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PPS action today was not good...I have followed it for year and look like steady rise...If they said that, then I don't know who was telling anybody anything? They should not guide/told like that or is insider trading as I see it.
So what they're saying is the 10 minute charge isn't the only option? I emailed the company and said that the Marine industry would scoop these batteries up in a heartbeat. They didn't seem interested. Must want to swing only for a home run.
How To Build A Quick-Charging Electric Battery
Andy Stone 01.12.08, 3:11 PM ET
No one promised that going green would be easy. Just look at the up and down story of technology innovator Altair Nanotechnologies.
Altair (other-otc: ATCD - news - people ) makes a nano-particle compound used by Boeing (nyse: BA - news - people ) to coat the wings of its stealth fighters and by paint maker Sherwin-Williams (nyse: SHW - news - people ) to make pigments with fewer toxic residues. But Altair has grander plans: It aims to make batteries that can power an electric car for 150 miles and recharge in the same amount of time it takes to fill up a gas tank and grab a Big Gulp.
The technology seems to be getting close to practical application. Phoenix Motorcars, a Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based electric vehicle start-up, plans this year to start selling a small electric pickup truck with drive batteries based in part on the Altair technology. That said, precisely how many Phoenix will buy isn't clear. (Phoenix reported in November that it was scaling back its plans to purchase at least $16 million of batteries from Altair.)
Altair's designers say that the key advantage of their battery is that it can in principle be recharged in an unprecedented 10 minutes. Making this a reality, however, depends on building out a network of high-voltage charging stations. That may be easy for one of Phoenix Motor's first customers, namely Pacific, Gas & Electric (nyse: PCG - news - people ). PG&E owns its grid. Others, however, may find setting up the logistics for recharging stations more daunting.
Still, enthusiasm is high within Altair, which raised $40 million from Dubai investment company Al Yousuf in November, even as Altair reported operating losses of $17 million for the first nine months of 2007.
Altair has staked its future on 40-nanometer-size particles of lithium and titanium. It uses the particles to make a coating that covers a battery's anode, an aluminum bar that carries electricity to and from the vehicle's motor. By contrast, most hybrid cars, including Toyota's (nyse: TM - news - people ) Prius, use a graphite coating, in conjunction with nickel metal hydride or lithium ion batteries.
The difference is material: When a battery operates or recharges, ions pass through the coating of the anode. Graphite isn't very porous, so the ions literally deform the material as they force their way through.
"This builds up stress and over time the graphite cracks, leading to high resistance and short life," says Altair Chief Executive Alan Gotscher. Altair's nano-titanate coating, by contrast, has a large surface area. That means fewer ions try to force their way through at any given point, lowering resistance and minimizing damage.
By bypassing the graphite design, Altair also avoids dangerous overheating--or thermal runaway-–that can plague large lithium ion batteries. Thermal runaway became a buzzword in 2006 when a Dell (nasdaq: DELL - news - people ) laptop computer spontaneously caught fire in a Japan office, an event captured on videotape and instantly shared via YouTube.
Gotscher says his nano-titanate battery lasts for 20,000 full recharge cycles. That's about 20 years, four times the life span of a comparable NIMH or lithium ion battery.
Altair started out as a materials research lab of mining giant BHP Billiton (nyse: BBL - news - people ). In 1998, during a downturn in the mining industry, BHP sold the lab to Altair, at the time a shell company.
Tim Spitler, a former DuPont (nyse: DD - news - people ) chemical engineer in that lab, spent the next four years learning how to use lithium-titanate to improve batteries. He and his colleagues devised a method to heat treat, mill and spray the material, which looks like a fine white powder, onto the bare aluminum anodes. That gave Altair a way to use lithium-titanate on a commercial scale. But the work didn't dovetail with plans by bigger companies, and the project was shelved.
When Gotscher joined Altair in 2004 he figured the company had a shot at making batteries fully in house. He raised $3.5 million in a secondary stock offering and hired a team engineers to build a working product. Last year Altair made 130 tons of raw lithium-titanate powder at the old BHP lab in Reno. It assembles 35-kilowatt batteries for the likes of Phoenix Motorcars at its factory in Anderson, Ind.
Then there's the challenge of where to get the big dose of power to recharge the batteries.
Phoenix recharges its electric truck battery in 10 minutes with a 440-volt charger--four times the amount of energy in a home wall socket. Scaling that operation, however, would be a challenge: Existing electric grids couldn't easily handle the power drain of rapidly recharging millions of such electric batteries.
So in early January Altair also built its first pair of industrial 1-megawatt batteries--each about the size of a freight car--designed to store excess electricity produced at night. The Virginia power utility AES (nyse: AES - news - people ) plans to use the mega-batteries to warehouse power for use during peak consumption times.
