Posted on 12/15/2005 7:58:47 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Solar cell manufacturer SunPower is expected to announce today that it has won a $330 million contract to supply solar cells to a global solar systems installer, PowerLight, over the next five years.
The deal is the biggest in Sunnyvale-based SunPower's history and will help it expand its manufacturing capacity over time, said Tom Werner, chief executive of SunPower.
The announcement also comes on the heels of the plan unveiled this week by state regulators to provide $3.2 billion in incentives over the next decade to encourage Californians to use solar panels on homes and office buildings. The incentive plan would rebate $7,000 in 2006 to homeowners installing a typical residential solar system that can cost $25,000.
``This will help the company grow rapidly,'' Werner said.
SunPower makes solar cells at a factory in the Philippines. Companies such as PowerLight, based in Berkeley, use the cells to run solar systems they install on the roofs of houses to collect sunlight and convert it into electricity. PowerLight is the largest installer of solar systems in North America.
A spinoff from Cypress Semiconductor, SunPower went public in November at $18 a share and saw its shares rise dramatically. On Wednesday, the company's stock closed at $28.10 a share, up 27 cents. It is one of the year's best initial public offerings of stock in Silicon Valley.
Solar is hot because of volatile energy prices and the willingness of governments in Japan, Germany and California to promote alternative energy. SunPower's factory can produce enough tiles to generate 25 megawatts of solar power a year, but that's not enough to meet demand.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
New energy sources may well prove to be the feeding ground for solar 'robber barons' and the politicos they have in their pockets subsidizing their efforts to shut down or strangle the use of fossil fuels or nuclear power in the name of 'greening' the world.
That 'they' can make a lot of money doing it is of some import as well.
(/tinfoil hat-)
SAN FRANCISCOFollowing a unanimous vote to adopt the first phase of the Million Solar Roofs program, called the California Solar Initiative, solar proponents praised the Public Utilities Commission while delivering more than 5,000 written public comments, adding to the 45,000 email comments sent in over the past three months.
Finally we are getting somewhere when it comes to tapping into Californias abundant sunshine, said Bernadette Del Chiaro, clean energy advocate for Environment California, a nonprofit, nonpartisan environmental advocacy group. Todays vote signals that California is serious about becoming the worlds solar power leader.
Earlier this week, the PUC officially unveiled a plan to invest $3.2 billion over 11 years to build 3,000 MW of solar on a million homes, businesses, farms, schools and municipal buildings through consumer rebates. Todays vote approved Phase One of the program - a tripling the amount of money available in 2006 for solar on businesses and municipal buildings from the current $50-100 million level to $300 million. This 2006 pot of money will go toward the current waitlist accumulated since mid-2005, when existing funds ran dry, as well as for new applicants in 2006. In addition, $58 million remains available for homeowners and small businesses to invest in solar panels via the California Energy Commissions rebate program in 2006. The complete program, if approved in mid-January by the 4 eligible voting members of the PUC, will be the nations largest solar power investment and the first-ever program designed to make solar power mainstream and affordable, without aid of subsidies within a decade.
(snip)
Solar ping.
Well, if the pUC is for it, it must be good, right?
Hi all, I'm new to this so be kind.
Fossil fules have been working ok for thousands of years. When are we going to stop giving money to these con-artists and put it to better use. Tax cuts would put more money in our pockets and then we can decide what kind of fuel to spend it on. If you then want to spen it on 'solar' you can and that's how they'll get their money!
Yeah... the PUC is just there to help, right?
SunPower looks like a pump and dump company with massive deficits, living off Government subsidized programs, and touted by Arnie during his trade mission the day before the IPO thereby more than doubling the profit to the shareholder. Yeah... It's just great.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1522422/posts?page=7#7
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1522422/posts?page=14#14
Miasole, A venture funded by Kleiner Perkins, key member John Doerr, a major donor to dem causes, state and nation wise and to Bill FRist, oddly enough or is it? ;-)
I wonder who he supported in the Recall?
what?
Done, Thanks!
Thanks for the reminder.
It looks like he is in a very strong 2nd place. 3431 to 3036
Oh, you mean the trade junket he took his "Blind Trust" manager, Paul Wachter, along with on, amongst others who stand to benefit mightily from the trip if they can pull it off..
fyi
Doerr was also major funder of the $6 Billion California Stem-Cell Research campaign/scam (Prop 71).
SunPower makes solar cells at a factory in the Philippines - SJMN; Dec 15, 2005 .
or
The SunPower chip, designed in California and manufactured in China, is an amazing China-California success story that represents the future, Mr. Schwarzenegger said. - Red Herring; Nov 15, 2005.
I'm betting on the Herring.
It boils my blood when these bleeding-hearters complain that the likes of Haliburton are 'profiteering' when all they do is scam cash out of our hard-earned pockets to spend on child-murder.
Welcome to Freerepublic! You forgot, we are dealing with the "left coast" here, where government is everything.
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