First Solar Inc. (FSLR)
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- General Discussion on FSLR
- Solar Companies Discuss Possible Effects of the Downturn on Their Industry [view article]
- First Solar CEO: Tax Credits Alone Not Enough to Win Over Customers [view article]
- Solar Shares Under Pressure From Credit Crunch and Pricing [view article]
- Goldman Turns Cautious on Solar Sector [view article]
- Ten Shining Arizona Stocks [view article]
- Renewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate [view article]
- Solarfun's Huge Run: Time To Lock in Solar Profits [view article]
- It's Official: Renewable Energy Tax Credits Here to Stay [view article]
- Solar Gets What They Want, But Stocks Still Suffer [view article]
- Thin Film Solar Will Grow Eightfold By 2010 [view article]
- Solar Rises As Senate Adds 'Tax Extender' Legislation to Bailout Bill [view article]
- When Will Solar Be Cost-Competitive with Electricity? [view article]
loading ...Recent FSLR Articles
- First Solar CEO: Tax Credits Alone Not Enough to Win Over Customers
- Solar Companies Discuss Possible Effects of the Downturn on Their Industry
- Solar Shares Under Pressure From Credit Crunch and Pricing
- Sneak Peak at Solar Power International Conference
- GE Gains Energy Boost; Solar Still Down and Out
- Renewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate
- Goldman Turns Cautious on Solar Sector
- It's Official: Renewable Energy Tax Credits Here to Stay
- Solar Gets What They Want, But Stocks Still Suffer
- Solar Rises As Senate Adds 'Tax Extender' Legislation to Bailout Bill
- Full List of Articles »
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First Solar CEO: Tax Credits Alone Not Enough to Win Over Customers [view article]
If you are worried about the costs of solar energy installments today, you are not worried about the cost of fossil fuels ten years down the road as a result of your apathiness toward solar energy. We are so near sighted... Dont we know that we can reduce future demands of fossil fuel as we contnue with our solar energy installments. As of now, our solar industry as a whole is capable of producing less than ten gigawatt-hours of electricity a year which is not enough to be measured against the much bigger fossil fuel based power generating installments already in place by an order of one to one thousand. Utilities who pass off solar installments may be disallowed from passing along rising fossil fuel costs for generating electricity ten years down the road if necessary. It is not about profits, it is more important to control the future costs of fossil fuels ten , twenty , thrity years down the road.. We have a big job to do and we are still fretting over the costs of solar energy today, duh? Are we still so blind to the value of the intangibles???? This is where capitalists fail so miserably repeatedly........Thsi is where socialists shine!! Replyinvestor
Ten Shining Arizona Stocks [view article]
I found lots of good info. that I needed,in this article and on one blog.
Thanks again Seeking Alpha and
Stockerblog.
Reply
Müller
Goldman Turns Cautious on Solar Sector [view article]
Solar is about to become a main energy source in the not to distant future. when polysilicon prices will come down substantially, total module manufacturing costs per Wattpeak will be around 1-1,50 USD.Some Chinese Modulmaker like Yingli have module processing costs of under 1 USD, and 75% of their total costs are silicon-costs!
These raw material costs can be reduced dramatically when polysilicon becomes abundant. People do not understand that the learning curve of the PV Industry is incredible. I predict module prices of 1,5-2 USD/Wattpeak (Today above 4 USD) at the beginning of next decade. The social benefits of solar technology are unlimited as it will help us to mitigate climate change in the long run.
Greetings from Germany Reply
Renewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate [view article]
Calpine, California utility, has a lot of Geothermal in northern Calif., I think somewhere in the area of 25% of total output and expanding. ReplyRenewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate [view article]
rrbatch - you must be a new reader at SA. ReplyRenewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate [view article]
xpatusa - if we left some things to the people we would not have gone to the moon in 10 years fourty years ago and we'd all be speaking Japanese or German without the Manhattan Project which we did with 1940's technology in 18 months from sand to PU. ReplyRenewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate [view article]
F0IL 7 estiimates 29,050 BTUs/ KW hour heat rate for geothermal.home.comcast.net/~bpayne37/pnmelectric...
regards
www.google.com/search?... Reply
Renewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate [view article]
Too bad the red-headed step child of Geothermal isn't being discussed. Of all the alt-E plays to make these days, it remains the one renewable receiving the least press when it has some of the highest efficiencies and lowest environmental impacts. They have high output, low-footprint business models that keep even the most staunch NIMBY's quiet, not to mention a gazillion dollars of carbon credits to sell.Alt-E plays are not limited to solar arrays and wind turbine towers: while momentarily awesome to look at, they are real eye-sores over time. Many Geothermals are revving up turbines in the next 12-24 months. You might want to catch the wave. It's one-stepchild worth a 10-100 times current valuations. Reply
Renewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate [view article]
Heat rate values may be unfavorable for alternate energy techologies.Not enough BTUs IN.