Such batteries could help Altair offer 10-minute recharges to the masses. Futuristic filling stations might feature massive batteries below ground, replacing the gasoline storage tanks of today.
Without such infrastructure, going green will certainly take more time. “Five-hour charges would be the fastest possible for residential drivers,” admits Bryon Bliss of Phoenix motorcars.
O2Diesel Provides Year End Update and Future Outlook
Friday January 11, 9:04 am ET
NEWARK, DE--(MARKET WIRE)--Jan 11, 2008 -- O2Diesel Corporation (AMEX:OTD - News) today provided a year end update on key milestones achieved during 2007 coupled with an outlook of future developments in 2008.
"In many ways 2007 was a pivotal year in the company's commercial progress," said Alan Rae, O2Diesel's President and CEO. "In Asia, our partnership with Energenics was strengthened as they have committed to becoming our third largest shareholder behind Abengoa and UBS London with a commitment to expand the market as rapidly as possible. In Europe, through our partnership with Abengoa, we commenced a trio of demonstrations that we believe will lead to the development of potentially large commercial markets in several key EU countries. Our partnership with Fair Energy for certain South American markets saw the commencement of two programs that are expected to deliver not only substantial commercial opportunity but also substantial air quality and economic benefits in several rapidly emerging economies."
Rae continued, "In the US, we focused on highly successful commercial applications in the Port of Long Beach, doubling the use of O2Diesel(TM) and the successful culmination of our Department of Defense (DoD) testing program which will allow us to move towards commercial adoption by the Air Force of O28, the 28% renewable fuel we have developed specifically for the DoD. To this end, a statement from the Air Force team undertaking the technical evaluation of O28 made it clear that commercial adoption would start in the third quarter of 2008. The scale of this adoption will depend on the final extreme cold weather and humidity testing to be completed in July. I can report that the cold weather testing at the Minot Air Force base in North Dakota is progressing well."
"We are also continuing to pursue our strategy towards vertical integration for the US market by working towards our objective to develop our own ethanol supply. To this end, we are currently investigating several options that will make the best long-term sense for the company and its shareholders. The increased support for ethanol in the recent Energy bill and, in particular, the expectation of a five fold increase in its use, we believe further enhances the opportunity for O2Diesel in a market which, in our opinion, will see a substantial increase in diesel fuel use as fuel economy becomes an increasingly important political and economic issue."
Key milestones achieved by O2Diesel during 2007 included the following:
Strengthened Strategic Partnerships
Energenics:
-- In January, our Asian Distributor, Energenics, secured an agreement
to transition the entire fleet of 17,000 buses in the state of
Kanataka (India), using O2Diesel's Clean Fuel Technology.
-- In October, Energenics increased their investment in O2Diesel
through a new Joint Venture that secured their access to O2Diesel's
technology for multiple Asian Markets. This provided the comfort
they needed to invest millions of dollars in delivery
infrastructure in India and other markets. As part of this
transaction, Energenics placed an order for $2.2 million of O2DO5,
the company's proprietary fuel technology.
Abengoa:
-- Commenced three demonstrations (two in Spain and one in France)
in municipal and commercial fleets. Additional demonstrations
are being negotiated in other EU market countries.
Fair Energy:
-- In March, we announced a strategic partnership and distribution
agreement with Fair Energy to jointly develop selected markets in
South America. This has led to several potential opportunities in
this market, the first two of which are at the demonstration
stage in Columbia and Paraguay.
ProEco Energy:
-- The company has worked closely for the past year with ProEco
Energy to develop and build an ethanol facility in Belle Fourche,
South Dakota. The start-up of the project has been deferred due
to the currently unfavorable debt and equity markets for starch
based ethanol projects. Alternative options to developing this
site are being evaluated by the parties which may involve
additional strategic partners, selling the project or continuing
to construct the site according to the original plan. ProEco and
O2Diesel remain committed to working together on this project as
market conditions improve in the ethanol industry.
Additional Partnerships
-- The company remains committed to its medium term objective to have
access to favorable ethanol pricing and supply for the US Market and
is currently evaluating several projects that would meet this
objective.
US Commercial Expansion:
-- Port of Long Beach expansion announced in October resulted in the
third large tenant to transition its fleet of heavy equipment to O2Diesel's
fuel technology. The operator converted over 120 pieces of diesel powered
heavy equipment to O2Diesel(TM) in order to meet CARB requirements to
reduce emissions at the Port. This expansion resulted in a doubling of the
company's sales at the Port.
-- U.S. Department of Defense extended and expanded its field testing of
O2Diesel's fuel technology to include a new fuel compound consisting of 28%
renewable sources by combining ethanol, biodiesel, the company's
proprietary additive and diesel fuel.
-- Testing for this new fuel blend, called O28, was expanded to two
additional Air Force bases in North Dakota and Arkansas to provide the
final testing for cold and humid weather climates.
