Solar Advice for Free

Nov 9-13: Dow Surges; NASDAQ, Solar Up, Too

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:31:00 +0000

Dow just misses Wednesday's 13-month high...

For the second consecutive week the Dow showed strong gains finishing at 10270.47 on Friday, nearly a 2.5% gain. Since Oct. 30 the index has gained a gaudy 558 points. The NASDAQ finished the week slightly stronger at 2167.88, over a 2.6% rise. The 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI) showed a modest gain of nearly five points, a 1.28% increase over last week.

MarketWatch reports Palm Inc. shares gained 8.3% during the regular trading session on the NASDAQ today and this accounts for about .9% of the index's gain. Palm's stock surge is an anticipation of Sunday's launch of the company's latest smartphone, the Pixi. Palm is working exclusively with Sprint Nextel Corp and the two launched the first webOS device, the Pre, last May. Analysts, says MarketWatch, are optimistic about Palm but suggests its webOS devices should be offered through other mobile carriers to be successful.

The Dow was aided by gains in Disney and Goodyear Tire shares.

Fifteen of the 20SSI stocks were up this week, nudging the index up for a second week. JA Solar, LDK Solar and Yingli showed appreciable gains of 10% or more. Even Applied Materials was up slightly despite announcing 1500 company-wide layoffs this week.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of Nov 9-13, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	10023.42	10270.47	+247.05	+2.464%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	2112.44	2167.88	+55.44	+2.624	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	.93	.95	+.02	+2.150	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.10	5.80	+.70	+13.72	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	12.40	12.72	+.32	+2.580	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	16.78	18.45	+1.67	+9.995	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	11.49	10.94	-.55	-5.027	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1400	.1200	-.02	-16.66	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	1.42	1.48	+.06	+4.225	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	117.93	118.30	+.37	+.3137	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.24	4.72	-.52	-11.02	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	3.71	4.12	+.41	+11.05	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	83.95	81.11	-2.84	-3.501	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	5.74	6.39	+.65	+11.13	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	12.66	13.07	+.41	+3.238	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	3.95	4.05	+.10	+2.531	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	2.00	1.92	-.08	-4.166	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	5.12	5.59	+.47	+.0918	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	26.60	26.42	-.18	-.6813	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	12.70	13.72	+1.02	+8.031	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	38.18	39.70	+1.52	+3.981	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	12.14	13.45	+1.31	+10.79	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 378.18	Current 383.02	Change +4.84/+1.28%	Avg Stock +2.14%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** The Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.
NOTE: All above stocks have market capitization of $100M+ except Akeena Solar, Amtel Systems and Entech Solar. This listing is strictly informational and implies neither endorsement or disapproval of any stock listed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Nov 2-6: Dow, NASDAQ Up Over 3%; Solar Almost 2%

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:12:00 +0000

Solar holding its own...

MarketWatch reported today says a surge in GE stocks helped the DJIA go above 10,000 again after a two-week losing period. Week's end closing showed the Dow up 3.2% and NASDAQ up 3.3% while solar stocks in the 20SSI gained about 1.9% since last Friday.

As expected, declines for the Dow were lead by financials and conventional energy firms, which were effected by a $2 per barrel drop in oil. MarketPlace said about half of the Dow's gain could be attributed to a 6.2% spike in GE after analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein and Oppenheimer upgraded the conglomerate to a "outperform" rating.

Market players on Wall Street are disgruntled with unemployment figures but all-out panic has been tempered simply by 22 consecutive months of job losses. Bulls are pointing to month-to-month slowing of job cuts as a sign a full-blown turnaround is on its way, mayber as early as next quarter.

Meanwhile, both residential and commercial solar activity seems to be percolating nicely in California. The Ca Center for Sustainable Energy, which administers the CA Solar Initiative rebate for SDG&E customers, received 200 rebate reservations for residential installations in September after a flat August but a 350 reservation request month in July. Of course, high air-conditioning usage during these months resulting in fat electric bills can account for the solar backlash. But the surprising number of rebate reservations comes even as the rebate has triggered down to $1.55 per installed AC watt in July and now stands at $1.10 in the SDG&E service area.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of Nov 2-6, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9712.73	10023.42	+310.69	+3.198%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	2045.11	2112.44	+67.33	+3.292	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	.94	.93	-.01	-1.075	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.40	5.10	-.30	-5.882	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	12.20	12.40	+.20	+1.639	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	14.58	16.78	+2.20	+15.09	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	10.77	11.49	+.72	+6.685	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1450	.1400	-.0050	-3.571	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	1.45	1.42	-.03	-1.398	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	121.93	117.93	-4.00	-3.391	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.25	5.24	-.01	-.1908	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	3.83	3.71	-.12	-3.234	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	83.47	83.95	-.48	-.5750	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	6.78	5.74	-1.04	-18.12	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	12.41	12.66	+.25	+2.014	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	3.68	3.95	+.27	-7.336	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	2.04	2.00	-.04	-2.000	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	4.75	5.12	+.37	+7.789	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	24.81	26.60	+1.79	+7.214	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	12.67	12.70	+.03	+.2367	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	32.52	38.18	+5.66	+17.40	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	11.58	12.14	+.56	+4.835	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 371.21	Current 378.18	Change +6.97/+1.87%	Avg Stock +.8%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** The Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.
NOTE: All above stocks have market capitization of $100M+ except Akeena Solar, Amtel Systems
and Entech Solar. This listing is strictly informational and implies neither endorsement or disapproval
of any stock listed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Solar Feed-in Tariff in UK Starts in April

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:04:00 +0000

And a London doctor consults Solar Advice for Free...

After an active debate for two years, Great Britain will begin offering a feed-in tariff (FiT) for residents and businesses producing energy with solar photovoltaics (PV).

As of today, the tariff is set to peak at 36.5p (about 60 US cents) per kilowatt-hour produced. However, PV trade organizations in the UK--both profit and non-profit--are suggesting the tariff be bumped up another 10p to sufficiently jump start solar power in England. They point to the success of Germany which had both an attractive tariff and low-interest loans that stimulated tremendous growth for solar earlier in the decade and continuing today.

About ten days ago, Solar Advice for Free was contacted by a doctor in London who is considering taking the solar plunge. With the Dr. Stein's ascent, our exchange follows.

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009

Dear David

Your blogs are excellent!

I am a doctor but am becoming very interested in solar energy after watching a great docudrama called "Age of Stupid" that has caused a seismic shift in my awareness of global warming.

London (where I live) has little sunshine; nevertheless I heard that it is possible to generate solar electricity even on fairly overcast days. Is this correct or should I give up on the idea of promoting solar energy in England?

I would be most grateful if you could you point me to a minimum sunshine requirement before installing solar panels on my roof.

All best wishes

Mike

Dr. Mike Stein

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009

Dr. Mike: Thank you for your kind words and for your interest in solar photovoltaics (PV).

Funny you should say London gets little sunshine. I was in Richmond in '94 for my goddaughter's confirmation and the very day I got there we stood in line to get into Wimbledon "after tea" time. It was sunny and stifling hot and it dawned on me that evening that I had traveled all the way from San Diego to England to get a sunburn!

Anyway, although I am a strong advocate for solar power I cannot mince words: You simply will not get nearly as much power from a PV installation in the UK than you would here in the American Southwest. However, you will get some appreciable production and always remember that the source is always free, as reliable as tomorrow's sunrise, and clean. During summer when your days are quite long and you to get some real solar irradiation, PV panels will kick ass, as we Americans say. But even during cloudy weather, some production is made with standard silicon panels. Some other PV technologies will work better in indirect, diffuse light.

