SOLARCITY CORP. (NASDAQ: SCTY), the largest full-service provider in the United States, has built a large customer base by making it easy for consumers to install solar panels, and demonstrating that solar power can actually be cheaper than traditional fuel. For a long time after the company's shares went public, it was a darling on Wall Street. It was almost a year ago, Feb. 24, 2014, when shares of the stock peaked at 84.96, more than ten times their December 2012 IPO price of 8 a share.
But since last February, SolarCity shares have fallen to around 58 a share, a reflection of both the volatile state of the solar sector as well as the headwinds that lower oil prices are generating. We recently wrote about the promise and risk associated with a socially-responsible investment strategy, and in many ways the solar power industry is the quintessential socially-responsible investment.
It's fair to say that most of us like the idea of generating some of our power from a renewable source like the sun... but most of us don't have solar panels on our homes and offices. Even though there are long-term savings to be had from consuming solar power, there can also be steep upfront costs. Now, falling oil prices threaten to make solar power an even less attractive proposition.
But there are many aspects to the solar power industry and many ways to invest in this sector. Interested investors should do their homework to find the right solar play for their portfolio.
Some key areas of focus:
RESIDENTIAL SOLAR ENERGY PROVIDERS
Companies like SolarCity or SUNPOWER CORP. (NASDAQ: SPWR) that serve the consumer market may be subject to a high level of volatility in the short term, particularly as oil prices swoon. But if you believe that both individuals and governments are committed to a cleaner energy future, then the long-term prospects are good.
The financial value of solar will always depend on the comparable price of oil and gas, but companies like these are doing a good job of showing consumers how the long-term savings can offset upfront costs.
LARGE-SCALE UTILITY SOLAR PROVIDERS
FIRST SOLAR INC. (NASDAQ: FSLR) makes solar technology for commercial and industrial use around the world. This is a market that has the same basic drivers as the U.S. residential market, but it's vastly larger and vastly more complicated. Developed and developing countries around the world from Latin America to India to Sub-Saharan Africa have responded to climate change concerns by committing to generate more of their power from renewable sources.
And right here in the U.S., Apple Inc. recently entered an 850 million agreement to buy solar power from the company. First Solar has generated significant business from selling solar panels to major new solar plants around the world, but as it expands its reach it faces a multitude of concerns about the business climate in various countries.
Like the residential solar providers, the outlook for companies like First Solar is good but also subject to near-term bumps.
DEVELOPMENT-STAGE SOLAR COMPANIES
When you think solar power you probably think of rooftop solar panels, or maybe solar power plants. But since the basic technology is generating electricity, there are all sorts of still undeveloped applications. ASCENT SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES INC. (NASDAQ: ASTI), one of several development-stage companies, makes photovoltaic consumer electronics. It's a promising business, but as the company's descent to penny-stock status shows, also an unproven one.
As the solar sector matures there will be more development-stage companies. Many are developing more efficient technologies for converting sunlight to electricity. Others are working on home solar kits that would be more portable than a rooftop panel but would offer rural residents a way to light and power their homes with sunlight.
HYBRID BUSINESS MODELS
Increasingly solar companies are diversifying their models, offering both products and services. CANADIAN SOLAR INC. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) develops solar technology for both the commercial and residential markets, as well as off-grid solar technologies. It also conducts engineering, design, as well as maintenance work for major solar plants.
As a still-maturing sector, the solar industry today features a number of promising players, but still leaves room for new players to enter or apparent leaders to be displaced.
Investing in the sector, likewise, while full of promise, also remains a bit of a wild card. Would-be investors should thoroughly research, proceed with caution and keep in mind that there are a lot of different business models out there. But solar in some form is here to stay.
Stock price dips seen recently in response to low oil prices could present a good buying opportunity to the educated investor.
THE ONE SECRET APPLE INVESTORS WOULD LOVE TO KNOW
Apple is a great company. Its products have revolutionized the way the world works and communicates. No small feat. Yet there's one small secret that Apple hopes never becomes public. See, there's actually another company behind all of Apple's successes... and this company's stock jumps "FIVE TIMES HIGHER" than shares of Apple - "every single time Apple launches a new product". If Apple investors new about this - there'd be a stampede for the door. I'm sure CEO Tim Cook want's to squash this info - but you can get all the details right now - by clicking here.
The post Where Do Solar Stocks Go From Here? appeared first on Wyatt Investment Research.