-- The testing for O28 entered the final stages in December 2007 and is
expected to conclude in the summer of 2008 at which time the DoD will make
a definitive decision to place into full service the use of O2Diesel's fuel
technology on a fleet wide basis.
-- The company is expecting favorable results from the final DoD testing
phase and hopes to serve a key role in assisting the military to meet
Presidential Order 13423, which requires all agency fleets of more than 20
vehicles to reduce the fleet's total consumption of petroleum products by 2
percent annually through the end of fiscal year 2015, and increases the
total fuel consumption that is non-petroleum-based by 10 percent annually.
The DoD is the single largest user of distillate fuels in the continental
U.S. with purchases in FY06 exceeding $5.5 billion.
-- The company entered into a demonstration at Ben Franklin Transit to
demonstrate the benefits of O28 fuel in a municipal transit system. It is
expected that this demonstration will show increased engine durability and
reduced maintenance costs, along with significant emission reduction
benefits.
-- The company expanded its Midwestern school bus demonstration project
under the CityHome(TM) program to include two small fleets in South Dakota
and two in Chicago.
Global Expansion:
-- Four new countries (France, Spain Columbia and Paraguay) added
O2Diesel(TM) to the available solutions for clean burning alternatives to
diesel fuel.
-- France - a demonstration with Veolia Transport (ex Connex) began in
September 2007, and is expected to be completed by July 2008 and has the
full support of the French governmental agencies DBIRE and DIREM.
-- India - Over 3,000 buses in the state of Karnataka in India are
already using O2Diesel fuel technology. Full expansion to 17,000 buses is
expected by the second quarter of 2008, with additional Indian states to
follow.
-- Spain - Long-term validation program in conjunction with TUSSAM
(Transportes Urbanos de Sevilla Sociedad Anonima Municipal) which operates
the collective urban transport system in Seville, Spain.
-- Columbia - following initial tests a large scale demonstration
preceding commercial adoption is expected to begin in the first quarter
of 2008 using the fuel blending pumps developed by Energenics for the
Indian market.
Secured Additional Funding and Financing:
-- Entered a common stock purchase agreement with Fusion Capital Fund II,
LLC to sell up to $10 million in common stock.
-- Closed $2.52 million in funding from a private placement with European
investors in July and August, 2007.
-- Senate Committee approved $1.6M in continued funding for the O2Deisel
fuel development and demonstration program in conjunction with the Air
Force. As discussed above, when finalized, O2Diesel fuels will help DoD
facilities meet Presidential Order 13423 and local air quality compliance
requirements while strengthening its commitment to reducing the USA's
dependency on foreign oil imports.
-- Strategic partner Energenics agreed to invest an additional $2 million
into O2Diesel to form a joint venture between both companies and to secure
the rights for distribution of O2Diesel's fuel technology for its expanding
markets in India and Asia.
Outlook for 2008
-- Department of Defense testing to conclude in the summer of 2008, with
a definitive decision to implement some level of use thereafter, provided
the conclusive results of testing continue to be positive.
-- Expansion of additional European territories with testing and
deployment expected.
-- Veolia test pilot in France estimated to conclude in June 2008, with a
company-wide deployment decision thereafter.
-- U.S. ASTM certification anticipated by the end of 2008, which will
allow nationwide deployment of O2Diesel(TM) in fleet operated vehicles.
-- Continued investigation of bio-fuel manufacturing opportunities with
the aim of vertically integrating and controlling the costs of our major
fuel components.
-- Resolution of O2Diesel(TM) fuel registration with the EPA by the end
of 2008.
Alan Rae, President and CEO of O2Diesel Corporation further stated, "We are pleased with our progress as a company over the past year. Although the ethanol market weathered difficult times and survived, we remain steadfast in our objective to develop our clean fuel technology as a viable alternative fuel technology for improving the environment, while lessening our dependence on fossil based fuels. Our objective for 2008 is simple. Move the company toward achieving a positive cash flow financial position by expanding our market presence both domestically and worldwide. Focus on deploying our technology with key partners to shoulder the costs while sharing the economic benefits. We expect that 2008 will be the turning point for the company," continued Mr. Rae. "We will continue to achieve major landmarks as a company and strengthen our key partnerships with groups such as Energenics, Abengoa and Fair Energy. We expect that the great efforts by these companies in partnership with O2Diesel will allow us to succeed even further in the coming year."