While standard panels, made from high-grade crystal silicon respond mostly to red/infrared light which is prevalent during high, mid-day sun. Amorphous silicon (implying non-structured chemical combos) is a thin-film technology that often has a dual- or even triple-junction structure: That is, instead of just responding to red/infrared, it also responds to the blue band of the spectrum (morning daylight) and green/yellow (later afternoon). Thus the triple-junction cell begins producing a little earlier in the day and produces a little longer in the afternoon as opposed to a standard crystalline cell. There are several thin-film makers using various chemical layers but UniSolar (out of Michigan) makes the oldest triple-junction PV cell in use. UniSolar used to sell their technology as framed modules, laminates and even shingles (mimicking asphalt shingles) but only produce the laminates now which can be bonded to steel-seam roof pans (metal tongue-and groove) or bonded to single-membrane roof material (common on newer large, flat industrial buildings). Ascent Solar (Colorado) is about to come out with a line of thin-film PV that could be an alternative for you. Either UniSolar and Ascent can be found online.

The downside of most thin-film is that it is less efficient than silicon panels, thus requiring more roof or ground space to get the same output. (Generally speaking, in temperate latitudes in summer at high noon on a clear day the sun will produce 1000 watts of electricity per square meter. Today's most advanced crystalline panel-available for sale-is about 22% efficient (SunPower). Most silicon panels run 13-16% efficiency and are the most affordable. Thin-film PV runs between 5-10%. First Solar (Arizona), the most popular thin-film PV is about 5% (and cheapest per-watt cost in the world) and UniSolar is about 7%; I haven't yet heard what Ascent's will be. (Ed note: Visiting Ascent's exhibit at Solar Power International last week, the company is claiming 10-12% efficiency now and adding 1% annually for the near future.)

I read last summer the UK is considering a very attractive feed-in tariff as high as about 69 cents per kilowatt hour produced by solar power[See updated information at beginning of this article]. This would be a whopping incentive. The reason Germany's PV movement was so strong earlier this decade is because the government gave a 57-cent incentive and low-interest loans that customer's could be paid with their utility bill. Last year Germany surpassed Japan as the leader of the world in PV installations (California is a distant last but way ahead of the rest of the US). China recently made a major commitment to solar so they could be #1 before long.

Should you be an advocate for solar? Absolutely. Even with limited sunshine this source of power never needs to be mined nor drilled for nor nuclear reacted to produce electricity. And, as I said earlier, it's as reliable as tomorrow's sunrise. Cheers!

David Brands

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Dear David

Thanks for your words of encouragement and excellent information!

I always thought that it made sense to tap into the earth's largest off-shore nuclear power station so it's good to have that confirmed! I had been looking at wind and tidal power but am persuaded that solar makes much better sense for our little planet in the long term.

My intention now is to buy a solar system for my apartment (luckily I own the roof) and start reading about the science behind solar energy; and to do a correspondence course. (Have you thought about doing a series of webinars for beginners like me?)

Very good to be in touch with someone so passionate about solar!

All best wishes

Mike

Oct 26-30: Dow, NASDAQ, Solar Slip More

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:03:00 +0000

Poor week all around for Wall Street

Despite yesterday's good report of the GDP, U.S. stocks tumbled today. MarketWatch reports BofA, JPMorgan Chase and Alcoa led Dow's majors to Friday's 259-point loss to finish at 9972.18. a 2.7% slide for the week. The NASDAQ dropped 109 points since last Friday, a 5.3% slide to 2045.11. Solar Stocks in the 20SSI dropped over 50 points, off 13.6% for the week.

All but one solar stock fell; JA Solar finished up .06. First Solar took the biggest hit dropping a whopping 30 points for a 25% loss for the week. Evidently, few investors caught any of the excitement at this year's Solar Power International 2009 trade show in Anaheim this week as solar stocks dropped an average near 10%.

Investors are still uncertain about the state of the economy and whether stocks are the place to put money. But then historically, October has been a scary month in more ways than one. Will the looming Holiday season be the make or break for the year?

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of Oct 26-30, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9972.18	9712.73	-259.45	-2.671%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	2154.47	2045.11	-109.36	-5.347	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.09	.94	-.15	-15.95	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.85	5.40	-.45	-8.333	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	12.95	12.20	-.75	-6.147	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	16.00	14.58	-1.42	-9.739	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	12.53	10.77	-1.76	-16.34	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1500	.1450	-.0050	-3.448	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	1.64	1.45	-.19	-13.10	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	152.39	121.93	-30.46	-24.98	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.57	5.25	-.32	-6.095	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	3.77	3.83	+.06	+1.591	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	87.07	83.47	-3.60	-4.312	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	7.58	6.78	-.80	-11.79	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	13.57	12.41	-1.16	-9.347	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	4.05	3.68	-.37	-10.05	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	2.12	2.04	-.08	-3.921	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	5.25	4.75	-.50	-10.53	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	28.35	24.81	-3.54	-14.27	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	13.64	12.67	-.97	-7.655	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	35.55	32.52	-3.03	-9.317	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	12.63	11.58	-1.05	-9.067	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 421.75	Current 371.21	Change -50.54/-13.6%	Avg Stock -9.64%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** The Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.
NOTE: All above stocks have market capitization of $100M+ except Akeena Solar, Amtel Systems
and Entech Solar. This listing is strictly informational and implies neither endorsement or disapproval
of any stock listed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Solar Power International 2009: A Quick Review

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Lots of exhibitors--not much new

Solar Power International 2009 in Anaheim, California this week had much of the same energy--pun intended--of last year's trade show in San Diego. There seemed to be more exhibitors as the solar industry is one of the very few growth sectors in the world's economy.

Still, like last year's trade show, there seemed very little that was new.

Ascent Solar (ASTI), of Littleton, Colorado has brought its copper, indium, gallium, selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cells to market recently and they look much like UniSolar's thin-film laminates. Both are lightweight and flexible (pictured) but the main differences are that Ascent's PV uses a plastic substrate whereas UniSolar uses a thin layer of stainless steel on which its amorphous silicon (a-Si) is deposited. Also, Ascent is claiming 10-12% efficiency of its cells as opposed to UniSolar's 7-8%. On Monday, Ascent announced NREL measured 14.01% cell efficiency for Ascent Solar CIGS material. As a result Ascent is planning to add 1% per year to its manufactured PV for worldwide sales. Obviously, this puts thin-film efficiency in parity with most standard crystalline but at significantly less cost per watt. Ascent's PV will be ideal for single-membrane (TPO) roofing solutions.

Ground array foundation posts are a lot simpler to install with Saber Solar Foundations. Saber's posts (available for various weight loads) simply screw into the ground like an auger and don't require cement for holding. The rep at at Saber's booth said this type of foundation meets most municipal building codes. Saber is located in Corona Del Mar, California and offers its drill-posts nationwide: www.saberfoundations.com.

One company offered an automatic panel cleaning solution for areas with limited rainfall (which normally "self-clean" panels). A thin spray of water and mild detergent is applied for three minutes daily to clear panels of natural soiling. Water can be recycled by placing rain gutters on the lower edge of an array. Unfortunately, in the Southwest where such an application is most needed is also experiencing a long-term drought and water is getting precious. So, for large arrays this solution could be cost prohibitive.

More solar tracking manufacturers were exhibiting than last year as production-based incentives are becoming more prevalent worldwide.

Always held in California, Solar Power International 2010 will be at the Los Angeles Convention Center, October 12-14.

Oct 19-23: Dow, NASDAQ, Solar Down Less than 1%

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:47:00 +0000

Dow slips below 10,000

MarketWatch reports that major rail operator Burlington Northern projects a weak forecast fueling worries about freight demand, a barometer of the economy. Microsoft and Amazon.com fared well on reports of strong quarterly earnings.

The DJIA closed down nearly 24 points today at 9972.18, a .24% decline while the NASDAQ lost just 2.24 points, of .11%. Sixteen of the stocks in the 20SSI were down but the index slipped 1.65 points, a .39% decline. First Solar and Trina Solar were the biggest gainers.

Next week's Solar Power 2009 in Anaheim will shed light on any innovations in the industry so a good week should be in store both at the trade show and solar stocks, in general. The annual trade show will have 750 exhibitors from around the world becoming the ultimate showcase for the industry.

