How to Turn The Polysilicon Supply Problem Into a Profitable Solution (Part 1) Written By: Eben Esterhuizen 2007-10-15 00:28:12 Photo:bibliogrrl, Creative Commons, Flickr
It looks like the glass is always half full at chip equipment giant Applied Materials (AMAT - Last trade $21.04). The company's Chief Technology Officer, Winfried Hoffmann, said in a recent Reuters interview that he expects tight supplies of polysilicon, a key component in solar cell production, to ease from this year. He projects that the market for solar power will grow by 25%-30% over the next 3-5 years due to the lower costs associated with expanded polysilicon supplies.
How to Turn the Polysilicon Supply Problem Into a Profitable Solution (Part 2) Written By: Eben Esterhuizen 2007-10-22 22:54:26 As an alcoholic, the first step to recovery is to admit that you are an alcoholic. The same principle applies to Wall Street banks in the aftermath of the recent credit crunch: the first step to recovery is to disclose the size of losses during the recent market turmoil. At the start of October, several banks disclosed their losses, with the Citigroup CFO saying that they were returning to a “normal earnings environment”. These confessions sparked a rally in global stock markets as investors decided that Wall Street banks were on their way to recovery. But we, at The Panelist, are not popping the champagne just yet – it seems likely that solar companies will suffer from a nasty hangover when the dust settles.
Politicians Take Solar's Sexy Back Written By: Eben Esterhuizen 2007-11-20 02:13:17
Good ol' Jay Leno once said that "politics is just show business for ugly people". And thanks to the politicians the sexy solar sector just got ugly. Solar investors have been driving up valuations as if solar was going to take over the world tomorrow, and these investors have now been forced to wake up to reality and smell the coffee. Why? “Poli” - a Latin word meaning “many,” and "tics" - meaning “bloodsucking creatures”. That's why.