More about O2Diesel: The Company and Its Fuel Technology
O2Diesel Corporation (AMEX:OTD - News) and its U.S. subsidiary O2Diesel, Inc., is a pioneer in the commercial development of a cleaner-burning diesel fuel alternative that provides exceptional performance and environmental qualities for centrally fueled fleets and off-road equipment of all kinds. Engineered and designed for universal application, O2Diesel(TM) is an ethanol-diesel blend that substantially reduces harmful emissions without sacrificing power and performance. Extensive independent and government-recognized laboratory and in-use field tests have demonstrated the effectiveness of O2Diesel(TM) -- the introduction of this cost-effective, cleaner-burning diesel fuel is now underway in the United States and other global markets. For more information please refer to www.o2diesel.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding O2Diesel Corporation's business which are not historical facts are 'forward-looking statements' that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and other risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, as a result of either the matters set forth or incorporated in this report generally or certain economic and business factors, some of which may be beyond the control of O2Diesel. These factors include adverse economic conditions, entry of new and stronger competitors, inadequate capital, unexpected costs, failure to gain product approval in the United States or foreign countries for the commercialization and distribution of our products, failure to capitalize upon access to new markets and failure in obtaining the quality and quantity of ethanol necessary to produce our product at competitive prices. O2Diesel disclaims any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. "O2Diesel" and "CityHome" are trademarks of O2Diesel Corporation.
Contact:
Investors Contact:
O2Diesel Corporation
Alan Rae
+1 (302) 266 6000
Insignia
Dan Wiekel
+1 (818) 899 0128
SPIR: Spire Corporation Provides Strategic Update on Solar Expansion
Thursday January 10, 5:00 pm ET
Expanded Manufacturing Facility Provides Annual Revenue Potential of $200 Million; Company Projects Approximately $80 Million in Total Revenues for 2008
BEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Spire Corporation (Nasdaq: SPIR - News), a global solar company providing turnkey solar factories and capital equipment to manufacture photovoltaic modules worldwide, today announced that its recent 53,000 square foot solar manufacturing facility expansion, together with its refocused Spire Semiconductor solar-cell concentrator operations, are on track to significantly grow the company’s revenues in the solar energy and solar capital equipment markets.
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The company estimates that at full capacity, its Bedford headquarters facility can produce solar capital equipment valued at approximately $200 million in annual revenues. Based upon currently contracted backlog and anticipated delivery schedules for equipment, the company projects total revenues for 2008 to be approximately $80 million, primarily generated from the sale of solar capital equipment and turnkey solar factories.
“We’re in the midst of a historic expansion of capacity in the solar field, with manufacturers around the globe scrambling to bring factories on line to take advantage of the coming availability of silicon solar feedstocks,” said Roger Little, Spire Corporation’s Chairman and CEO. “We’ve undertaken a dramatic increase in our facility to meet this demand, nearly doubling our manufacturing square footage and more than doubling our headcount in the past year. This expansion is progressing well and we’re on track to generate roughly $80 million in total revenues for 2008, largely on the strength of our unique ability to provide a one-stop-shop for manufacturers wanting to enter the global solar market.”
“Our newly refocused Spire Semiconductor facility also will participate in this expansion by servicing the fast-growing gallium arsenide (GaAs) concentrator solar cell market,” continued Little. “This facility alone has the capacity to produce the equivalent of approximately 50 megawatts (MW) of 500-sun concentration, high efficiency multiple-junction concentrator cells. With nearly 30 years of experience in GaAs concentrators, we expect robust growth from this operation going forward.”
About Spire Corporation
Spire Corporation is a global solar company providing turnkey production lines and capital equipment to manufacture photovoltaic modules worldwide. The company’s Spire Solar subsidiary is the world’s leading supplier of turnkey photovoltaic manufacturing lines and module manufacturing equipment. Spire Semiconductor, formerly Bandwidth Semiconductor, develops and manufactures custom gallium arsenide solar cells and other related products for the commercial, biomedical and defense markets. The company’s Spire Biomedical subsidiary is a leader in hemodialysis catheters and implantable device processing services.
For corporate or product information, contact Spire Corporation, “the turnkey solar factory company,” at 781-275-6000, or visit www.spirecorp.com.
Contact:
Spire Corporation
Roger Little, 781-275-6000
Chairman & CEO
or
Sharon Merrill Associates, Inc.
Paul Sagan, 617-542-5300
Vice President
CDC Corporation (CHINA) says it is providing clarification regarding purchases and sales of the co's securities by its executive officers, directors and affiliates... China Sunergy (CSUN) announces that it has established its European headquarters in Munich, Germany
By the way - ALL OTC stocks are not real companies. Meaning there is revenue, there is no corperate office, there is no interest.
Do not try to argue with me, just play the techicals and sometimes you can make some money. It's about playing the trend, not the company with pinks and OTC's.
I usually dont leave OTC stocks here but what the hell. This chart is impressive and because of the volume pouring in, I'll even post it.
You can post more here.http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=8644
I have looked and noticed that several Solar stocks have been making a pull back of late.One that seems to be bucking the trend is BSCR !!!
No I do not have that feature.
