Posts related to ‘Green Biz’

Airlines Make Aggressive Move To Go Green

airplaneThe car industry is going green by rapidly developing hybrids and electric cars. Residential and commercial building are adding solar panels. The last place that most people would expect a systematic effort to improve carbon emissions and adopt carbon-neutral programs is the airline industry. The engines for most commercial aircraft are so large that re-engineering them for  improved carbon emissions would seem difficult. Read More »

Posted on: October 11, 2009 – 7:50 am in Airlines, Alternative Energy, Green Biz, ,

Verenium Crushed on Offering (VRNMD)

Burning Money PicIf any ethanol is supposed to be feasible, it is cellulosic ethanol.  One player in that sub-sector is Verenium Corp. (NASDAQ: VRNMD).  Unfortunately, its shares are getting crushed this morning as it has detailed its planned sale of stock and warrants.  The small company has priced a public offering of 2,250,000 shares of its common stock and warrants to purchase an additional 900,000 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $6.00 per unit.
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Posted on: October 6, 2009 – 10:00 am in Alternative Energy, Oil & Gas, Secondary Offering,

The Solar Shingle And The False Promise Of New Technology

biotechMicrosoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows 7 will be better than Microsoft Vista. The world’s largest software company has learned from the mistakes it made with Vista which users found too complicated. But, Microsoft assumes that customers always want to upgrade to the latest version of its operating system. That does leave out the millions of people who never licensed Vista; people who like XP, the version of the operating system used by most consumers and businesses on their PCs before Vista arrived. Read More »

Posted on: October 6, 2009 – 4:46 am in Alternative Energy, Green Biz, , ,

First Solar Makes a Sale (ENB, FSLR, YGE, TSL, STP)

biotechCanadian oil and gas pipeline company Enbridge Inc. (NYSE:ENB) today announced that it would purchase a 20 megawatt solar generation plant from First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR). No purchase price was given for the plant, which is located near Sarnia, Ontario, but Enbridge’s CEO said that the company would invest about $100 million on solar energy projects in 2009. Read More »

Posted on: October 2, 2009 – 10:45 am in Alternative Energy, Green Biz, , , , ,

Alternative Energy Shares Troubled (YGE, SPWRA, TSL, ENER, AONE, CRTP)

oilThis morning’s report on unemployment has cooled enthusiasm for shares across the board. Solar stocks are, for the most part, no exception. Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (YGE) is down nearly 3%, SunPower Corp. (SPWRA) is off more about 2.25%, Trina Solar Ltd. is down about 3.5%, and Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ENER) is off more than 3%. Two stocks, A123 Systems Inc. (AONE) and China Ritar Power Corp. (CRTP) are flying against the headwinds. A123 is up more than 7% and Ritar is up about 2% in early trading. Read More »

Posted on: October 1, 2009 – 10:42 am in Alternative Energy, Green Biz, , , , ,

Trina Solar Extends Contract; Suntech Completes Utility-Scale Solar Plant; LDK Solar Loses Ground (TSL, STP, LDK)

biotech

Chinese solar PV maker Trina Solar Ltd. (TSL) has announced a five-year contract extension with another Chinese company that produces polysilicon and solar wafers. Trina plans to use the materials to produce about 8,500 megawatts of solar modules over the next 13 years.

The original contract began in April 2008 and was to run for eight years. This extension does not change any terms of that contract; it adds five years beginning in 2016 at already agreed-upon volumes and prices, though a price adjustment is possible based on market prices. Read More »

Posted on: September 30, 2009 – 11:04 am in Alternative Energy, Green Biz, , ,

Some Shade Falls Over Solar Shares (WFR, C, AMAT, AONE, FSLR)

Shares in MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (NYSE:WFR) have been downgraded from ‘Buy’ to ‘Hold’ by Citigroup (NYSE:C). MEMC makes crystalline polysilicon wafers used in some photovoltaic solar cells, and the market appears to be oversupplied for both this year and next.

Prices for polysilicon could fall by as much as 50%, which would really squeeze MEMC’s revenues and margins.

Another wafer maker, Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT), got an upgrade from Citigroup, from ‘Hold’ to ‘Buy’. Applied also makes crystalline polysilicon wafers, but its thin-film products could easily pick up the slack if the market for polysilicon takes the expected tumble.

And while alternative energy shares were hot last week, primarily due to the IPO of A123 Systems Inc. (NYSE:AONE), things have cooled a bit today. Even A123 is down nearly 3% in early trading today.

