Piggybank

Solar Companies Discuss Possible Effects of the Downturn on Their Industry

good stuff. Solar is part of the sollution to this mess. Decrease oil dependency, make the economy more effeciant, increase margins of all industry's with cheaper electricity, create jobs, and help the ecology. The subsidies are in place, the quarter results and growth of solar company's remain strong. there has been no indication yet that this industry is in any way affeced, while we see about every other industry be affected indeed.

The maket has so far overreacted with arbitrary selling off everything. Sure solar multipliers were high, but it is a strong growth sector too. the raw numbers remain great, rising sales, rising profit, expanding industry. Let the industry post another 2 quarters of great numbers on earnings during this crisis and were off for decades. people will weel unhappy should they not have taken the opportunity to buy at these cheap levels if this scenario continues to fold out so positivly.

And why not? Solar is not a big industry. With all it's current cappacity it hardly manages to provide more than 0.3% of world needed electricity. All in all, i think this industry is still so small and yet so promising that it is quite easy to dodge the ill effects of this credit crisis. And afterall, the only concern for solar company's atm is that this crisis might inpact it's superb growth, not it's current revenue. Other company's are facing real decline in demand, solar is not even feeling decline in a demand that is far higher than the sector's output, to be only concerned about how fast they could still grow, thats one heck of a luxury at this moment.

Goldman Turns Cautious on Solar Sector

/quote
Molnar Tuesday cut his rating on First Solar (FSLR) to a Conviction Sell from Buy, slashing his price target to $103 from $365.
quote/

Seriously, if Mister Molnar is just going to pull prices on the fly from his ass, then he can aswell make it a nice round number. 103$? Why not just a 100$? I'd like to see their calculations scheets that first turn ip with 365$ and a few month's later with 103$.

Anyway, if you listened to Molnar when FSLR was at 315$ not that long ago, then you'd be seriously screwed over with this new target. Maybe GS should start to predict the fluctuations months into the future, like FSLR will first go to 365$ and then to 103$ and then to 25.689$ and 24 cents and then back to 5$.

The 'Problem' With Solar Companies is Not Really a Problem

I gues they just had to find a reason for their downgrade. It would actually be quite funny if the market wasn't dropping like a stone right now.

But i think we already established the fact as investors that much of the oppinions we get from these banks are very superficial and usually just crap.

Their motivations arn't hard to read neither. If all thing's move so fast on upgrades or downgrades, then afcourse it's an easy for these banks to manipulate their positions in their advantage, be it holding or shorting. And we all know they need money very very badly. Manipulating a market then that is very volatile can afcourse provide a lot of potential for money maing then, plenty of possible down- and upside potential.

I live in Europe to, and i have my skepticism to when they tend to touch European subsidies. I am however glad that Europe is years ahead in the market and that our policy makers have shown some vision about alt energy that they arn't likely to drop that fast. Alt energy is a growing sector in Europe, one that provides a lot of income and employment, it's enough incentive IMo for our politicians to continue their support.

And it doesn't always have to be subsidies neither. One particular German city for ex. is now forcing people by law to install solar panels on every new build house from now on. It is expected that by 2010 this will be coman law all over germany, if not also in many other EU country's.

The 'Problem' With Solar Companies is Not Really a Problem

Well said. The analysts made me laugh to. Way to state the obvious.

I don't give a shit about what they say neither.

Solar Stocks Feeling the Heat

Meh it doesn't matter all to much. At the current state Solar energy is a niche, it is that small that demand easily far outstrips supply for years to come at this moment. Most established solar company's have very deep backlog's, and even during this crisis the backlog's only appear to increase. Solar energy is like something of 0.2% of our total world energy supply, probably not even that, and they have been installing for a few years.

There only needs to be a tiny shift towards solar energy use on global scale and already it would mean enourmous demand difference for the solar sector and even for that tiny market share many of these company's are already very financially sound, much better than most banks these days that are filled with gifted analysts.

And the shift will come quite soon enough. Electricity prices should be youre indicator to follow. It could be more determinal that subsidy's, because the more electricity prices rise, the faster solar panels pay themself back. And solar power has a hughe advantage, it empowers people to produce their own energy, the more electricity prices rise the more people and company's that will want to be specificly energy independant.