Wall Street took its biggest drop of the week today as a function of short-term profit taking. MarketWatch reports that Neil Menard at New York's Steben & Co, said many of the earnings gains are a result of cost cuts. He says investors are hungry for companies actually showing growth.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of Oct 19-23, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9995.91	9972.18	-23.73	-.2379%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	2156.80	2154.47	-2.23	-.1081	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.13	1.09	-.04	-3.669	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.69	5.85	+.16	+2.882	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	13.38	12.95	-.43	-3.320	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	16.31	16.00	-.31	-1.937	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	12.00	12.53	+.53	+4.416	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1620	.1500	-.012	-8.00	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	1.83	1.64	-.19	-11.58	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	147.54	152.39	+4.85	+3.287	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.51	5.57	+.06	+1.088	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	3.93	3.77	-.16	-5.835	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	88.11	87.07	-1.04	-1.194	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	7.71	7.58	-.13	-1.715	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	15.53	13.57	-1.96	-14.44	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	4.49	4.05	-.44	-10.86	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	2.12	2.12	NC	0	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	5.34	5.25	-.09	-1.714	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	31.60	28.35	-3.25	-11.46	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	14.89	13.64	-1.25	-9.164	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	33.40	35.55	+2.15	+6.437	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	12.73	12.63	-.10	-.7917	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 423.40	Current 421.75	Change -1.65/-.39%	Avg Stock -3/338%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** The Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.
NOTE: All above stocks have market capitization of $100M+ except Akeena Solar, Amtel Systems
and Entech Solar. This listing is strictly informational and implies neither endorsement or disapproval
of any stock listed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Oct 12-16: Dow, NASDAQ Slightly Up; Solar Dips

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:54:00 +0000

Dow breaks 10,000 but finishes below

The Dow Jones Industrial Average neared 10,100 yesterday but finished at 9995.91 today. NASDAQ was up less than a percent for the week. Six of the 20SSI stocks were off this week.

That's it for now. Have out-of-town company.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of Oct 12-16, 2009

Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9864.94	9995.91	+130.97	+1.327%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	2139.28	2156.80	+17.52	+.8189	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.16	1.13	_.03	-2.654	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.28	5.69	+.41	+7.765	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	12.68	13.38	+.16	+1.210	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	17.76	16.31	-1.45	-8.890	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	10.89	12.00	+1.11	+10.19	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1740	.1620	-.0080	-7.407	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	1.81	1.83	+.02	+1.105	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	156.69	147.54	-2.46	-1.667	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.71	5.51	-.20	-3.629	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	4.01	3.93	-.18	-2.035	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	89.25	88.11	-1.14	-1.293	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	8.28	7.71	-.57	+-7.399	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	16.30	15.53	-.77	-4.958	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	4.77	4.49	-.28	-6.236	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	1.96	2.12	+.16	+8.163	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	5.60	5.34	-.26	-4.869	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	31.49	31.60	+.11	+14.38	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	15.55	14.89	-.66	-4.432	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	34.45	33.40	-.95	-2.844	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	13.15	12.73	-.32	-3.299	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 436.34	Current 423.40	Change +24.81/+6.02%	Avg Stock +5.581%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** The Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.
NOTE: All above stocks have market capitization of $100M+ except Akeena Solar, Amtel Systems
and Entech Solar. This listing is strictly informational and implies neither endorsement or
disapproval of any stock. Comments are welcome.

Oct 5-9: Solar Outperforms Dow, NASDAQ

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:00:00 +0000

All-around good week for stocks

Since last Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained over 377 point to finish at 9864.94, the year's highest. The NASDAQ rose 91 points to end today at 2139.28. Percentage gains for both were nearly 4% and 4.5% respectively. The 20 Solar Stocks Index (20SSI) gained nearly 25 points, a 6% rise for the week.

MarketWatch reported IBM rallied the technology sector which Alcoa and others fed rising optimism about third-quarter earnings reports. IBM was up 3.64 or 3% to 125.93 likely related to Barclay's going bullish on the tech giant. Both Intel and AMD went up, as well.

Eighteen in the 20SSI rose with Trina, SunPower, SunTech and Yingli leading the others. The average stock in the index rose 5.6% easily outpacing the Dow and NASDAQ. After two dismal weeks solar makes the welcome rebound based on several likely reasons. Cost of panels remain down while the cost of electricity here in California continues to rise rapidly. There were 200 applications received by the CA Center for Sustainable Energy (which administers the CA rebate for SDG&E customers) during September. That figure coupled with the 350 applications in July means the rebate currently at $1.55 per installed AC watt will trigger down to $1.10 much sooner than thought. The California Solar Initiative is a good model for other states in that it stimulates solar PV sales in a severely depressed economy.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of Oct 5-9, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9487.67	9864.94	+377.27	+3.976%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	2048.11	2139.28	+91.17	+4.451	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.07	1.16	_.09	+8.411	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.10	5.28	+.18	+3.529	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	12.68	13.22	+.54	+4.258	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	15.99	17.76	+1.77	+11.07	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	10.79	10.89	+.10	+.9267	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1799	.1740	-.0059	-3.390	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	1.77	1.81	+.04	+2.259	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	150.00	156.69	+6.69	+4.450	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.28	5.71	+.43	-7.765	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	3.88	4.01	+.13	+3.350	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	86.70	89.25	+1.55	+2.941	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	7.93	8.28	+.35	+4.413	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	15.38	16.30	+.92	+5.981	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	4.51	4.77	+.26	+5.764	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	2.01	1.96	-.05	-2.551	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	5.24	5.60	+.36	+6.870	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	27.53	31.49	+3.96	+14.38	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	13.98	15.55	+1.57	+11.23	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	29.82	34.45	+4.63	+15.52	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	11.69	13.15	+1.46	+12.48	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 411.53	Current 436.34	Change +24.81/+6.02%	Avg Stock +5.581%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** The Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.
NOTE: All above stocks have market capitization of $100M+ except Akeena Solar, Amtel Systems
and Entech Solar. This listing is strictly informational and implies neither endorsement or disapproval
of any stock listed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Sept 28-Oct 2: Dow, NASDAQ, Solar Sink Some More

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Solar stocks down nearly 7%

The DJIA has dropped 333 points in two weeks, the NASDAQ 77. The 20 Solar Stocks Index lost 23 points for the week and over 35 since Sept 21. MarketWatch said the disappointing labor report and possible over-extension during the markets third-quarter surge may be to blame. Stocks dropped seven of the last eight trading days with industrials General Electric, Boeing and Caterpillar leading the others.

Still, there were some gainers from various sectors by week's end. Accenture (IT sector) gained 97 cents; ConocoPhillips was up 1.30; PepsiCo closed up 2.44; Wynn Resorts climbed 2.06 points; and BB&T (banking/financial planning) rose 1.18.

Eighteen stocks in the 20SSI were down lead by Renesola down nearly 19%. Although First Solar's net loss for the week was 2.87, it actually rose 6.24 per share today on news it is replacing Wyeth Pharmaceuticals on the Standard & Poor's 500 index when Pfizer completes acquisition of the company.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of Sept 28-Oct 2, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9665.19	9487.67	-177.52	-1.871%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	2090.92	2048.11	-42.81	-2.090	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.17	1.07	-.10	-9.345	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.34	5.10	-.24	-4.705	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	13.10	12.68	-0.42	-3.312	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	16.74	15.99	-.75	-4.690	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	11.99	10.79	-1.20	-11.12	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1770	.1799	-.0029	+1.638	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	1.86	1.77	-.09	-5.084	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	156.15	150.00	-2.87	-1.913	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.69	5.28	-.41	-7.765	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	4.04	3.88	-.16	-4.123	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	92.46	86.70	-5.76	-6.643	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	8.83	7.93	-.90	-11.35	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	17.29	15.38	-1.91	-12.42	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	5.38	4.51	-.87	-19.29	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	1.90	2.01	+.21	+11.66	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	5.80	5.24	-.56	-10.68	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	30.53	27.53	-3.00	-10.89	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	15.75	13.98	-.77	-12.66	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	31.45	29.82	-1.63	-5.466	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	12.60	11.69	-.91	-7.784	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 434.86	Current 411.53	Change -23.33/-5.6%	Avg Stock -6.797%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** The Consensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.
NOTE: All above stocks have market capitization of $100M+ except Akeena Solar, Amtel Systems
and Entech Solar. This listing is strictly informational and implies neither endorsement or disapproval
of any stock listed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Sept. 21-25: Stocks' Two-Week Surge Ends

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:21:00 +0000

The Dow, NASDAQ, 20SSI still up from August

MarketWatch reports that the nearly six-month surge in stocks is a concern the market might have overextended the current financial environment forcing some companies into the red. These include Caterpillar and American Express while Research in Motion lead tech companies into red ink.