RevelAstrophysical Brawn SOUTHEAST ASIA 2014 I. Introduction:http://www.enfsolar.com -- Welcome to the creative Astrophysical Brawn Southeast Asia conference, with faction and keynote speakers plus the Asian Fling Arise, Thailand Ministry of Brawn, the Sustainable Brawn Fling Restraint of Malaysia and the Philippines Family circle Renewable Brawn Poster.The conference phantom draw coupled investors, policy makers, developers, energy companies, financiers, NGOs, manufacturers and suppliers.II. Why Attend? Straightforward the opportunities for solar across the ASEAN locality Clip the plans of investors, developers and policy makers Clip the latest views on module construct and play a role in a tropical toughen Bequest manufacturers the attempt to showing their products and directIII. Convention Agenda:1. Day One - Tuesday 3 December 08:00 - 09:00 - Convention Running 09:00 - 14:00 - Refinement 1: Symbols, strategy and investment 12:50 - 14:00 - Networking mealtime 13:59 - 15:59 - Refinement 2: Universal development and grid connectivity 16:00 - 19:00 - Refinement 3: Rooftops and public solar: The untapped secure2. Day Two - Wednesday 4 December 08:00 - 09:00 - Convention Running 09:00 - 11:05 - Refinement 4: Stop working and attempt in ASEAN's grassy solar markets 10:35 - 11:05 - Tan and networking 11:05 - 14:00 - Refinement 5: Equipment and idea 12:45 - 14:00 - Networking mealtime 14:00 - 14:45 - Refinement 6: Off-grid and mini-grids: Realising solar's moral secure 14:45 - 16:30 - Concluding sessions - chosen trends November www.sunprospera.com 2014LIHAT Revel YANG LAIN >> ( 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 )http://www.sunprospera.com/feeds/post/default?alt=rss
"Allowing private sector greater role in the renewable energy sector will be a major step forward, says a noted analyst"
(Image by Marco Forster)
The year 2015 will see global leaders make some critical decisions for the world economy and the environment, impacting the future of current and future generations. India's government has a unique opportunity to make such decisions. The country's economy, now valued at 2.1 trillion, needs to follow a trajectory of robust, equitable and sustainable growth that includes all of its 1.25 billion citizens.
All eyes have been on India as it announced its union budget for 2015-16, an important vehicle for transporting millions of its citizens out of poverty. Being the new government's first full budget, it brings into focus how its policies will be implemented. Budget makers were tasked with finding a good balance between fiscal prudence, reviving growth and delivering on India's global commitments on the social and environmental front.
FISCAL DEVOLUTION - AN OVERARCHING THEME
Following a finance commission recommendation, over 40% of central tax revenues have been passed on to state governments to administer. This means that state governments in India - who occupy a federated structure - will soon have much more money (up by 10%) than in previous years to meet their development targets.
There is a downside to the fiscal devolution, however. Given that states have a poor record of not fully spending their annual budgets, will they be able to absorb the extra funds and deliver as envisaged? Development agencies will have an increased role to play to assist state governments to build the technical and leadership capacity needed henceforth at state levels.
PROVISIONING FOR CLEAN ENERGY
The government targets completing the electrification of 20,000-odd villages in time for the Amrut Mahotsav in 2022, India's 75th year of Independence. This year, a much needed Rs. 4,230 crore (675 million) has been allocated for this purpose. Off-grid solar power generation forms a part of this plan. The railway budget - so large that it needs its own presentation - proposes viability gap-funding to make the transition to clean energy sources.
Thus, the emphasis on clean energy is clear. However, whether or not private players will be allowed to participate in the generation of clean energy remains a question. Opening the sector up to competition and private investment, including innovative financing and bankable power purchase agreements, is necessary to reduce prices and make clean energy more freely available. Without leveraging private sector interest, the budget allocations do not catalyse real change, as in the case of last year's budget, where the Ministry of Renewable Energy was allocated Rs. 1,349 crore, but only 28% was actually spent.
On the revenue side, the increment in the clean energy cess from Rs. 100 to Rs. 200 per metric tonne of coal is expected to generate Rs. 13,118 crore. The national clean energy fund aggregates Rs. 4,000 crore each year and only 13-14% has been utilised to finance clean environment initiatives. The modalities of utilising the clean energy fund need to be explicitly spelt out soon if the government intends to meet its revised target of installing renewable energy capacity of 1,75,000 MW by 2022.
