Zacks Releases Four Powerful ”Buy” Stocks: Trina Solar Ltd., Avon Products Inc., Whirlpool Corp. and RadioShack Corporation
Buyers of raw materials always face the choice between locking in long-term prices in contracts or simply buying on the spot market. In the solar energy business, where polysilicon is the most important raw material, it’s been a good time to be a spot buyer.
Buyers of raw materials always face the choice between locking in long-term prices in contracts or simply buying on the spot market. In the solar…
Welcome to the world of bank-financed solar installations! There’s a new deal called “sale leaseback,” in which SunPower makes the contracts with consumers, Wells Fargo funds the installations and SunPower of San Jose, CA sells the electricity to the consumer. The process essentially leases roofing space with a secure bank behind SunPower. The advantage for [...]
2009 was quite a year for solar. Over the past year, the cost of solar electricity has dropped 50%, in cost per kilowatt hour for solar panels — the largest cost reduction in its history! If you’re looking at solar in the long-run, 2010 is definitely the year to do it. Looking back, it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come in bringing clean, solar energy into homes all over the country. Before we take our first steps into the new year, let’s look back at the top solar stories of 2009.
(Ruth Fremson, The New York Times)
February
* Obama signs the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the $787 billion economic stimulus package that includes $61.3 billion in energy provisions, with a significant portion going to renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. ARRA funds soon set to hit state and local government agencies.
March
* Atlantic City’s convention center reveals the largest solar roof in the U.S, providing 2.4 MW at peak capacity.
* A change in solar program restrictions in Los Angeles allows third-parties to lease solar electricity systems to customers.
* Sonoma County offers Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing for energy efficiency retrofits and solar energy. PACE allows homeowners to finance their projects through loans attached to their property tax bills.
April
* Colorado passes Senate Bill 51, which allows homeowners to finance their solar panels through third parties and be credited for the energy their home systems produce, paving the way for companies such as SunRun to bring solar into thousands of Colorado homes.
* Affordable home solar becomes available in Massachusetts and Arizona.
* 1BOG partners with SunRun to help bring cleaner and more affordable solar electricity to communities in Los Angeles by leveraging 1BOG’s collective purchasing power. There are currently 1700+ 1BOG members in Los Angeles!
* The city of Berkeley and the county of Boulder offer PACE financing for energy efficiency upgrades and solar energy.
May
* Following the regulations for Los Angeles solar in March, SunRun becomes the first company to offer third-party ownership in LADWP (Los Angeles Department of Water and Power) territory.
July
* PSE&G’s Solar 4 All Program gets approved by New Jersey utility regulator to spend $515 million of ratepayer money on solar power projects, doubling the size of Jersey’s installed solar capacity.
* SunRun raises $18 million in Series B round of funding, led by Accel Partners, for residential solar.
* Arizona Governor Brewer signs solar bills House Bill 2332 and Senate Bill 1403. The former gives school districts more flexibility in entering into renewable energy power purchase contracts and use those savings to purchase energy saving and renewable energy measures. The latter provides incentives for solar manufacturers to relocate to Arizona, as a means of boosting the state’s solar industry and create green jobs.
September
* California governor Schwarzenegger pledges to veto Senate Bill 14, which would have increased California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard target to 33% by 2020, for being too inflexible in regards to interstate purchases and for adding new regulatory hurdles to permit renewable resources in California. Instead, the Governor pursues an alternative route to renewable energy: directing the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to adopt a similar regulation but with more flexibility in implementation.
* China and U.S. Solar Company agree to partner on the world’s biggest PV power plant project in the Mongolian desert.
* PG&E voluntarily expands its net metering program, from 2.5% to 3.5% of peak demand, after California legislature failed to pass Assembly Bill 560, which would have expanded California’s net metering program by raising the cap to 5% from the existing 2.5%.
October
* Affordable home solar becomes available in Colorado.
* Massachusetts reaches its goal for its solar rebate program, Commonwealth Solar Initiative, two years in advance and 22 months after the program began – just in time to roll out a new state solar program. The new incentive structure includes a credit-based system known as the Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) Market and is similar to New Jersey’s which has successfully produced the second largest solar market in the United States.
* Team Germany wins 1st place in 2009 Solar Decathlon; University of Illinois takes 2nd; Team California follows in 3rd.
* MEMC Electronic Materials acquires SunEdison, North America’s largest solar energy services provider and the first to provide solar power purchase agreements for commercial customers.
November
* SunRun’s Lynn Jurich presents at Scientific American’s World Changing Ideas conference.
* The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rules that on-site solar generating projects, such as rooftop solar panels, owned by a third party are not subject to FERC regulatory oversight. This effectively clears much of the FERC paperwork that is usually associated with electricity transmission from new power plants, paving the way for more cost-effective solar deployments.
* A new program in Phoenix will allow around 1,000 Arizona Public Service Co. customers to install solar for their homes with leases financed by the National Bank of Arizona.
December
* SunRun’s Lynn Jurich speaks to Obama about solar green jobs at the DC Jobs Summit
* SunRun receives $90 million in tax equity from US Bancorp to continue funding solar installation all across the U.S.
* MEMC invests $20 million in Tioga Energy, another solar company that offers power purchase agreements to commercial customers, reflecting the increasing demand and growing market for solar PPAs.
2009 was an exciting year for solar, but we at SunRun have high hopes for the new year: bringing solar to thousands of more homes. Things are looking good so far, as states are getting ready to launch their new clean energy plans for 2010.
SunRun has been able to make great strides, but none of this would have been possible without the support of our partners and customers. Switching to home solar is a great way to help your community and environment while staying within your means. With everyone’s participation, we are closer to a clean and sustainable world. This January, make the switch; 2010 is going to be bright.
Despite the recession, First Solar has had a pretty good 2009. Last week, the company held a conference call in which it announced higher than expected earning projections for 2010. First Solar is the world’s leading thin-film solar panel manufacturer. Although their panels, made with cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cells, are less efficient than those [...]
