Solar Energy
-
ABB Ltd. Buys Smart Grid Software Maker to Jump Ahead in Energy Management Industry
Swiss engineering company ABB Ltd. (NYSE ADR: ABB) today (Wednesday) announced it will buy software maker Ventyx for over $1 billion to strengthen its position among energy management competitors by offering smart grid electricity distribution.
ABB will integrate Ventyx into its power-systems division, allowing it to provide modern smart grid software to grid operators who want to run a more efficient distribution system. The deal represents electrical engineering companies' need to prepare energy management networks to handle an increasing supply of renewable sources, like wind and solar.
"The big advantage for energy companies, utilities and industrial customers is that they will now have a single supplier of enterprise-wide information technology platforms and power automation systems," said ABB Chief Executive Officer Joe Hogan. "The advantage for our shareholders is a cash-generating acquisition in an exciting growth market, with a strong management team, a highly complementary offering and geographic scope, and an attractive return on capital employed."
-
China, Europe Lapping the United States in the Clean Energy Race
If the United States doesn't take drastic measures to engineer new clean energy policies and investment initiatives, it will continue to take a back seat to China and Europe, which are driving the clean energy market toward a profitable future.
Both clean energy companies and a skilled workforce are heading overseas, where government policies are creating a more welcoming and promising market for clean energy products.
Take Massachusetts-based Evergreen Solar, Inc (Nasdaq: ESLR). In 2008, it used $58 million in government aid to open a new Massachusetts factory to build silicon wafers and cells and assemble solar panels. But in November 2009, it announced the assembly of solar panels would be moved to Wuhan, China, where solar panel manufacturing will cost far less than in the United States.
-
The Real Story Behind Solar Energy in 2010
By the time 2009 is in the books, the record will show that solar energy stocks endured a tough year. That's hardly a surprise, given that so many Wall Street analysts (yours truly not among them) lambasted the sector for much of the year.
Analysts also expect the carnage to continue into 2010, and are predicting losses for as many as half of the world's solar companies.
The "thought process" of a Wall Street analyst - and I use that title loosely - goes something like this:
-
Profit on the Horizon: Why Two Big Solar Stocks Will Continue Their Rebound
By Jason Simpkins Associate Editor After a strong 2007 campaign, solar stocks – and the overall clean energy sector – fell hard in the first quarter of 2008. The PowerShares Wilder Hill Clean Energy Portfolio (PBW), an industry standard, plunged nearly 30%. But now that their darkest days are behind them, solar stocks represent a [...]
-
As Solar Sector Goes Global, Investors Can Capitalize on Dawning of a New Industry
By Jason Simpkins Associate Editor Back in the 1970s, when solar energy was brand new, it took as much energy go make a solar cell as that device would produce over its 20-year lifespan. Just a decade ago, solar-cell emissions were very high – about double their current levels. But with recent technological advancements, solar [...]
-
General Motors Shifts into Growth Mode by Driving a Cleanup Effort in China
By Jason Simpkins Associate Editor Most experts view the pollution problem in China as one of the world's biggest problems. But General Motors Corp. (GM) Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner views it as one of the world's biggest business opportunities. With incomes soaring and a new wave of middle-class consumers emerging across China, car and [...]
-
Recording Demonstrates Confusion About LDK Solar Inventory Quality, WSJ Reports
From Staff Reports Officials at solar-cell-maker LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (LDK) were apparently confused about the quality of the silicon in the firm's inventory- just as an ex-finance official has alleged- according to an audio recording of an internal conference call obtained by The Wall Street Journal, the newspaper reported yesterday. LDK, based in southern [...]
-
LDK Shares Plunge Another 26% Due to Worries, Barron's Report
From Staff Reports Shares of high-flying LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (LDK) plunged 26.4% to close at $37.50 yesterday (Monday) – extending losses from last week – based on continued concerns that the China-based maker of solar wafers has serious production problems. The shares of the Jiangxi, China-based LDK are now trading at less than half [...]
-
Analysts Unhappy with Internal Inventory Audit Report From China's LDK Solar
From Staff Reports Shares of high-flying LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (LDK) fell yesterday (Thursday), even after the Chinese solar wafer maker said an internal audit revealed no evidence of wrongdoing related to the way it reports inventory. Early Thursday, LDK said it conducted an investigation after its former financial controller, Charley Situ, said the company [...]