Not sure if you're a memeber of ihub but did you try a search in the search bar on this board? Try "metals a by product of fuel cells"
Hoku Scientific: Profits as Hot as the Sun
2008 will be the year of $105 oil and booming solar energy stocks, one of which could very well be Small Cap Trading Pit favorite Hoku Scientific (HOKU:NASDAQ). Last Thursday morning we advised our readers to take a position. This is the second time readers are playing HOKU. The first time around, readers took gains of 34% and 37% in a matter of days.
Solar Energy: Oil Hits Record-High $100 A Barrel
At $40 a barrel, crude was expensive. At $60, it wasn’t sustainable. At $80, it was a one-time event that we’d never see again. But here we are at $90+, watching as it tries to take out $100.
Another rebel uprising in Nigeria, supply issues in the Gulf of Mexico, a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, news of more terrorism, and we’ll be well above $150 a barrel.
And with higher oil costs come higher solar stock valuations. Only problem is that with tight polysilicon supply, solar company valuations are unsustainable.
Solar Energy: Investing in the Solution
Solar companies are running amok on $96-plus oil.
But take a closer look and you’ll see the industry is running out of power, and fast, unless polysilicon supply can keep up with the pace of demand.
The solar industry uses silicon panels to convert sunlight into electricity. Right now, only a select few solar companies in the world have the resources to supply enough panels to match the rising demand. And sure, those few have sky-high gains to show for it.
The current shortage is actually a production capacity issue. Polysilicon companies aren’t making their product in large enough quantities to satisfy the solar industry’s needs, keeping the solar market at a standstill.
So the solar companies have started funneling money into polysilicon manufacturers to fund the construction of new facilities and increase output.
And thanks to this desperate influx of spending along with the insane increase in demand, the polysilicon market is in the midst of a veritable feeding frenzy. It doesn’t help that the big banks believe the polysilicon shortage will persist through 2009.
Solar Energy: When the Fuel Tank’s Dry, Prices Fly High . . .
As demand for polysilicon grows, supply wanes. The price of polysilicon is already $70 a kilogram, double that of 2004.
Without solar panels, there’s no solar power. The industry is dead in the water. All the current activity in the solar sector will grind to a halt.
Face it. Strong global demand for solar isn’t going to slow in the face of $95 oil . . . and there’s plenty to get excited about thanks to China’s insatiable demand ahead of the Summer 2008 Olympics, and the United States’ solar energy plans.
But without enough polysilicon supply, the valuations are unsustainable. It’s the reason companies like MEMC have rocketed from $45 to $70 in recent months. They have the supply amid heavy demand.
Is it too late to profit from the polysilicon supply-demand crunch? No.
Take a look at $200 million Hoku Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOKU), a small-cap stock with more than $1.5 billion in inked deals with the likes of Sanyo Electric and Expertise Water Division.
As of January 2, the company amended two supply agreements in an effort to keep customers while it tries to secure polysilicon plant financing. An amended deal with Sanyo Electric will give Hoku an extra six weeks to secure financing. The initial deadline was December 31. It’s now February 15.
The news comes just weeks after Hoku entered a financing agreement with Merrill Lynch for up to $185 million. But to secure that, Hoku must obtain $35 million in cash.
MTI Micro Showcases Developmental Pilot Production Prototypes at 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show
Thursday January 10, 7:05 am ET
MTI MicroFuel Cells Demonstrates Refillable External Power Pack Technology for Original Equipment Manufacturers
ALBANY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc. (MTI Micro), developer of the award-winning Mobion® micro fuel cell technology for handheld electronic devices and a subsidiary of Mechanical Technology Incorporated (MTI) (NASDAQ: MKTY), announced a successful showing at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), as executives from the Company hit the conference floor with a series of external power pack prototypes and met with potential partners, customers and leading consumer electronics manufacturers.
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“CES is a great event and we were glad to be there to share the progress that Mobion® technology has made in the past year,” said Peng Lim, CEO of MTI. “In demonstrating our latest external power pack prototype, leading consumer electronics manufacturers from around the world were able to witness Mobion®’s capabilities and anticipated product direction as we move toward our goal of launching a micro fuel cell product in 2009.”
The latest prototypes displayed at CES were produced in Albany, NY at MTI Micro’s new developmental pilot production line. MTI Micro first announced the successful development of a series of external power pack prototypes late last year including improvements on size reductions greater than 60% and increases in energy and power density.
MTI Micro is developing Mobion® cord-free rechargeable power pack technology as a superior solution for powering the multi-billion dollar portable electronics market. MTI Micro's strategy is to enter the market with low power products for use in the consumer electronics industry for applications like cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players and other handheld electronic devices.
In 2007, MTI Micro signed an agreement with Trident Systems, Inc., a leader in the development of unattended ground sensors, signed a continuing collaboration covering cell phone and cell phone accessories with its top tier, global Korean partner, and signed an agreement with DaeHong, its Korean representative.