The Dow lost 155 points for the week and NASDAQ nearly 42, a 1.6% and 2% slide respectively. The 20 Solar Stocks Index dropped 12.26 points, a 2.8% dip.

Numerous economic reports this week showed disappointing data for durable-goods order and new home sales were the main cause, says MarketWatch, for the market's slip.

All but one stock in the 20SSI were down although the index overall is well ahead of the August close. Either investors cashed out their short-term gains or feel edgy themselves about the overall rapidity of market gains since March. Paranoia strikes deep...

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of September 21-25, 2009

Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9820.20	9665.19	-155.01	-1.603%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	2132.86	2090.92	-41.94	-2.005	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.23	1.17	-.06	-5.128	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.50	5.34	-.16	-2.996	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	13.03	13.10	+.07	+.5372	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	17.62	16.74	-.88	-5.256	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	13.53	11.99	-1.54	-12.84	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1800	.1770	-.0030	-1.695	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	1.88	1.86	-.02	-1.075	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	156.15	152.87	-3.28	-2.145	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.86	5.69	-.17	-2.987	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	4.60	4.04	-.54	-13.86	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	89.37	92.46	-3.09	-3.457	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	9.39	8.83	-.56	-6.342	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	18.90	17.29	-1.61	-9.311	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	6.00	5.38	-.62	-11.52	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	1.90	1.80	-.10	-5.555	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	6.43	5.80	-.63	-10.86	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	33.09	30.53	-2.56	-8.385	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	16.96	15.75	-1.21	-7.682	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	31.45	31.45	NC	NC	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	14.05	12.60	-1.45	-11.51	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 447.12	Current 434.86	Change -12.26/-2.8%	Avg Stock -5.697%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** The Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.
NOTE: All above stocks have market capitization of $100M+ except Akeena Solar, Amtel Systems
and Entech Solar. This listing is strictly informational and implies neither endorsement or disapproval
of any stock listed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Sept 14-18: Solar Outpaces Dow, NASDAQ Again

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Strong week all around; Dow approaches 10,000

The 20 Solar Stocks Index (20SSI) gained a sparkling 8% this week compared to the Dow's and NASDAQ's 2.2 and 2.5% gains respectively. It is usually a blah month for trading but all three indexes gained for the second straight week.

MarketPlace reported consumer stocks, including Procter & Gamble, Sara Lee and Home Depot, showed lead the rally that pushed the Dow up nearly 214 points. The NASDAQ gained nearly 52 points, the eighth week in the last ten to rise.

The 20SSI gained over 33 points for the week with First Solar, JA Solar and SunPower leading the pack. All but four stocks went up in what could be the beginning of a consistent rise for solar installations. Here in California news of steep rate hikes next year by Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric certainly helps the industry without the need for more state or federal incentives. Even conservative companies are looking at renewable energy because the low cost of panels and ever-increasing electricity costs make solar or wind power imperative. Solar trackers are coming more into play as more incentives are performance based and they help to eke out more power as the panels follow the sun's path.

China is committing to 20% of its power demand to come from solar and wind by 2020. As authoritarian governments go, implementation of solar projects are much quicker to be built than in most Western (democratic) countries with their layers of government and compliance. China's commitment could drive up the cost of panels worldwide as their multi-megawatt PV projects devour existing panel supplies. This is no far out possibility. It is said the cost of concrete, steel and copper was sky-high because of the copious amounts of these materials used to complete the Beijing Olympics.

The 20 Solar Stocks Index Week of September 14-18, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9605.41	9820.20	+214.79	+2.236%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	2080.90	2132.86	+51.96	+2.496	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.1701	1.23	+.0599	+5.119	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.01	5.50	+.49	+9.780	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	13.51	13.03	-.48	-3.684	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	16.58	17.62	+1.04	+6.272	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	13.40	13.53	+.13	+.9701	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1750	.1800	+.0050	+2.857	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	1.94	1.88	-.06	-3.191	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	136.75	156.15	+19.40	+14.18	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.35	5.86	+.51	+9.532	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	3.90	4.60	+.70	+17.95	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	88.05	89.37	+1.32	+1.499	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	9.75	9.39	-.36	-3.833	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	17.21	18.90	+1.69	+9.819	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	5.86	6.00	+.14	+2.389	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	1.90	1.90	NC	NC	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	5.94	6.43	+.49	+8.249	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	29.15	33.09	+3.94	+13.51	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	15.97	16.96	+.99	+6.199	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	29.07	31.45	+2.38	+8.187	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	12.98	14.05	+1.07	+8.243	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 413.67	Current 447.12	Change +33.45/+8%	Avg Stock +5.7%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** The Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.
NOTE: All above stocks have market capitization of $100M+ except Akeena Solar, Amtel Systems
and Entech Solar. This listing is strictly informational and implies neither endorsement or disapproval
of any stock listed. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Sept 8-11: Solar Outgains Dow, NASDAQ

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:36:00 +0000

But China's getting the PV manufacturing jobs

For the first time in seven weeks, the 20 Solar Stock Index outpaced both the DJIA and NASDAQ. Even though all three indexes finished down Friday, the 20SSI was up over 32 points to finish the week at 413.67, an 8.5% gain. The Dow finished up 164.14 this week, about 1.74% ahead and NASDAQ ended up 62 ahead, about 3% up.

Friday's sour close ended a five straight trading days of gains, so evidently short-term profit taking was the trend of the day. Still, the week was the best for all three indexes since the week ending July 24.

Seventeen stocks in the 20SSI went up. Energy Conversion Devices (ECD), which owns the UniSolar thin-film PV line, gained nearly 29% despite reporting dismal sales for the quarter ending June 30. ECD also makes nickel metal hydride batteries which power most hybrid cars today. First Solar gained 12.58% after having just signed a contract with the Chinese government to build a 2-gigawatt plant in Mongolia. First Solar's cadmium-telluride (CdTe) thin-film technology is leading the world in low-cost PV.

All-in-all it was a good week for Wall Street in a month that historically is a bad trading month. Too bad the good news for solar does include more green jobs in America. Evergreen Solar, based in Massachusetts, just began production from a new plant in China, as well. The policy of giving tax credits to oil and coal with no incentives for new solar plants under the Bush administration has allowed China, Japan, Germany and Spain to excel in this emerging industry. Solar photovoltaics is yet another industry pioneered by Americans that Americans buy from factories in other countries. Will this ever end?

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of September 8-11, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9441.27	9605.41	+164.14	+1.735%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	2018.78	2080.90	+62.12	+3.077	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.09	1.18	+.09	+8.257	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.01	5.01	NC	NC	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	13.45	13.51	+.06	+.9955	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	14.90	16.58	+1.68	+11.28	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	10.41	13.40	+2.99	+28.72	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1805	.1750	-.0055	-3.142	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	1.68	1.94	+.26	+15.47	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	121.47	136.75	+15.28	+12.58	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.19	5.35	+.16	+3.082	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	3.42	3.90	+.48	+14.03	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	87.18	88.05	+.87	+.9901	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	8.94	9.75	+.81	+9.060	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	16.59	17.21	+.62	+3.737	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	5.55	5.86	+.31	+5.585	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	1.78	1.90	+.12	+6.741	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	5.16	5.94	+.78	+15.11	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	26.07	29.15	+3.08	+11.81	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	14.85	15.97	+1.12	+7.542	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	26.43	29.07	+2.64	+9.988	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	11.83	12.98	+1.15	+9.721	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 381.27	Current 413.67	Change +32.4/+8.5%	Avg Stock +8.165%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** NOTE: Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.

