Solar panel demand finally catching up with supply
One of the biggest, most depressing stories in the solar industry has been the oversupply of panels, which drove down prices and discouraged investors for most of 2009. Now, new research out of trade research firm iSuppli, suggests that demand will catch up with supply by the end of next year — good news for the growing number of solar panel and component makers.
One of the forces deflating demand was a rollback of solar subsidies… Continue Reading
Innovalight pushes solar ink to record efficiency
Innovalight, maker of liquid-like silicon cells that convert sunlight into energy, announced that its product has achieved 18 percent efficiency, a record for so-called solar inks. Given that typical solar panels are 12 percent efficient on average, this is quite the achievement — especially considering all of the unique applications for solar cells that you can print straight onto silicon.
Verified by both the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Reneable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Germany’s Fraunhofer… Continue Reading
SunPower stock shines after earnings report bolsters solar
SunPower, acknowledged to be the second-largest solar module maker in the U.S., saw its stock price jump 28 percent today following its announcement of expectation-beating second quarter earnings. This success has not only fortified the company but is being cited by many analysts as evidence that solar will rebound and grow in the next year.
The increase in stock price sent a ripple through the solar global industry, pushing up share prices for companies like prime… Continue Reading
SunPower sells off shares, debt to raise $400M
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for public solar equipment provider SunPower. In the last five days, the company announced a deal to provide Florida utility-owner FPL Group with 600 megawatts of solar panels, posted surprisingly diminished earnings, and is now selling 9 million shares of common stock and $175 million in convertible debt in an attempt to raise about $400 million.
The San Jose, Calif.-based company says it may sell another 15 percent of… Continue Reading
Exelon seeks funds for largest urban solar plant in the U.S.
Exelon, owner of utility Commonwealth Edison, announced that it has applied for federal loan guarantees to build what it says will be the largest urban solar plant in the U.S. Located on the south side of Chicago, the project is expected to cost more than $60 million and require 32,800 solar panels to deliver energy to as many as 1,500 homes a year.
Exelon will not only build, but also own and operate the 10-megawatt plant…. Continue Reading
SunPower lands solar panel deal as its earnings drop
SunPower has scored a deal to provide 600 megawatts-worth of solar panels and components to the FPL Group, the company that owned utility Florida Power and Light, over the next three years. This could not come at a better time for SunPower, which just announced a net loss of almost $5 million for the first quarter — down from the $12 million net gain reported last year at this time.
Whether this deal will be enough… Continue Reading
The economy clouds solar’s skies
For a while, it seemed that the solar power sector would weather the downturn fairly unscathed — but it hasn’t been so lucky, at least in the short run. Not only has venture capital dried up for experimental technology startups, but fewer and fewer homeowners are able to afford upgrades like rooftop solar panels, reports the San Jose Mercury News. The frozen credit market has only made matters worse, stalling capital projects — like utility-scale… Continue Reading
Roundup: Ev Williams stumbles to the top, privacy goes obsolete, jet packs are back and more
Cisco eyeing Pure Digital? — The maker of the Flip video camera is in acquisition talks. TechCrunch has more.
Rocketeer envy going strong — The Wall Street Journal looks at the public’s fascination with jet packs, and the shape they’re taking today.
A series of fortunate events for Ev Williams – The Twitter founder recounted his haphazard ascent in the New York Times.
Nvidia takes a run at Intel — The company announced its plan to roll out an x86 microprocessor,… Continue Reading
Ausra lowers sights on solar plants, cuts staff
Solar energy company Ausra announced that it no longer plans to build massive solar thermal plants across the southwest and California desert due to poor economic conditions, shifting its focus to smaller-scale power generation plants. To weather the downturn, the Palo Alto, Calif. firm is also placing more emphasis on selling its technology and equipment assets to utilities and related companies.
For most of 2008, Ausra was working on solar plants costing up to $1 billion,… Continue Reading
Are the economies of scale in PG&E’s 800 megawatt solar installation real?
Pacific Gas & Electric, the utility that services much of northern and central California, has announced plans to buy electricity from an 800 megawatt solar panel installation, a vast project many times the size of anything currently existing.
The move is somewhat surprising, because the expectation was that utilities would first work on building more solar thermal plants, which focus sunlight with mirrors to drive steam turbines, before building large plants with costly solar panels. At… Continue Reading
Roundup: Google’s deals, Google’s staff exodus, Silverlight, SunPower and more
Giant radio station company Clear Channel signs with Google — The two companies announced a multi-year agreement that enables Google to sell a guaranteed portion of 30-second advertising inventory available on more than 675 of Clear Channel’s AM/FM stations.
Want to be acquired by Google? Don’t call them — Google takes deal-making seriously, responding to every e-mail pitch, but responding to only about 10 percent of phone calls, according to an interview with one of its dealmakers…. Continue Reading
Feds inject $168M into solar, boon for start-ups
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $168 million to 13 solar companies, many of them Silicon Valley start-ups, in what is the equivalent of manna falling from heaven for these companies.
It is cut-throat industry, where solar projects are expensive and difficult to get off the ground, but once at high-levels of production can prove efficient and profitable.
Just last week, a group of ethanol companies were awarded similar grants, to help create alternative fuels…. Continue Reading
SunPower buys PowerLight, creates solar giant
Solar panel maker SunPower has agreed to acquire solar intaller PowerLight for about $332.5 million, creating a solar giant.
The purchase will bolster the wave of investments in solar; it proves there’s a way to make profits. PowerLight had received about $20 million in backing from investors, including Bay Area Equity Fund and New Energies AG.
They are the two largest solar players in the valley, and complement each others business. SunPower, of San Jose, makes… Continue Reading
TJ Rodgers disses nano-science solar companies
TJ Rodgers is chief executive of Cypress Semiconductor, which is the primary shareholder of the fast-growing silicon panel company, SunPower.
SunPower has excelled in the market by focusing on making silicon more efficient — even if silicon looks feeble compared to promise other, newer materials. CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide), for example, is cheaper and more flexible, scientists say — it can be sprayed like paint onto just about any surface.
But Rodgers, an outspoken… Continue Reading