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 ...

The Nevada Company Ormat Technologies announced that Ormat Subsidiaries Ltd., its Israeli subsidiary, entered into a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with Sunday Energy Ltd. Sunday is a private Israeli energy company and the agreement will be to construct and operate solar-photovoltaic energy systems with a total capacity of 36 MW throughout Israel.

According to the JVA, Ormat will now own 70% of each special purpose entity (SPE) with Sunday contributing the rights to all of its property and roofs required to develop solar energy systems above 1 MW to SPE’s.

The agreement between Ormat and Sunday will have major effects throughout the industry. Sunday is a leading developer in the Israeli PV market while Ormat has over four decades of experience in the development, construction, financing and operation of hundreds of megawatts of renewable energy projects worldwide.

The estimated capital expenditure for 36 MW of solar power systems is

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Waltham, MA - October 19, 2009 - If you were considering an investment in a wind or solar energy company, wouldn't it be great to talk with alternative energy experts and consultants about how its technology stacks up against its competitors?

Alternative technology and specifically energy have been a big debate over the past few years. I've spend a fair amount of time researching and looking for potential investments. I've looked specifically at wind power, geothermal energy, and natural gas for transportation. There are many other sources out there and solar is still probably the most popular. I like solar energy, but just not as an investment right now. There are too many solar companies out there right now and prices are still too high for consumers to significantly invest in this technology. As a whole, green energy is still almost entirely dependant upon being subsidized by Washington. That is gradually changing, but it will take a long time before green opportunities are just what are there for the consumer as a logical choice. br /br /I see today that billionaire investor George Soros ...

Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) has announced plans to deliver electricity to customers from the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Arcadia – the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in the country – by October-end. The plant would use 90,000 photovoltaic panels to convert solar energy into electricity lighting up above 3,000 homes. Earlier, Nevada’s Nellis Solar Power Plant was considered the largest PV plant in the country.   Together with the DeSoto Center the company plans to build two other solar energy centers in Florida – at the Martin County and at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, with total capacity of the three plants being 110 megawatts by end of 2010. These plants together would make Florida the second largest solar power-producing state in the country.   Large-scale solar projects such as Florida Power’s DeSoto Center creates additional jobs and also increases the revenues of governments,

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ProLogis (PLD), one of the leading global providers of distribution facilities, has recently announced its third new 4.8 megawatt solar project in Spain as part of its renewable energy program. The solar project would be installed on eight rooftops at ProLogis Park Sant Boi in Barcelona and ProLogis Park Alcala in Madrid. With these installations, ProLogis currently has solar projects on 20 buildings spanning 7.2 million square feet of roof space in the U.S., Japan, France, Germany and Spain. On completion of the new project, ProLogis would generate more than 11 megawatt of energy, which is equivalent to the power consumption in over 1,100 households per year. For the current solar project in Spain, ProLogis has leased 2 million square feet of roof space to Recurrent Energy, a leading provider of solar energy and power distribution company. Recurrent Energy will own and operate the project, and ...

Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (STP) recently set a new world record for multi-crystalline module conversion efficiency (aperture area only) of 16.53%. The company topped its own prior record of 15.6% set in the last month which beat the long-standing world record of 15.5% set by Sandia National Labs 15 years ago. The new world record conversion efficiency was measured by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE.

Suntech Power based from Wuxi, China, is a leading solar energy company in the world. The company designs, develops, manufactures and markets PV cells and modules. It also provides PV system integration services in China. Suntech caters to a worldwide customer base spread around Spain, Germany, the United States, China, South Korea, Italy, the Middle East, Australia and Japan.

For its multi-crystalline silicon modules, Suntech uses its patent-pending Pluto PV cells utilizing solar grade silicon. The Pluto technology for

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Suntech Power Holdings Company Ltd. (STP) introduced a new 60 cell multi-crystalline photovoltaic (PV) Module Rooftop Systems targeted towards the Residential and Commercial segments. The new variant of PV module will be marketed under the product name Wd and is lighter than the existing 72 cell module variant of the company. Suntech Power’s new module variant comes with positive peak power tolerance of 0/+5 watts (W), thus guarantying assured power output. The new module variant weighing approximately 20kg is ideal for customers with ample roof space but could not sustain the heavier 72 cell module variant. The company introduced the 60 cell module variant with two power ratings – 220W and 225W. Wuxi, China-based Suntech is a leading solar energy company in the world. The company designs, develops, manufactures and markets PV cells and modules. Looking forward, Suntech expects more ...

Hawaii: Pristine black sand beaches… surfing… spectacular volcanic eruptions… and miles of pineapple plantations. If you are like me, this is what comes to mind when you imagine Hawaii.

What may not come to mind, though, when you think of America’s 50th state are its energy resources – and specifically, the fact that it gets 77% of its power from oil-fired power plants. That’s a unique statistic within the United States. Coal-fired plants provide 14% of power, and the remaining 9% comes from renewable sources like wind and solar energy.

Suffice it to say, tourism is Hawaii’s largest industry, with agriculture playing a major role, too. And not unlike the rest of the country, the one thing needed to keep it all running smoothly is a reliable source of electricity.

Problem is, Hawaii is dependent on fossil fuels for more than 90% of its power – an issue that became shockingly clear when

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With the announcement that it intends to build the world’s largest solar power plant, China is rapidly evolving into the world’s largest market for solar energy. And with heavy government backing, Chinese solar companies are quickly becoming global leaders.

Fast-growing industry and a reliance on coal-fired power plants turned China into the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gas a few years ago. Clouds of smog far thicker than that of Los Angeles hang over many of its cities and much of the water is densely polluted. But that’s something the central government aims to change.

China plans to reduce energy consumption per unit of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 20% of 2005 levels by the end of next year. It’s more immediate goal is to reduce reliance on coal-fired plants to 60% of its energy production from 70%, and replace with renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

Since 2007, about 54

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