Aug 31-Sep 4: Dow, NASDAQ, Solar Slip Equally

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 02:31:00 +0000

And September's historically bad month on Wall Street

A report this morning showed a decline in job losses in August which seem to have helped industrial like GE and Caterpillar lead stocks on Friday. However, the gains were not enough to offset losses earlier this week, as reported on MarketWatch.

The Dow lost 103 points for the week ending today, about a 2% drop. This was only the second decline in eight weeks for the index and stopped a two-week gain. September is historically a bad trading month on Wall Street so this week's beginning appears typical. NASDAQ fared better, dropping 10 points, a half-percent loss.

Solar stocks in the 20SSI dropped 3.35 points to 381.7, just .88% down. At least solar's slight drop falls between that of the DJIA and NASDAQ so there's equal opportunity disappointment. Kyocera made the biggest gain this week, up 5.75 or 9% even thought it is not a pure-play solar company. Yingli Solar contracted on Tuesday with a major Czech land development company to supply 5MW of panels for planned industrial parks and office complexes, which could account for its strong week.

Still, panel inventories continue to run high and, and least here in California, there is plenty of groveling for projects considered too small by the major solar players just last year. First Solar, a thin-film PV maker which finished at 191.72 on May 22 continues its decline since then with a 121.47 close today--a shedding of 36%. Less demand in Europe and the incredible low cost of crystal silicon wafers and panels recently is likely to blame for First Solar's slipping.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of August 31-September 4, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9544.2	9441.27	-102.93	-1.090%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	2028.77	2018.78	-9.99	-.4948	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.09	1.18	+.09	+8.257	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.03	5.01	-.02	-.3992	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	13.27	13.45	+.18	+1.356	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	15.19	14.90	-.29	-1.946	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	11.92	10.41	-1.51	-14.51	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1800	.1805	+.005	+2.777	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	1.65	1.68	-.24	-14.54	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	124.21	121.47	-2.74	-2.255	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.27	5.19	-.08	-1.541	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	3.62	3.42	-.20	-5.847	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	81.44	87.18	+5.74	+9.341	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	9.24	8.94	-.30	-3.355	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	16.55	16.59	+.04	-.2416	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	5.73	5.55	-.18	+3.335	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	2.07	1.78	-.29	-16.29	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	5.30	5.16	-.14	-2.713	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	26.14	26.07	-..07	-.4208	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	18.00	14.85	-3.15	-21.21	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	27.70	26.43	-1.27	-4.805	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	11.02	11.83	+.81	+7.350	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 384.62	Current 381.27	Change -3.35/-.88%	Avg Stock -2.510%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** NOTE: Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.

Aug 24-28: Dow, NASDAQ Inch Up; 8 Solar Stocks Gain

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:58:00 +0000

Usual late-summer vacations mean trading lull

Both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the NASDAQ gained about .4% in light trading for the week. The 20SSI was down just 1.27 to finish at 384.62 a .33% decline from the previous week.

Economists are predicting 250,000 jobs lost in August, slightly up from July's 247,000. The Labor Department released its report late Friday which, along with data from payroll processor ADP, could strongly influence trading on Monday.

Eight of the 20 solar stocks in this index finished up: Entech, First Solar, Kyocera, LDK Solar, Renesola, Satcon, Suntech and Trina Solar. None of the gains exceeded 6%--a far cry from the boom period from March through June. Solar inventories are still climbing as the economy remains weak and, although credit is loosening, it's not loose enough to allow many planned projects to get underway. On the other hand, those with cash or financing in place, solar panels, inverters, trackers and racking have never been cheaper. For one who experiencing the shortage of both silicon cells and panels in 2004-05, it is truly amazing the deals that can be made on even better equipment today. Coming electricity rate hikes--steep and soon--could force the issue for power-needy consumers small and large.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of August 24-28, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9505.96	9544.2	+38.24	+.4022%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	2020.90	2028.77	+7.87	+.3894	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.17	1.09	-.08	-7.339	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.05	5.03	-.02	-.3976	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	13.74	13.27	-.47	-3.541	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	15.98	15.19	-.79	-5.200	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	12.36	11.92	-.44	-3.691	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1750	18.00	+.005	+2.857	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	1.89	1.65	-.24	-14.54	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	121.54	124.21	+2.67	+2.196	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.38	5.27	-.11	-2.087	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	3.79	3.62	-.17	-4.696	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	79.85	81.44	+1.59	+1.991	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	8.94	9.24	+.30	+3.355	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	17.00	16.55	-.45	-2.719	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	5.53	5.73	+.20	+3.616	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	1.96	2.07	+.11	+3.157	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	5.51	5.30	-.21	-3.962	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	26.25	26.14	-.11	-.4208	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	15.30	18.00	-.25	+1.661	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	25.93	27.70	+1.77	+6.826	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	11.07	11.02	-.05	-.4537	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 385.89	Current 384.62	Change -1.27/-.33%	Avg Stock -.6797%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** NOTE: Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.

Aug 17-21: Dow, NASDAQ; Solar Slides Some More

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:55:00 +0000

Crude oil is credited with upsurge

The DJIA gained nearly 185 points for the week and NASDAQ went up 62. Wall Street suggests the surge is related to increased crude oil prices. The 20 Solar Stocks Index took another slide to finish at 385.89, an 11% drop from last Friday.

On July 11, 2008 crude oil was at $146.65 a barrel and the Dow took a 129 point hit that day. The high oil prices back then were bad for the stock market because expensive oil absorbs capital the could have gone to other areas. Today, as crude sits around $74 a barrel, up from $40/barrel not long ago, the increase to many suggests the economy is recovering. It seems to be the inverse from last year.

Either way, the market still seems to be inextricably tied to the cost of crude. Crude oil, the dirty stuff, that powers most forms of transportation.

Solar power is gaining popularity nationwide but even though panel prices are a record lows, the weak economy is keeping many potential buyers on the sidelines. Low panel prices come as a result of oversupply of both panels and actual silicon wafers. Thin-film companies like UniSolar, First Solar and (indirectly) Applied Materials see their sales faltering likely because crystalline panel pricing has dropped to the point of being the same or cheaper than their PV offerings. Also, high-concentration PV makers, who use lenses to magnify the output of smaller silicon chips, have less of a play in the solar market because they counted on silicon prices staying high. With today's glut of crystalline panels and wafers, the HCPV approach is neutralized.

Spiking electricity costs are still the biggest motivation to go solar and wind. As the economy bounces back and the need for power surges, solar will surge along with it. Besides, many states either have or are about to institute clean energy mandates that public utilities will have to meet. For the time being solar will have to bear these challenging times just like virtually all other sectors.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of August 17-23, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9321.40	9505.96	+184.56	=1.980%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	1985.52	2020.90	+62.38	+3.185	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.21	1.17	-.04	-3.420	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	4.91	5.05	+.14	+2.851	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	13.55	13.74	+.19	+1.402	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	16.54	15.98	-.56	-11.24	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	13.35	12.36	-.99	-8.009	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.2010	.1750	-.026	-14.85	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	2.00	1.89	-.11	-5.820	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	141.78	121.54	-20.24	-16.65	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.50	5.38	-.12	-2.230	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	4.17	3.79	-.38	-10.02	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	81.45	79.85	11.60	-2.003	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	9.22	8.94	-.28	-3.132	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	16.82	17.00	+.18	+1.070	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	5.38	5.53	+.18	+2.788	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	1.90	1.96	+.06	+3.157	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	6.70	5.51	-1.19	-21.59	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	27.65	26.25	-1.40	-5.33	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	17.64	15.30	-2.34	-15.29	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	28.31	25.93	-2.38	-9.178	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	12.43	11.07	-1.36	-12.28	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 410.71	Current 385.89	Change -43.19/-11%	Avg Stock -6.21%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** NOTE: Consensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.