But i think that if electricity prices begin to soar, then many major company's will feel compelled to invest heavily in solar panels and produce their own energy. Not only because it would greatly improve the net income of these company's but also their competitiveness, and often it's just that very large profitable company's just have the excess money anyway to easily afford a solar upgrade.

I think the damand curve of solar panels wil just smoothly continue as it's going now, steadily up.

My Top 5 Alternative Energy Stocks - and 10 Honorable Mentions

1MW turbine's are small stake's compaared to vestas 3.5MW turbine's, the 4.5MW turbine's gamesa is developing, and the 5MW giants that Repower and Suzlon are putting out. And i'm not complaining on the profit im pulling in on wind turbine stocks in Europe.

That the turbine's cant be produced fast enough is because demand is so damn high, sure it takes some time to builmd them, but the wind turbine company's are expanding fast, and even at their rate Vestas is expecting the shortage to stay for a few years. All the more profit for them though. Vestas shot up 15% on last earnings, a week ago. Maybe you should consider Gamesa's earnings on thursday 15th of may.

I know some pretty hefty wind farms in development in Europe going over the 1 gigawatt total output, and even if it takes some space, there is always room in the sea. In the meantime takeovers in this sector are coman, Just recently European utility company SUEZ took over the largest wind farm in America, and Vestas is expanding in USA with a new factory.

Anyway, Andrew wanted to talk solar. Then again clearly he doesn't like any of the European Solar company's neither. this aint new on Seekingalpha, but Europe is well ahead in this sector and you would think that would be important in the grand sheme of things. Most of my solar investments are in renewable energy corp and Q-cells anyway. hey get MY honourable mention atleast.

As to the stocks listed. i have a small position left in ASTI, for reasons of their product, though i cant be all to happy about the stock dillution, lets hope they get really forward with that capital. I hav a large investment though in the bottom listed stock, 5N plus or VNP.TO, the "safe way" to play FSLR, but a company that has many strong advantage's in other fields to. Otherwise i stay somewhat out of the USA, don't like the dollar to much yet. I am following some wind farmers and own a position in NCEN.OB. A few more small positions in USA, but thats for an other topic.

There's a Solar Shakeout Coming - Citigroup

What a load of nonsense. I bet they the analysts at citigroup make their predictions on whether they throw well or not on a dartboard. Advice brought to you buy people who messed up big time in the credit market, at this point i would just do the reserve of what they are saying, look at their own stock, who still has confidence in this establishment?

Spain and Germany's subsidies program at risk? Like they know anything about it. What they came over here and asked Merkel and Zapatero themselfs? I bet they can't even point Frankfurt on the map.

Solars keep ramping up production due to high demand. Saying this demand won't rise in the future is more speculative giving the trend than saying demand will keep going up. Like Citigroup has a magic orb that can predict the future in this regard.

And then there is the matter of P/E's. FSLR and SPWR are valuated taking into account large growth in a large growth market. If this market won't grow like this Citigroup man predicts, then these stocks are overvalued. Putting a buy with target 450$ on FSLR in this regard is just rediculous, not to speak about SPWR.

Lets face it, Citigroup doesn't know much more about this market than we do, why would we listen to them?

Solar Power Plays Look to Grow with Clean Energy Act, Spanish Subsidies

What about the frikkin European solar company's, shouldn't they profit from the Spain case for ex. ? Renesola maybe? Q-cells or REC?

It seems that to SeekingAlpha and so many sites that promote solars, European solar company's simply do not exist!

Suntech, SunPower, MEMC and First Solar: Four Solar Stocks Worth Investigating

All these seekingalpha guys forget about such company's as REC and Q-cells. In general there is very very few talk here about european renewable stocks. Even as they hyped the market in 2007 few ever came to talk about such great company's like Vestas or Gamesa, wich is wind power.

But my money is mostly in european renewables. REC, Q-cells, Vestas, Gamesa, and not to forget Roth & Rau, wich is an excelent company and just tottaly forgotten here.