About MTI MicroFuel Cells
MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc., a subsidiary of Mechanical Technology Incorporated, (NASDAQ: MKTY - News), is the developer of the award winning Mobion® direct methanol micro fuel cell technology. The Company has a world-class team of entrepreneurial business executives, researchers and scientists; a number of system prototypes demonstrating size reductions and performance improvements; significant related intellectual property; and has received government awards and developed strategic partnerships to help accelerate commercialization. More information is available at www.mtimicrofuelcells.com.
Hoku Scientific and Solarfun Announce Amended Polysilicon Supply Contract
Thursday January 10, 8:00 am ET
POCATELLO, ID and QIDONG, CHINA--(MARKET WIRE)--Jan 10, 2008 -- Hoku Scientific, Inc. (NasdaqGM:HOKU - News), a diversified provider of clean energy products and technologies including polysilicon for the solar industry, and Solarfun Power Hong Kong Limited, a subsidiary of Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NasdaqGM:SOLF - News), an established manufacturer of both photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules in China, today announced the amendment of their polysilicon supply contract to allow Solarfun until February 15, 2008 to process the required statutory approval for the issuance of a $44 million standby letter of credit. Prior to the amendment, this standby letter of credit, which serves as security for Solarfun's obligation to pay Hoku $45 million in product prepayments during the period from September 30, 2008 through March 31, 2010, would have been required by January 10, 2008. In exchange for the extension of time, Solarfun has provided Hoku with a $1 million prepayment, in addition to the $10 million cash payment that was made in December 2007. The additional $1 million payment reduces Solarfun's future $45 million prepayment obligation to $44 million, but increases amounts that have been paid to Hoku Scientific to a total of $11 million since the contract was signed in November 2007.
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"We understand that it can be time consuming to obtain approvals through the Chinese government processes as China is still a country under foreign exchange controls," said Dustin Shindo, Chief Executive Officer of Hoku Scientific. "We are confident that Solarfun will ultimately provide the $44 million letter of credit by February 15, and we appreciate their timely payment of $11 million since the contract was signed."
"We appreciate Hoku's flexibility in allowing us the additional time we requested to obtain the statutory approval for the issuance of the standby letter of credit," said Solarfun's Chairman Lu Yonghua. "We view Hoku as a key strategic partner for the long-term growth of Solarfun."
About Hoku Scientific, Inc.
Hoku Scientific, Inc. (NasdaqGM:HOKU - News) is a diversified clean energy technologies company with three business units: Hoku Materials, Hoku Solar and Hoku Fuel Cells. Hoku Materials plans to manufacture, market, and sell polysilicon for the solar market from its plant currently under construction in Pocatello, Idaho. Hoku Solar is a provider of turnkey photovoltaic systems in Hawaii. Hoku Fuel Cells has developed proprietary fuel cell membranes and membrane electrode assemblies for stationary and automotive proton exchange membrane fuel cells. For more information visit www.hokuscientific.com.
Hoku® and Hoku Scientific® are registered trademarks and Hoku Solar(TM) and Hoku Fuel Cells(TM) are trademarks of Hoku Scientific, Inc. Hoku Materials(TM) is a trademark of Hoku Materials, Inc. All rights reserved.
About Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd.
Solarfun Power Holdings Co, Ltd. (NasdaqGM:SOLF - News) manufactures both PV cells and PV modules, provides PV cell processing services to convert silicon wafers into PV cells, and supplies solar system integration services in China. Solarfun produces both monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon cells and modules, and manufactures 100% of its modules with in-house produced PV cells. Solarfun sells its products both through third-party distributors, OEM manufacturers and directly to system integrators. Solarfun was founded in 2004 and its products have been certified to TUV and UL safety and quality standards. For more information visit www.solarfun.com.cn.
Hmmm, have to think about that one... I'll have to get back to you..stepping away now.
Quick I do not remember where I read it but maybe from something you put up. I want to say it was revolving around fuel cells. In the article it said that different metals were a by product of the reaction. Do you know what I am rambling on about or can you point me to info about that? TIA
SOL: Solar wafer maker ReneSola plans IPO
January 9, 2008
NEW YORK—ReneSola Ltd., a Chinese manufacturer of solar wafers, plans an initial public offering of American Depositary Shares, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Wednesday.
ReneSola did not disclose the expected size or price range of the IPO, but indicated the offering price may total up to $200 million. The company noted that the total offering price was estimated solely to calculate its registration fee and may change.
ReneSola also indicated that some shareholders plan to sell ADS in the IPO.
ReneSola makes solar wafers, which are thin sheets of crystalline silicon material primarily used to produce solar cells. The company's customers include JA Solar Co., Motech Industries Inc., Solarfun Power Holding Ltd., Suntech Power Co. Ltd. and Topco Technologies Corp.