Aug 10-14: Dow Off; NASDAQ, Solar Also Tumble

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:28:00 +0000

Consumer confidence dipping

The DJIA's four-week run of gains ended this week down 49 points from last Friday. NASDAQ was also down--about 15 points this week but drops for both major indexes amounted to less than 1%. All but two in the 20SSI went down for a generally sour week throughout Wall Street. Fortunately, it's August and trading is relatively light.

MarketWatch reports that consumer confidence has fallen based on the Reuters/University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment which fell to 63.2 this month from 66 in July. By contrast, analyst's consensus predicted a rise to 68.5.

Consumers companies are feeling the pinch. Nordstrom lead the sector's declines by falling 1.89 to 27.87 after its Q209 profit fell 27%. Consumer sentiment also hurt some commodities including oil entities. Certain banks, like Bank of America, helped to offset overall declines with some modest gains.

As for solar stocks, Chris Morrison, energy writer at bnet.com, reported yesterday that large solar panel inventories are taking a toll on the solar industry. Oversupply hit LDK Solar hard last quarter by taking a $217 million loss for its unsold solar wafer stock. Of that amount, $175.8 million was in inventory write-downs, meaning LDK was forced to reduce on-paper value of unsold wafers to reflect current market pricing. JA Solar, also a solar cell maker, said its inventories rose 18%, a common condition of silicon wafer and solar panel manufacturers. Still, most solar companies, Morrison reports, seem to believe the industry will be over the hump in 2010 or early 2011.

iSupply, an electronics research firm, predicted oversupply lasting into 2012; that half of all panels now being made are going into inventory. Such a glut of panels has an adverse effect on high-concentration photovoltaics makers (HCPV) as their modules are based on cutting cost-per-watt pricing by using Fresnel lenses (mostly) to maximize output of much less silicon per module. With high-grade silicon wafers in abundance and prices falling, HCPV technology becomes less important.

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of August 10-14, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9370.07	9321.40	-48.67	-.5221%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	2000.25	1985.52	-14.73	-.7418	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.26	1.21	-.05	-4.132	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.63	4.91	-.72	-14.66	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	13.52	13.55	+.02	+.2219	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	18.40	16.54	-1.86	-11.24	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	13.58	13.35	-.23	-1.722	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.2230	.2010	-.022	-10.95	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	2.06	2.00	-.06	-3.000	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	146.47	141.78	-4.69	-3.079	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	6.50	5.50	-1.00	-18.18	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	5.20	4.17	-1.03	-24.70	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	80.72	81.45	+.73	+.0090	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	11.64	9.22	-2.42	-26.24	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	17.46	16.82	-.64	-3.804	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	5.67	5.38	-.29	-5.390	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	2.02	1.90	-.12	-6.315	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	7.84	6.70	-1.14	-17.01	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	30.69	27.65	-3.04	-10.99	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	18.22	17.64	-.58	-3.288	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	28.58	28.31	-.27	-.9537	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	13.40	12.43	-.97	-7.803	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 429.08	Current 410.71	Change -18.38/-4.4%	Avg Stock -8.66%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** NOTE: Consensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.

Dow, NASDAQ Chug On; Solar Index Down by Jigger

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:24:00 +0000

Canadian Solar up over 26%

Although it was up 181 points earlier today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 114 points today to end the week at 9370.07, the highest in nine months. NASDAQ also finished the week well at 2000.25, about 22 points up from last Friday. The 20 Solar Stock Index closed down 3.67 points from last week to 429.08.

Major gainers on the Dow and NASDAQ range from D.R. Horton, a home-building firm, Hansen Naturals, the soda company and AES, an electrical power giant, so success seems diverse, at least for the week. Gains by two of Dow's former members drip with irony. Recent upturns by AIG and Citigroup (both NYSE and both TARP money) shows there may be a smidgen of hope for American taxpayers who own 75% alone of AIG from bail-out cash infused since last fall.

Canadian Solar International was the week's biggest gainer in the 20SSI by far--up 3.86 for the week, over a 26% climb from last Friday. Just yesterday CSI released second quarter results showing a net revenues of $114.2M, a 131% increase from Q109. Today CSI announced it has signed a "broad strategic" agreement with Guodian Power Development Co., Ltd., one of China's largest utilities.

First Solar closed down for the week by nearly 8 points, a 5.4% loss despite Q209 revenues up around 20% from first quarter's results. First Solar's thin-film modules have been wildly popular because of their rock-bottom low pricing. Yet standard silicon panel prices are at all-time lows now, too, and their higher efficiencies require significantly less space to install. Could the First Solar bubble be bursting?

20 Solar Stocks Index Week of August 3-7, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9171.62	9370.07	+198.45	+2.163%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	1978.5	2000.25	+21.75	+1.953	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.3101	1.26	-.0501	-3.976	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.74	5.63	-.11	-1.953	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	13.80	13.52	-.28	-2.071	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	14.54	18.40	+3.86	+26.54	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	14.24	13.58	-.66	-4.860	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.2300	.2230	-.007	-.3139	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	2.10	2.06	-.04	-1.941	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	154.39	146.47	-7.92	-5.407	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	6.20	6.50	+.30	+4.838	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	4.81	5.20	+.39	+8.108	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	80.17	80.72	+.55	+.6860	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	10.94	11.64	+.70	+6.398	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	17.62	17.46	-.16	-.9163	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	5.45	5.67	+.22	+4.036	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	1.89	2.02	+.13	+6.878	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	7.20	7.84	-.64	+8.888	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	32.20	30.69	-1.51	-4.920	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	18.39	18.22	-.17	-.9330	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	28.26	28.58	+.32	+1.132	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	13.27	13.40	+.13	+.9796	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 432.75	Current 429.08	Change -3.67/-.85%	Avg Stock +.2.06%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** NOTE: Consensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.

Why Wait for Breakthrough Solar Technologies?

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:42:00 +0000

"If in 1977 you read a science article reporting that hybrid gas-electric vehicles were not too distant in the future, would you have waited over 20 years to buy a Toyota Prius?"

Homeowners and businesses are saving with solar now

Recently, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said a breakthrough is needed in photovoltaics in order to significantly reduce greenhouse gases (GHG). Secretary Chu, who likes nuclear power, supports more research into making solar cells with cheaper materials reducing installed cost-per-watt immensely thus generating more PV installations resulting in larger GHG reductions.

Researchers have sought to reduce solar panel wholesale pricing below $1 per watt for years. Well, in this year's first quarter First Solar did just that. Furthermore, industry-wide the cost for solar modules are at all-time lows. Besides dogfighting for market share in a weak economy, panel makers have many more manufacturers of high-grade silicon wafers from which to buy than just four years ago. For the first time ever, there are plenty of panels to go around that are much cheaper in cost with appreciable efficiencies.

Today's panels, inverters, racking and trackers are answering the questions of five, ten and twenty years ago. We are seeing the fruits of solar R&D over the past two decades and many solar adopters are seeing the benefits...today. Back then the questions were tougher because no one really knew if a viable market would exist for solar to justify making major R&D investments. Yet visionaries and outliers could see energy costs rising precipitously. In this light, they took their chances.

Innovations such as net metering laws gave solar a boost. This breakthrough--not technological but governmental--eliminated the need for storage batteries, their costly replacement and their recycling issues. In effect, a grid-tied PV system uses the utility as its "back-up battery." Other breakthroughs like feed-in tariffs, rebates and tax credits made PV system pricing more palatable worldwide. The holy grail for solar pricing, according to the book Exponential Solar is .50/watt installed. That puts solar on even keel with fossil fuel and nuclear produced electricity. As demand for solar is going up and pricing going down, that goal could be attainable in the next decade.

Advancements in solar PV are going to happen; it's simply necessary for the players in any growing industry to constantly improve their products to stay competitive. But the existing solar technology can reduce electricity costs while reducing GHG emissions NOW. And even if there is a major breakthrough in PV, existing solar systems will have already saved their owners big on electricity costs and will continue to do so for years to come. Finally, lest we forget, the "new and improved" and the "latest and greatest" always come with a hefty price tag.

