.
EMCORE advised that gap in performance was primarily related to "lower gross margins related to expenses on inventory write-downs and … Read the rest
JA Solar announced it is revising it’s guidance for the 4th quarter based on the economic slowdown.
Previously, the company had predicted revenue of RMB 1.3 billion or $191.5 million to RMB 1.5 billion or $220.9 million. However. JA Solar has reduced that expectation to about RMB 843 million or $124 million. The company still expects to earn a gross margin of between 5 to 7 percent and expects to break even on earnings/ADS.
Suntech Power (STP) is celebrating the inauguration of Israel’s largest and most efficient solar power station, which it helped to build with local company, Solarit Doral. The 50 KW rooftop farm will produce approximately 85,000 kw hours of clean energy annually.
In other news today, the company has announced a licensing agreement with Open Energy Corp (OTC: OEGY) in which Suntech will manufacture, license, distribute and market Open Energy’s solar roof tile product.
“The … Read the rest
Florida Power and Light Company, part of FPL Group, Inc, began construction of a 75 MW solar-thermal plant in Martin County, Florida. The plant, which will be constructed from 180,000 mirrors, is an addition to an existing natural gas/oil-powered power station. Once the plant becomes operation in 2010, as long as the sun is shining it will reduce fossil fuel use at the power station by using solar-thermal energy along with a combined-cycle natural gas-fired … Read the rest