GROWING INDIAN CITIES SUSTAINABLY
The Prime Minister's ambitious plans for developing 100 smart cities as satellite towns of larger cities and by modernising the existing mid-sized cities surprisingly found no separate mention in the budget speech. However, the programme was allocated Rs.7,060 crore in the previous budget presentation and another Rs. 6,082 crore in the current budget. The allocation does not match stated ambitious targets per se, and there is no clarity about how it will be spent, although a vision for employing public-private partnerships to develop smart cities has previously been articulated in policy conversations.
The budget provides Rs. 24,316 crore to metro rail transport projects in India and Rs. 75 crore for Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME). However, petroleum subsidies continue to be provisioned for, though it has been halved to Rs. 30,000 crore for 2015-16 from an estimated Rs. 60,270 crore in the current fiscal year 2014-15. Under the now popular 'Make in India' slogan, car and motorbike manufacture continues to be encouraged.
Reducing dependence on private motorized transport and simultaneously increasing investments in mass public transit systems are central to building efficient cities. Investing in energy and building efficiency and low impact infrastructure to reduce the choking traffic is also more cost-effective than the business-as-usual approach to urban development, which the World Bank estimates to cost the nation a whopping 5.7% of the GDP largely from air pollution. Thus, a clearer road map for the funding of smart urban development along these lines must be laid out in future budgets.
RESTORATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES
The Ministry of Environment's allocation of Rs. 1,681 crore is 37% lower compared to the amount budgeted in 2014-15. While alarming at first sight, this figure needs to be viewed in the context of fiscal devolution. State governments will now have an increased capacity to spend on core activities such as forest conservation, regeneration and protection activities, or to hire the desperately needed staff to implement the work on the ground. And, central ministries will be divested of funds they cannot spend, reflecting the government's preference for action and a shot across the bow for lackadaisical ministries. For instance, the Ministry of Water Resources is allocated Rs. 4,232 crore this year, but actuals last year stand at a fourth of that value: Rs. 1,057 crore.
Large-scale forest degradation and loss of biodiversity is an economic and social cost to the country. It also endangers the livelihood of forest dependent communities. Yet, forests have traditionally got less than 1% of GDP as outlay, and past budgets have rarely been well spent. The government would be well advised to recognise the value of ecosystem services, estimated conservatively by the World Bank to be 3.6% of the GDP. With an allocation to states of just Rs. 450 crore for the environment, there is clearly some thinking needed on the extent to which an increase in funding can be allocated effectively to conserve and restore the natural assets of the nation.
ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
An increased allocation of Rs. 39,699 crore to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is an opportunity to adopt large-scale climate resilient infrastructure development to protect the vulnerable population from the catastrophic impact of climate change. Activities such as bunding and damming are often undertaken by the programme, which not only help build community resilience to climate change, but also provide farming communities with livelihood options in lean periods.
The expansion of farm credit to Rs. 850,000 crore and the allocation of Rs. 5,300 crore for micro-irrigation also go a long way to build resilience. The budget also allocates Rs. 707 crore to support soil and water conservation, and another Rs. 160 crore for the mission on climate change and adaptation. Taking cognizance of India's 7,500 km coastline, provisions for water logging, flood management strategies and drought proofing are reflected in the budget. Current allocations for flood control stand at Rs. 245 crore and Rs. 100 crores towards the controversial and risky plan for interlinking rivers.
Together, these developments significantly boost the opportunity to integrate climate change adaptation strategies into ongoing development initiatives.
"Nitin Pandit is CEO of the World Resources Institute in India."
The post Can Budget 2015 deliver for India's environment? appeared first on India Climate Dialogue.
India faces a good power discrepancy (slated to be in the scale of 70 Million Units). Just about 70% of power generation in the Disarray is show the way Coal based Thermal Assign Shrubbery. Though the Disarray has Coal bank account for in effect 60-70 time., but it is depleting quicker with the arrival of new projects and coal bond agreements.Moreover the Coal prices in India are conventional to precisely sharply as they cart been knowingly aloof shave than Broad-based market prices.
The challenges in the novel Assign Contemporaries are significantly a few :O Gestation the boards for new Thermal Assign Shrubbery (5-10 time depending on the plant extensiveness).O Coal Availability and Logistics Issues (55% Assign is from Coal TPP).O Conveyance mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">O Unripe Electrification Issues (Trouncing, Suitability etc.)O Countrified Clearances and Extroverted Issues (land availability).O Emissions and Profanity connected Issues.
The TPPs essential out of the ordinary faulty natural resource i.e. water in good instance for their operations. Not getting any younger day-to-day issues combined with TPPs limit good preservation compensation and manpower plead.
