India has awarded 500 MW of solar thermal plants during JNNSM Phase 1, as it gave both solar PV and solar thermal technology an equal boost. However solar thermal technology is losing out to solar PV even during 2011; and we had pointed it out that giving solar thermal technology too much money did not […]

While US Solar Installers are expanding rapidly as solar power grows at a rapid pace across the country, the Sunshine state Florida refuses to adopt legislation to promote solar energy. The state has less than 5% of the country’s total solar power capacity and managed to installed just 3 MW of solar power, a state […]

Indian Solar Energy has received wide acclaim in national and international media for being a great success. However compared to other countries, the claims seem quite empty. Note India’s total solar power capacity is around 1 GW, in comparison one of the poorest provinces in China – Qinghai installed 1 GW in 2011 alone. Also […]

Updated: 7/06/2016 Japanese Solar Panel companies Sharp, Kyocera, Panasonic-Sanyo, Mitsubishi were the top solar panel producers in the world. Solar Energy in Japan has a long future dating back to 1994 when the government introduced capital subsidies to boost solar energy installations on rooftops. Till 2004, Japan was the largest solar market in the world […]

This may be a dramatic statement to make about the world’s most valued solar company but there are several reasons which I will explain below to illustrate this point. Note the solar industry is in a league of its own in the astonishing drop it solar panel prices (80% price drop over the last 3-4 years) and the rapid increase in demand (60% CAGR over the last 10 years).So the comparison and analysis by your usual stock hacks on financial portals like Motley and Seeking Alpha is way off the mark. First Solar had the worst 2 quarters in its history in 2011 as it went from a record breaking profit company into the red. Many issues which were hidden by its past success came out in the open and some of them are life threatening. Here are these problems

The falling prices of solar panels has made almost impossible thought of solar electricity prices possible today. In a state auction of solar projects ,a small company Alex Green Energy bid only 14c/ KwH to win the auction. The price is lower than that seen in the Indian federal subsidy auction JNNSM. Note Rs 7/ Kwh that was bid is close to the Rs 6-7/ Kwh retail electricity prices in most cities in India.Note in the first phase of auction the lowest price was more than 50% higher at Rs 10/ kwh