Canadian energy company Etrion Corporation (TSX: ETX) and U.S.-based solar manufacturer SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ:SPWRA) (NASDAQ:SPWRB) today announced an agreement to build four solar power plants in the Puglia region of southern Italy.

SunPower has more than 500 megawatts of solar power plants installed or under contract around the world, including Italian power plants in Milan and Faenza. In regards to today’s announced projects, SunPower is responsible for the design and construction of the plants, and will provide operations and maintenance services as needed.

Entrion’s CEO Marco Northland said SunPower’s market experience will enable the companies to meet their goals and finish the projects.

“Solar power generation will play an increasingly vital role in our efforts to build more renewable, clean energy sources. SunPower’s experienced approach to solar power plant design and construction will allow us to quickly and reliably complete these important projects,” Northland stated in the press release.

...

OUTLOOK The Alternative Energy industry is going through a recovery after absorbing the global recession and the cascading fall in global crude oil prices. Earlier this year, quite a few alternative energy companies were in the trough. Though these companies have recovered from their lows, their valuations are still significantly lower than their 52-week highs. The growth of alternative energy companies is closely tied to the fortunes of the economy. In its latest release, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicted that total U.S. electricity consumption will decline by 3.3% in 2009 before growing by 1.3% in 2010 as the improving economy coaxes a gradual recovery in electricity sales. In fiscal 2008, annual U.S. photovoltaic (PV) installed capacity grew by 63% year-over-year, bringing the cumulative installed capacity to 792MW. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) -- the U.S. trade association representing close to 500 companies ...

Electric utility firm Southern Co. (SO) reported modestly better-than-expected third quarter results, driven by lower expenses and increased monthly service charges. Earnings per share came in at 99 cents, edging past the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny.  In the year-ago period, Southern earned $1.01 per share. The year-over-year negative comparison can be attributed to decrease in electricity usage and sales and flat customer growth. Revenues for the quarter were $4.7 billion, a decrease of nearly 14% from the corresponding period last year.  Another Challenging Quarter  It was another difficult quarter for Southern, as it continued to be adversely affected by significantly cooler than average weather and a weak economy. This resulted in a decrease in electricity sales across all categories. Total electricity sales during the third quarter were down 6.1% from the same period last year.  Total retail sales declined by 5.1%, reflecting soft

...

Colorado’s largest power utility, Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL), will launch one of the biggest energy-conservation efforts in the nation, costing well over $1 billion in the next 12 years — by order of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

The CPUC, which regulates Xcel, announced its decision recently, outlining goals for the utility’s energy-efficiency programs between now and 2020. The decision is part of a multi-pronged case before the CPUC called the Colorado Resource Plan, which will decide the source of energy for most Coloradans in the next several years. Xcel serves power and natural gas to about 70 percent of Colorado’s population.

The CPUC ruled that Xcel should cut a rising percentage of its annual electricity sales to retail customers, with a goal of cutting 1.2 percent of annual sales in 2020, and eliminate between 886 megawatts and 994 megawatts of demand in that time. That’s triple the cuts currently achieved

...

From Bloomberg this morning:South Korean Finance Minister Kwon Okyu said the nation's exporters will cope with the won's surge against the dollar, helping economic growth accelerate next year.The won reached a decade-high this week and companies such as Hyundai Motor Co. say it will climb further, forcing them to cut costs to boost earnings. Kwon, who expects the won's rally to run out of steam, said rising shipments and a pickup in domestic demand mean the economy will grow 4.8 percent in 2007 and 5 percent next year.``Even with global dollar weaknesses, Korean exports will continue their robust growth,'' Kwon, 55, said in an Oct. 29 interview in Gwacheon, near Seoul. ``Our competitiveness nowadays doesn't depend on price competition, rather it depends on the quality, technology and so on,'' he said.Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea's biggest exporter, this year surpassed Motorola ...