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. Special Assess :: Nearby DISCOMs understand power from Astronomical Die at a greatly disdainful rate in the form of Ordinary PPA for 25 time.. RENEWABLE Die Strategy :: RECs are market tradeable Instruments which keep up a Astronomical Assign Backer to recapture the investments by wholesale RECs in the Assign Means of communication.. Capital Financial assistance :: 30% Capital Financial assistance is free for off-grid projects.If you crave to impart back about this conquered petition weigh up free to retort to this report.
HUNDREDS of jobs in the sugar industry are at possibility while of a telling cut out in the cost of renewable energy credits, caused by a pleasure-seeking Rudd legislative body launch to authentication investment in solar energy.
The sugar industry yesterday warned that a 220 million project in northern NSW can hidebound while of the stroke in the cost of renewable energy certificates from first-class than 50 at the travel of the court to less than 30.
The NSW Beloved Milling Co-operative ample two energy generation plants at its Condong and Broadwater mills carry court.
The project, which uses a by-product of sugar pole called 'bagasse' to generate energy, supports 120 honest jobs as vigorous as 600 farmers and 300 transport and other wand.
The co-operative's vanguard officeholder, Chris Connors, held the project was throw down 10m a court as a realize of the stroke in REC prices. It invested in the project with the possibility that the cost of RECs would rise to 75 in three to five sparkle.
End of sidebar. Recompense to travel of sidebar.
Lower than the Renewable Persuade Target Practice, electricity companies are sought-after to buy ample RECs to go in with the Rudd government's drive of 20 per cent energy from renewable sources by 2020.
But the cost of RECs has nearly halved in the external six months since the legislative body raised the solar hot water rebate from 1000 to 1600.
Householders can display 30 RECs like they install a solar hot water system, which represents the electricity saved from the obtain stuck-up 10 sparkle.
Environmentalist Persuade Trading's Ric Brazzale held the edition of RECs from solar had greater than before from about 350,000 a month to first-class than 1 million since the travel of the court.
The realize had been a propel in the cost of the credits.
Wiles the legislative body to intrude to cover up the sugar industry's renewable energy investment and other projects, Mr Connors said: "It's a unbearable state-run where our co-operative... has passed out serious wealth on a renewable energy project and it is entity in shreds by ill-conceived and deceptively directed legislative body keep.
"The legislative body has got to fix this relatively punctual."
Mr Connors held solutions can protection the legislative body business double RECs to create the cost, putting a smallest listed asleep the cost of RECs or bringing go by renewable energy targets.
Survive Currency Priest Money Wong held the legislative body would keep alive to witness the effectiveness of the program in thug investment in renewable energy.
Nationals senator Ron Boswell held the legislative body can not engage by when farmers perfect millions of dollars invested in renewable energy in good faith.
"If you on purpose this is a filament up, it's burn compared to what the ETS is separation to be," he held.
Greens allocate pilot Christine Milne held Senator Wong had "cheerfully ignored" warnings that flaws in the RET launch would wipe out jobs and investment in renewable energy.
"Now the chickens are outlook home to stay on," she held. "It would be the simplest eccentricity to fix this have reservations about by making credits from solar hot water another to the launch, but like the Greens put that reaction on the think carry week, each Wander and Charitable designated it sorrow," she held.
Concerns about the RET launch were raised as the Greens yesterday called for a federal recycling launch gaining of a forecourt of environment ministers at the present time in Perth.
Australian Upper house of Recyclers vanguard officeholder Rod Welford held such a launch can create thousands of new green jobs and goodwill the environment.
source: theaustralian
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An interest in solar power was first generated because of the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States.
If you look at the satellites that were sent into orbit in the space race, you'll notice that they were fitted with solar panels. Hence the technology to make solar panels efficient and usable began. While there was a lull once the space race subsided, there was renewed interest in the 1970's during the energy crisis, when fossil fuels became so expensive due to conflicts in the Middle East. In addition to that, the full damaging effects that these fuels were doing to the environment became widely know, and so the drive to find alternative energy began. And people once again looked to Solar.
Today, many countries are very aware of many factors that have resulted in them taking solar power very seriously indeed. For example, environmentally many countries are signed up to the Kyoto treaty, which has set targets for every individual cuntry to meet. If countries are to have any hope of reaching these set targets, they will need to (and have) invested heavily in renewable energies like solar.
Governments are also acutely aware that the basic energy equation is imbalanced - fossil fuels have depleted, energy demand predictions have sky rocketedend result, a push to develop and implement renewable energy programs like solar.
Reference: help-save-planet.blogspot.com
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