July 27-31: Dow, NASDAQ Creep Up; Solar Drops 5.8%

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 01:36:00 +0000

Dow's best month since Oct. '02

The Dow Jones Industrial Average recorded its best month in nearly seven years, posting an 882-point boost since Friday, July 3. In fact it was the best July for Wall Street in twenty years. Gains for the week for the Dow and NASDAQ were meager however, with both gaining less than a percent. The 20SSI decreased 5.8% from last week's close but the net gain since July 3 was nearly 22 points.

Company earnings and earnings outlooks continue to lead the surge on the major indexes. The big gainer for solar this week was Entech Solar which announced "successful completion of the preliminary design review and prototype of the next-generation concentrating solar product, ThermaVolt II." The company is also completed preliminary design for a tubular skylight. To be frank, many solar investors may have decided to take short-term profits on the terrific gains made in the industry earlier on the month.

Being active in the solar business, this blogger sees renewed interest in PV systems as the summer gets hotter in California and can last into November. Power rates are high and demand shoots up with the gross necessity of air conditioning--especially in the inland deserts which are getting more inhabitants resulting from cheaper land. Places like Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indian Wells and Indio are beginning to see some serious traffic. There is a thriving town called Ridgecrest farther north with its own solar-powered junior college. Ridgecrest is 17 miles from Death Valley, the hottest spot in the contiguous 48 states. Inland desert temperatures range from 98-123 degrees in the hot months and the AC required to stay comfortable can result in electricity bills that look more like mortgage payments. ROI for solar installations here is quick and painless.

(Picture: A parabolic trough array in the California desert near Victorville.)

Week of July 27-31, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	9093.24	9171.62	+78.38	+.8619%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	1965.96	1978.5	+12.54	+.6378	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.41	1.3101	-.0999	-.0763	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	5.56	5.74	+.18	+3.237	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	13.19	13.80	+.61	+4.625	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	15.57	14.54	-1.03	-7.084	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	15.22	14.24	-1.03	-7.084	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1900	.2300	+.0400	+21.05	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	2.34	2.10	-.24	-11.43	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	169.43	154.39	-15.04	-9.741	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	6.16	6.20	+.04	+.6493	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	5.32	4.81	-.51	+10.60	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	78.83	80.17	+1.34	+1.699	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	11.81	10.94	-.87	-7.952	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	18.74	17.62	-1.12	-6.356	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	6.20	5.45	-.75	-1.376	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	1.80	1.89	+.09	+.5586	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	7.50	7.20	-.30	-4.166	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	32.04	32.20	+.16	+.4993	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	20.49	18.39	-2.10	-11.42	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	31.10	28.26	-2.84	-10.05	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	15.10	13.27	-1.83	-13.79	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 458	Current 432.75	Change -25.25/-5.8%	Avg Stock -3.208%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** NOTE: Consensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.

July 20-24: Solar Surpasses Dow, NASDAQ

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:31:00 +0000

Overall market sees second straight great week

The 20 Solar Stocks Index (20SSI) gained 65.5 point to finish at 458 points this week, a 16.69% increase from last week. The solar index outperformed both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ which finished with considerable gains of their own.

The Dow finished above 9000 points for the first time since January 2 with a rise of nearly 350 points. Added to last week, the DJIA has rocketed 947 points since July 10. The Dow has gained nine of the last ten trading days. Percentage-wise the Dow and NASDAQ have run neck-and neck in the past two weeks. Good quarterly earnings reports from many public companies has added more summer sunshine on Wall Street.

Solar stocks were lead this week by SunPower surging a gawdy 8.75 points to finish today at 32.04 a share, nearly a 38% rise. LDK Solar, Solarfun, SunTech, Trina Solar and Yingli all rose in the 20-30% range. Only MEMC Electrical failed to gain for the week albeit down a measily 2 cents per share.

Reuters reported today that SunPower just announced better-than-expected earnings while China's LDK Solar raised its sales forecast. The other large gainers, said Reuters, likely came on the coattails of the SunPower and LDK surges.

Week of July 20-24, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	8743.94	9093.24	+349.30	+3.994%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	1886.61	1965.96	+79.35	+4.205	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.11	1.41	+.30	+27.03	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	4.94	5.56	+.62	+12.55	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	12.67	13.19	+.52	+4.104	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	13.90	15.57	+1.67	+12.01	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	12.98	15.22	+2.44	+17.25	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1700	.1900	+.0200	+11.760	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	2.06	2.34	+.28	+13.59	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	144.55	169.43	+24.88	+17.21	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.44	6.16	+.72	+13.23	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	4.48	5.32	+.84	+18.75	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	72.96	78.83	+5.87	+8.045	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	9.22	11.81	+2.59	+28.09	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	18.76	18.74	-.02	-.0011	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	5.27	6.20	+.93	+17.64	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	1.79	1.80	+.01	+.5586	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	6.25	7.50	+1.25	+20.00	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	23.29	32.04	+8.75	+37.57	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	15.95	20.49	+4.54	+28.46	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	25.00	31.10	+6.10	+24.40	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	11.73	15.10	+3.37	+28.73	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 392.5	Current 458.0	Change +65.5/+16.69%	Avg Stock +17.05%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** NOTE: Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.

July 13-17: Dow, NASDAQ Soar--Solar Close Behind

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:22:00 +0000

Week reverses a three-week drop

It was a rebound week on Wall Street. The Dow saw five consecutive gaining days charging back 597 points to 8743.94, a juicy 7% up from last Friday's close. The NASDAQ rebounded, too, climbing nearly 131 points to finish at 1886.61, over a 7% gain as well. It's the eight consecutive gain for NASDAQ, the best run in over four years. The 20 Solar Stocks Index ascended 22.1 points to end the week at 392.5, nearly a 6% comeback.

Overall solar stocks rose 10.5% with only one of the 20 not gaining ground. Friday's trading cooled down for solar as 14 stocks dropped slightly from yesterday but the last five days stopped a three-week slide.

Analysts say the good Wall Steet week is largely due to strong earnings reports from Intel and IBM and some encouraging news on the economy. After about a three-week drubbing, solar stocks may have been perceived as bargains this week, thus the surge. The energy bill before the Senate will be more of a boon for Big Oil and King Cole, so the rise in solar stocks, to this blogger, should not be attributed to the energy bill in its current form.

Week of July 13-17, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	8146.52	8743.94	+597.42	+7.333%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	1756.03	1886.61	+130.58	+7.436	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.14	1.11	-.03	-2.703	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	4.73	4.94	+.21	+4.439	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	11.00	12.67	+1.67	+15.18	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	9.82	13.90	+4.08	+41.55	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	12.14	12.98	+.84	+6.92	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1680	.1700	+.0020	+1.190	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	1.99	2.06	+.07	+3.517	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	143.10	144.55	+1.45	+1.013	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	4.77	5.44	+.77	+14.04	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	3.78	4.48	+.70	+18.52	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	72.83	72.96	+.13	+.1785	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	8.53	9.22	+.69	+8.089	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	16.61	18.76	+2.15	+12.94	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	4.64	5.27	+.63	+13.57	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	1.70	1.79	+.09	-5.294	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	5.25	6.25	+1.00	+19.05	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	22.35	23.29	+.94	+4.205	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	14.35	15.95	+1.60	+11.15	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	21.27	25.00	+3.73	+17.53	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	10.24	11.73	+1.49	+14.55	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 370.4	Current 392.5	Change +22.1/+5.97%	Avg Stock 10.51%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** NOTE: Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.

Dow, NASDAQ, Solar Up, Up, Up

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:21:00 +0000

Best day for NASDAQ in nine months

After three dismal weeks of trading in almost every sector, indexes are seeing a healthy reversal so far this week. The Dow closed at 8616.21 today, 470 points above last Friday's close, a 5.76% gain. NASDAQ finished at 1862.9, 107 points above Friday, a 6.09% rise. And the 20 Solar Stocks Index to a 6.23% leap so far, gaining 23.09 points to finish today at 393.49.