3412 BTUs = 1 KW hour, I read.
home.comcast.net/~bpayne37/pnmelectric...
Ask how many Kilo, Mega watts OUT from alternate electric generation technologies, then estimate the BTUs IN to produce this electricity by conventional methods.
If the input number is less 3412, then suspicion of fraud may be warranted?
But some real business opportunities may exist for those who want to sell renewable electric generation technologies to those who may not understand the first law of thermodynamics?
Reply
Renewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate [view article]
You know with all of the Lemmings heading for the same exit at the same time, it might be a good time to buy some BBQ sauce.2 Dow Stks down a combined $18, whats the multiplier these days? 9-10? Reply
Renewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate [view article]
The electrical grid still exists within each major city. Rails beneath the asphalt, Trolley cars, just dig em up and away we go. Solar Panels on the roof help feed the Grid.The crisis is upon us, the jerks played games and are still Found Undering us. They scared the Public into giving control to the Former President of Goldman.
"We are not just helping Wallstreet, we are helping Mainstreet too." People thought Mainstreet meant them. They didn't know that it meant other corporations.
3 Month LIBOR keeps rising, When it finally stabilizes or drops will signal the end of the Selloff.
Repeal the Mark to Market rule immediately. You won't know what its worth, But "You won't know what its Really Worth." Reply
Renewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate [view article]
I trust the innovation of Americans in need to solve some of these problems. Transmission to population centers will certainly cause higher power costs in some areas. This should lead to new solutions and new sources. The dollar still motivates, no?As to the problem of fuel for aircraft, the news of the 60 Mph pedal car inspires. Any one ready to try a pedal plane? Think of the power output of 300 passengers being told to pedal harder or the plane will go down! I would insist on the return of free meals in exchange. And a beer on landing. Reply
Renewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate [view article]
All - This debate neglects some important facts. See the paper by Robert Hirsch et al., "Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, and Risk Management" written for the DoE National Energy Technology Lab and published in Feb 2005.About 80% of US oil consumption is for transportation - autos, trucks, trains, aircraft, ships - with the vast majority for automobiles. (The other 20% goes to home heating, chemicals, road surfacing, etc.) There are roughly 200 million cars and light trucks on the road in the US today, and new sales in a good year might be 15 million. If everyone were required to buy a hybrid or CNG-powered vehicle, the replacement cycle would be at least 13 years, and hybrids might reduce oil consumption by 40% (my Ford Escape hybrid doesn't achieve that). I doubt that many people will be satisfied with all-electric cars that have a range <100 miles and a long recharge time. And there's no viable substitute for liquid fuels for aircraft. So we're stuck with heavy oil consumption for the foreseeable future - way beyond the tenure of a presidential term - mitigated only by more domestic production. Any politician or activist who continues to resist new domestic oil production (not just off shore, but ANWR, oil shale, oil sands, biofuels, synfuels, etc.) is extremely naive and unrealistic.
Nice to think about hundreds of square miles of solar panels in the AZ desert, or windmills down the spine of the midwest from Canada to Mexico - but who's going to build the transmission links to get this intermittent power to the east coast population centers? What are the transmission losses? Windmills work at about 30% utilization, and solar collectors at an average less than 50%, so we'll still need local power plants (coal or nuclear) to produce upward of 50% of base load. I for one trust a regulated industry to determine the most cost-effective solution (considering environmental costs and risks) than the government. Subsidies only distort the cost-benefit trade.
So I conclude that all sources of energy production are needed, as well as conservation, with the best solution for any given location determined by cost/benefit analysis and experience - free of subsidy. And the transition to new energy sources, new vehicles, and a new electric grid will take many decades and many $billions of investment, not the quick and cheap transition implied by earlier posts.
The investment opportunities? Maybe a few solar cell and windmill companies will succeed, but I'll put my bets on established suppliers (GE, Siemens, ABB, etc.) and forward-looking utilities who know how to deploy new generation and transmission alternatives (e.g. Excelon). Reply
Renewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate [view article]
Gentlemen,We may have different views but the concensus is that it CAN be done and will be ultimately necessary. The only problem would appear to be is the government and they who control it (vested interests in the suppression of significant growth of alternative energy).
Great thread!
T.C. Reply
Renewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate [view article]
paultaut - how do you think we got all the dams and all the interstate hiways??? And all the government facilites around this nation?Again, electrify the existing railroads by getting rid of the diesel, and electrify all the inter/intrastate hiways with electric ferries for goods and people and hybrids. Within those same right-of-ways, install the beefed up electrical grid that takes all the wind, solar and nuclear power from the netherlands to the cities, just as we do now. The existing grid is everywhere. The new grid goes where we already have right-of-ways, go either up or down or a little wider; the folks adjacent to the right-of-ways are already used to it. Reply