For the nine months ended Sept. 30, Renesola's earnings grew to $25.5 million, from roughly $16 million during the prior-year period. The company's revenue nearly tripled to $152.9 million, from $52.1 million in the first nine months of 2006.
ReneSola plans to use the net proceeds from its portion of the offering to expand the company's solar wafer manufacturing facilities and to purchase additional equipment for its wafer capacity expansion plan in 2008. The company also intends to use some proceeds to invest in polysilicon manufacturing production and to pay for raw materials.
Chief Executive Xianshou Li previously founded Yuhuan Solar Energy Source Co., a manufacturer of solar cell and module products for commercial and residential applications.
The company's shares currently trade on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange, or AIM. ReneSola's stock closed Tuesday at the equivalent of about $17.56 per ADS. ReneSola said its IPO will price within 5 percent to 10 percent of the company's shares on the AIM on the pricing date.
The company said it is taking steps to correct material weaknesses and deficiencies in its internal control over financial reporting, including a lack of adequate financial reporting and accounting resources for the demands of a U.S. IPO.
Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank Securities are underwriting the IPO. Piper Jaffray, CIBC World Markets and Lazard Capital Markets are also serving as underwriters.
ReneSola plans to list its ADS on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "SOL."
http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2008/01/09/solar_wafer_maker_renesola_plans_ipo/
Good but I hope people didn't get hurt and this is just people selling and market makers accumulating.
It was about time... give it a few weeks maybe a month or two..
reality check for solars today. all down over 10%
As traders like us, you can always make a buck or two but if you want to invest long term in this technology I say wait just a bit more until these things settle. You can be up 100% soon rather than 50% buying now.. you know? Its like Real Estate..you wouldn't want to buy last year nor now...you want lower prices so you can benefit greatly from appreciation later on.
They rose quick but thats what the analysts forecasts show so actually unlike many pinksheets that dump 70% in one day on you I felt as though this is just a product of an overall selloff. ( ie not manipulated really ). They were manipulated end of year 2007 to paint too rosey a picture for 2008 though that I would agree with.
Solars down 10+%. SOLF, HOKU, ASTI, LDK to mention a few.
Fuel Cell stocks also down this morning...
I hope nobody is getting to hurt but this was what I was talking about. In 1 day you can easily be down 10%.
Totally manipulated those stocks were. No reason to buy into hype unless it's a quicktrade. :)
lol..Have a great weekend...
P.S. I HATE WEEKENDS!
I know what u mean. Looks like we were going to rebound and then the nail went deeper.
Time to get a job and look for that safety net.
Read my name..I'm usually in&out so I'm cash at end of day. I lost some today in GT.. Have no idea why I bought Goodyear. lol All the West Coast snow talk had me thinking too much
Not hurt to bad;) How about you? I missed out on that solar run in SOEN after I had sold...go figure...see you around and GL
Trying bro! Fighting tooth and nail!
Hang tight...try to take your cash back if you can..
We are all getting beat up Quick..lol
Hey, 2 things:
1. How did you get that chart with the overlays like that?
2. So Akeena is trading next years "estimated" earnings?
Solar stocks down 5% or more. Its about time. Hope nobody is getting too hurt.
Hey Gateway, finally nice to see u. Missed you around here. Hope you're not getting hurt out there.
You guys making any $ around here? GLTA
AKNS in all fairness does have this going for it:
With no discernable competitive moat when it comes to intellectual property. Well Put
Apparantly the analysts agree for the earnings forecasts are improving but horrid. 2 analysts only want to touch it and one is a sell and the other a strong sell ( so unless they are uninformed or misinformed ) I dont see what the big deal is today on this stock. I would hate to think that a large batch of retail investors are investing that sick amount of market capitalization on such poor projected performance strictly to play around with momo, not a good sign for 2008 if so.
Next quarter eps projection negative ten cents this quarters value was minus 16 cents. The only good news is that 188% projected growth in revenues to Q4 2008. Which if management were to turn around the eps cold turkey with a more efficiently run company than maybe its worthy of todays rally otherwise its forecasts dont add up to what we are seeing in dollar volume.
re: AKNS: 10 MEGAWATTS??? TEN? These companies are still babies compared to what they'll become yet the "current" stock price is acting as a future indicator.
Akeena Solar (Nasdaq: AKNS), a major domestic solar-panel installer, has put together an attractive solution it calls Andalay. And I do mean attractive: The Andalay panels sport a sleek, uniform black surface when installed side by side. You can see a video of one of these systems being rigged up on the Andalay website, complete with celebratory high-fives.