Nearly all the solar players are moving downward this morning. MEMC is off about 3.5% to around $16.69, and First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) is off nearly 3.75% to $149.15. The big winner so far is Applied Materials, which is up more than 3.25% to $13.53.

Paul Ausick

Posted on: September 28, 2009 – 11:13 am in Alternative Energy, Green Biz, , , , ,

The Week of Proof for A123 (AONE, CBAK, ABAT, CSGH, BRK-A, GE, QCOM, MOT, AB, PG)

A123 Systems Inc (NASDAQ: AONE) is still likely going to be one of the highlights of trading activity for the week, but the valuation is all based on the future rather than on the performance of the past.   The maker of lithium-ion car batteries turned out to be the second best IPO of 2009 in the United States, so the company’s execution from here is paramount.  That is what a 50% gain on the first day will do for you.   The deal was for 28.1 million shares at $13.50, although it opened at $17.00 and it never went below $16.56 in the aftermarket.

While a highlight is one thing, A123 has competition and its losses are off the chart.  China Bak Battery, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBAK) and Advanced Battery Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABAT) are in the space but have far less hype.
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Posted on: September 28, 2009 – 6:51 am in Alternative Energy, Autos, Buffett, China, Consumer Electronics, Green Biz, IPOs, , , , , , , , , ,

Uncle Sam’s Boost for Solar (ASTI, FSLR, ENER)

solar-panel-picAscent Solar Technologies (NASDAQ: ASTI) may have a significant win under its belt in the new Army solar pact.  The maker of thin-film solar modules has a new contract from the government that could beget more contracts from the government. We have been hearing more of pacts being struck with the armed forces and other critical government infrastructure facilities for localized on-site and mobile alternative energy now that there is so much concern about the safety of infrastructure after cyberwarfare attacks and the threat of such attacks.   Ascent announced on Friday that it is partnering up with Energy Technologies to create PV-based products for the military.
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Posted on: September 27, 2009 – 10:39 am in Alternative Energy, Defense, Green Biz, , ,

Warren Buffett, Wind Investor? (BRK-A, GE)

Buffett ImageMid-American Energy, a holding of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) and a holding of Warren Buffett, is about to get into the U.K. offshore wind power business if the reportsfrom the weekend in the U.K’s Times Online are accurate. The new plan is meant to go off in phases off the coast of Kent in the U.K. and this round is said to be approximately 1 billion pounds.  That is $1.61 billion in today’s dollars and is actually only about one-twelfth of the total estimated size of the auctions that will be made in the coming months and years.
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Posted on: September 21, 2009 – 11:06 am in Alternative Energy, Buffett, Infrastructure, Utilities, ,

Solarfun Looks ‘Good Enough’ (SOLF)

Solar Panel PicSolarfun Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: SOLF), a photovoltaic cell and PV module maker in China, is trading higher after the company gave guidance.  The outlook for the third quarter of 2009 is for revenues to be RMB918 to RMB984 million, which translates to roughly $134.46 million to $144.12 million after converting to US Dollars. The consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters is $163.13 million.  While this guidance looks soft, it appears to be good enough or close enough when you look at the other forecasts it gave.
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Posted on: September 17, 2009 – 9:48 am in ADR, Alternative Energy, China, Green Biz,

In A123 Battery IPO, Buffett Indirectly Wins (AONE, BRK-A, GE, QCOM, MOT, SCMR, AB, PG, AAPL)

A123 LogoBuffett ImageNext week is still supposed to mark the initial public offering of what me be a very hot IPO.  Auto electric-battery maker A123 Systems Inc. is tentatively set to launch and begin trading mid-next-week under the stock ticker “AONE” on NASDAQ.  We have penciled in a date of September 23 or 24, but if you have been watching IPOs for years you know that date can change.  This one has been in the IPO hopper almost forever as the IPO filing date was in August 2008.

We’ll get to this a little later, but we did note in the title that Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) may be the indirect winner here in this offering.  A123 raised a fairly recent round led by General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) and affiliates, which has a 11.7% stake.  At the time the company filed to come public it has raised roughly $160 million and it has large stakes held by venture capital firms (North Bridge, Sequoia and others), Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) has a 7.6% stake and Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) has a 6.9% stake.  Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande, the co-Founder and Chairman of Sycamore Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCMR), also has a 9.9% stake.  AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (NYSE: AB) and Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) are also listed under the investors of the company.
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Posted on: September 15, 2009 – 11:35 am in Alternative Energy, Autos, Buffett, Conglomerates, Consumer Electronics, Editor's Picks, Green Biz, IPOs, Infrastructure, Private Equity, , , , , , , , ,