It was the highest close for NASDAQ since Oct. 6 and helped in large part by Intel whose second quarter revenue and profits were much better than expected. Intel gained 1.22 finishing at 18.05 today, a 7.2% jump.

All 20SSI solar companies have gained this week but this could be because investors are taking advantage of low stock prices after the shellacking taken by solar over the previous three weeks. Nothing special has happened in the industry but companies from integrators, installers, and manufacturers are starting to write some serious business lately.

July 6-10: Solar Stocks Drop 11%

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:57:00 +0000

Dow also down fourth straight week...

The 20 Solar Stocks Index (20SSI) dropped 41 points this week, an 11% loss. The index has lost 90 points since June 5--a 24% loss in just four weeks. The trend follows the Dow and NASDAQ, their losses have not been as precipitous.

The energy and climate change bill now before the Senate is proving to be more of a windfall for oil and coal. Also, just this week nuclear got a potential boost with a White House compromise with the Senate that could allow building 100 more nuke plants by 2030. By caving in to such archaic energy technologies, the bill, should pass into law, should be renamed the Old Energy Resources and Global Heating Act of 2009. It's that pitiful. Who needs solar or wind when campaign contributions from Big Oil and King Coal need to be repaid? The nuclear thing came straight out of left field. (See: "The Energy Bill: Do It Right or Dump It" http://freesolaradvice.blogspot.com/2009/07/energy-bill-get-it-right-or-dump-it.html)

Crude oil also dropped below $60 a barrel which also--erroneously--hurts renewable energy stocks. When Black Gold is cheap, solar and wind get ignored.

Losses by solar companies played no favorites. Penny stocks like Akeena and Satcon dropped 10% and 6% respectively. Big boys SunPower and SunTech took hits of 17% and 29%. If it's any consolation, the 20SSI is still well above its March 6 close. But June losses ate up about half the gains made since March 9...

Week of July 6-10, 2009

	Monday Open	Friday Close	Up/Down	% Change	Close 1/5/09*	Close 3/6/09**
Dow Jones DJIA	8289.81	8146.52	-143.29	-1.758%	8952.89	6626.95
NASDAQ	1796.52	1756.03	-40.49	-2.306	1628.03	1293.85

Akeena Solar AKNS	1.25	1.14	-.11	-9.649	2.28	.61
Amtel Systems ASYS	4.77	4.73	-.04	-.8456	4.00	2.73
Applied Materials AMAT	11.13	11.00	-.13	-1.181	10.67	8.70
Canadian Solar CSIQ	12.02	9.82	-2.20	-22.40	7.00	3.0601
ECD (UniSolar) ENER	15.06	12.14	-2.92	-24.05	29.33	17.45
Entech Solar ENSL.OB	.1651	.1680	+.0029	+1.756	.28	.23
Evergreen Solar ESLR	2.39	1.99	-.40	-20.10	3.60	1.03
First Solar FSLR	154.20	143.10	-11.10	-7.756	157.80	108.49
GT Solar Int. SOLR	5.41	4,77	-.64	-13.41	4.00	4.02
JA Solar JASO	4.37	3.78	-.59	-15.61	5.09	1.91
Kyocera KYO	73.61	72.63	-.78	-1.071	71.87	54.21
LDK Solar LDK	10.87	8.53	-2.34	-27.43	14.84	4.40
MEMC Elect. WFR	17.55	16.61	-.94	-5.659	15.76	13.68
Renesola SOL	5.53	4.64	-.89	-19.18	5.15	2.1201
Satcon SATC	1.80	1.70	-.10	-5.882	1.60	1.23
SolarFun SOLF	6.24	5.25	-.99	-18.85	6.12	2.30
SunPower SPWRA	26.23	22.35	-.58	-2.211	45.13	23.39
SunTech STP	18.45	14.35	-4.10	-28.57	13.55	5.34
Trina Solar TSL	26.35	21.27	-5.08	-23.88	10.09	7.23
Yingli YGE	13.61	10.241	-3.37	-32.91	7.25	3.888
20SSI Weekly Cumulative:	Previous 411.05	Current 370.4	Change -40.65/-11%	Avg Stock -14.70%	1/05/09* 415.41	3/06/09 266.01**

* The starting date of the 20 Solar Stock Index (20SSI).
** NOTE: Concensus "new" bull market began on Monday, March 9, 2009.

Solar Tax Grant Forms Available Here

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:48:00 +0000

Those contemplating solar power for home or business and want to take the 30% tax credit as a grant can now apply. The grant is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 passed in February. Solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower and (unfortunately) nuclear are eligible projects. The program is funded with $85 billion but this could go quickly if a few nuclear projects take the grant. The simple three-page grant application becomes available tomorrow from the Treasury Department but the grant application, grant program terms and grant guidance document--all PDFs--are available here. If interested, request the three documents by emailing: dbrands@cox.net.

Special thanks to my solar colleague in Phoenix, Dan Hoskin, for getting these docs to Solar Advice for Free.

The Energy Bill: Get It Right or Dump It

dbrands@cox.net (David Brands) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:38:00 +0000

Commentary: Is clean energy a pipe dream?

The Waxman-Markey Bill, an energy bill intended to sharply cut greenhouse gas emissions through the use of renewable energy technologies has instead become an enabler for Big Oil, King Coal and the nuclear industry. President Obama is pushing passage of the bill (now in the Senate) to feather his political nest but the legislation, as it's shaping up, is actually a setback for solar, wind and geothermal.

Environmentalists are saying it would be better to scrap this weak-as-water legislation than have it enacted. Congressional members from the coal and oil producing states are placing regional interests over the national good. Not that this hasn't happened before but the consequences are potentially greater than ever before.

Waxman-Markey has been diluted drastically since the climate change draft was introduced in the House of Representatives in March. The compromise bill passed late last month requires the coal and electric utility industries to reduce U.S. emissions by 17 percent in 2020, down from the 20 percent reduction advised in the initial draft. The revised bill also cuts state requirements to get their energy from renewable sources from 25% to 15% by 2025.

Here's a bigger pain: Barack Obama's campaign platform included selling 100% of so-called pollution permits that would raise nearly $650 billion to fight global heating over the next ten years but the House version gives all but 15% of those permits away free of charge. It figuratively castrates the whole intent of cap-and-trade. Such kowtowing to industry shows legislators are much more interested in shielding their constituent industries and are incapable of passing reforms scientists say are necessary to mitigate America's huge contribution to global heating.

And it gets even worse

Just yesterday, President Obama compromised with Senate Republicans and Rust Belt Democrats to plan and construct 100 new nuclear power plants by 2030. Wasn't it just awhile back we heard plans to decommission all 104 existing nuke plants by 2050 in favor of renewable sources?

Nuclear power is cleaner for the air than fossil fuels for making electricity but it is not green power. Uranium is not a renewable resource; it has to be mined, nurtured and watched like an infant while it's used and then stored safely somewhere for millennia. Green power comes from inexhaustible sources like the sun, the wind (currents caused by the sun), geothermal and ancillary sources like biomass and wave power.

Nuclear energy in theory is cheap power but in reality it is not. That's because of the exorbitant cost to build plants, monitor and maintain them, insure them and ultimately decommission them. Plus that pesky problem of proper, long-term waste disposal. Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and the radioactive contamination of a stream from a nuke plant in France last year, are all warnings being ignored. By adding 100 new nuke plants, we double our risk of a nuclear catastrophe. No matter how many say the nuclear record is statistically great, humans are not infallible no matter how smart and well-trained they may be. Furthermore, nuclear plants are ideal targets for terrorist cells. With patience and planning (like that leading to 9/11) an extremist attack on an atomic power site gives terrorists the nuclear threat without even investing a dime in the technology themselves. And did I mention making smart bombs from nuclear waste?

No legislation is better than being saddled with bad legislation. Passing a half-baked bill that appears long on good intentions and short on meaningful action is a waste of time and money. Time is already wasting on fighting global heating while the money still flows to those who already have it.