GE Acquisition Further Highlights Wind Power (GE)

Wind Energy PicGeneral Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) is already a large wind power and alternative energy player.  The company’s GE Wind site notes that it already has more than 10,000 worldwide wind turbine installations comprising more than 15,000 MW of capacity.  That is going to get bigger now since the company completed the acquisition of ScanWind.  ScanWind is a developer of advanced drive train and control wind turbine technologies that are mainly aimed at offshore deployment rather than land-based wind power systems.
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Posted on: September 14, 2009 – 11:04 am in Alternative Energy, Green Biz, Mergers and Buy Outs,

First Solar’s New CEO High Compensation Package (FSLR, HON, GE)

Solar Panel PicMoney Stack ImageWe previously noted how First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) had scored on its new CEO.  Robert J. Gillette is coming out of Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON) to take over for founder Michael Ahearn and gets a seat on the board of directors.  An SEC filing last night showed that Mr. Gillette is coming on board with a very high compensation package.  Considering he was CEO of Honeywell Aerospace, you know there was no way he’d be coming over on the cheap.  But now in the world of picking over pay at financial institutions, we want to highlight the package at America’s #1 independent solar player.  We are not compensation bashers, but we want to see if the have-nots and disparaged in America complain about about a high pay package for an alternative energy leader.  That is for you to decide after looking at the package here.
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Posted on: September 11, 2009 – 10:43 am in Alternative Energy, Compensation, Green Biz, Management Change, Politics, Regulation,

GM Fuel-Cell Car Logs One Million Miles

gmThe cloud that is GM may have found a silver lining.

GM’s Chevrolet Equinox, which is powered by a pollution-free fuel-cell, passed its one millionth mile in test drives. The firm says that the trials have been done with about 5,000 people rotating in and out of more than 100 cars over the past 25 months. The Equinox is powered by electricity  which is generated by a reaction between oxygen and hydrogen Read More »

Posted on: September 11, 2009 – 6:05 am in Alternative Energy, Autos, Green Biz, ,

China: A $1 Trillion Green Technology Market

chinaA new report from the China Greentech Initiative, which is made up of several dozen alternative energy companies and government organizations, says that the potential for green technology sales in China is as much as $1 trillion.

PricewaterhouseCoopers helped compile the research. Read More »

Posted on: September 10, 2009 – 6:17 am in Alternative Energy, China, Green Biz, Oil & Gas,

Still Too Many Mixed Solar Signals (FSLR, ENER, AMAT, CSIQ, VECO, ED, WFR)

Solar Roof ImageThere are many things that help solar power and orders for the sector, but arguably higher energy prices and tax incentives or subsidies probably dwarf the overall economic situation.  There seems to be a steady series of ups followed by more downs, and you can blame part on the economy and on energy prices.  First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENER), Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT), Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ), Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: VECO), Consolidated Edison Inc. (NYSE: ED), and MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (NYSE: WFR) have all been in solar light with news.
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Posted on: September 9, 2009 – 10:25 am in Alternative Energy, Green Biz, Utilities, , , , , , ,

A Solar Field Larger Than Manhattan

chinaFirst Solar (FSLR) today announced that it had signed a contract with the Chinese government that will allow it to build a 2 gigawatt solar power plant in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, China. The closing of the deal is contingent on execution of definitive agreements.

The new solar field would be the largest in the world, by far. Once it is completed, the installation will cover 25 square miles, larger than the island of Manhattan. It will be able to supply power to three million homes and will be completed in four phases. Read More »

Posted on: September 8, 2009 – 5:33 pm in Alternative Energy, Green Biz, ,

First Solar Scores With New CEO (FSLR, HON, GE)

Solar Panel PicFirst Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) is making a significant management change, right at the top of the company. Mike Ahearn is stepping down as CEO and will be replaced by Robert J. Gillette.  This may come as a shock to many, but  it comes at a time when even a leader like First Solar is having a hard time navigating the difficult climate.  As previously announced, Mr. Ahearn will continue to serve in the full-time position of executive chairman.
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Posted on: September 3, 2009 – 11:43 am in Alternative Energy, Green Biz, Management Change, , ,

Beacon Power Files To Raise Cash (BCON)

Money Stack ImageBeacon Power Corporation (NASDAQ: BCON) has just filed to raise up to $60 million in cash in a mixed securities shelf registration.  The company’s shelf filing will allow it to sell any combination of Common or Preferred stock, Depositary Shares, Warrants, and Units.
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Posted on: September 1, 2009 – 10:47 am in Alternative Energy, Secondary Offering,