Given their aesthetic appeal and relatively simple, low-cost installation, it's not too surprising to see a company like Suntech Power (NYSE: STP) taking a shine to Akeena's panels. On Wednesday, Suntech agreed to license and distribute Andalay panels in Europe, Japan, and Australia, with a sales target of 10 megawatts for 2008.
What is somewhat surprising is the full-on explosion in Akeena shares yesterday. A handful of megawatts is pretty small potatoes, so one needs to view this small step as just a sign of more -- much more -- to come. That's certainly a possibility, but the stock now looks to be priced like it's all sunshine ahead.
I've seen one argument that Akeena occupies a highly enviable position in the solar value chain, the idea being that the company's direct contact with end users will give it unique insight into customer needs. The way I see it, people want their electricity as cheap as possible -- what further insight do you really need? The race to grid parity is above all else about technology, not marketing. With no discernable competitive moat when it comes to intellectual property, Akeena does not look like an attractive investment to this Fool.
I cant figure out AKNS today the earnings map is nowhere near SOLFs :
Nice, welcome to the board & I hope you can stay & contribute with some news and charts. Thanks.
This chart says it all so far and it wouldnt be going up without results:
These are not going to be huge Oil companies overnight, but until you read the eps and revenue information for say FSLR, SOLF, CSUN, or any other of the biggies we are wasting our time discussing this.
Billions as an industry not per company. lol So all of a sudden the stocks go up 400% because the companies are making billions within 6 mths time?
Apparantly you dont read into the revenue and earnings forecasts much, or you think they are trumped up or something because the revenue is pouring in now in the hundreds of millions and future revenues are projected to be in the billions per year. Check trading for dollars Profit board and Cash list board for companies like solf. The EPS in 2 quarters for SOLF is up 4,000 percent to 2 dollars per share which is 80 M for a quarter which is 300 Million for a year, well on its way to Billions.
lol. Meaning people buying it based on speculation and momoentum. Nothing wrong with that but 2 things:
1. These companies are not making multi millions in profits yet.
2. As fast as it goes up it can come down but worse off, you get in today and you can be down 10% easily tomorrow.
You can't even "invest" long term in it because prices have gotten out of hand!!
Insane meaning unwarranted ?
SOLF up 11% to $40 past all resistance pre market..Only 2300 in volume but completly insane why these solar stocks are moving up.
Findings
In 2008, a 100 Percent Chance of Alarm
By JOHN TIERNEY
Published: January 1, 2008
I’d like to wish you a happy New Year, but I’m afraid I have a different sort of prediction.
Skip to next paragraph
Amelia Bauer
TierneyLab
How will the world react to climate change in 2008? Join the discussion.
Go to TierneyLab »
Further Reading
"Availability Cascades and Risk Regulation." Timur Kuran and Cass Sunstein. Stanford Law Review, 1999
"Media Coverage and Climate Change." Prometheus blog, Roger Pielke, Jr.
"Media Mania for a 'Front-Page Thought' on Climate." Dot Earth blog, Andrew C. Revkin.
"2007 Tropical Cyclone Season Summary." Ryan N. Maue, Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies.
"Effect of Remote Sea Surface Temperature Change on Tropical Cyclone Potential Intensity." G.A. Vecchi , B.J. Soden. Nature, Dec. 3, 2007.
"Heightened Tropical Cyclone Activity in the North Atlantic." G.J. Holland, P.J. Webster. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Nov. 15, 2007.
"Arctic Melt Unnerves the Experts." Andrew C. Revkin. New York Times, Oct. 2, 2007.
"NASA Sees Arctic Ocean Circulation Do an About-Face."
"NASA Examines Arctic Sea Ice Changes Leading to Record Low in 2007."
"2007 to Be 'Warmest on Record.'" BBC News.
"2007 Data Confirms Warming Trend." BBC News.
Enlarge This Image
Amelia Bauer
You’re in for very bad weather. In 2008, your television will bring you image after frightening image of natural havoc linked to global warming. You will be told that such bizarre weather must be a sign of dangerous climate change — and that these images are a mere preview of what’s in store unless we act quickly to cool the planet.
Unfortunately, I can’t be more specific. I don’t know if disaster will come by flood or drought, hurricane or blizzard, fire or ice. Nor do I have any idea how much the planet will warm this year or what that means for your local forecast. Long-term climate models cannot explain short-term weather.
But there’s bound to be some weird weather somewhere, and we will react like the sailors in the Book of Jonah. When a storm hit their ship, they didn’t ascribe it to a seasonal weather pattern. They quickly identified the cause (Jonah’s sinfulness) and agreed to an appropriate policy response (throw Jonah overboard).
Today’s interpreters of the weather are what social scientists call availability entrepreneurs: the activists, journalists and publicity-savvy scientists who selectively monitor the globe looking for newsworthy evidence of a new form of sinfulness, burning fossil fuels.
A year ago, British meteorologists made headlines predicting that the buildup of greenhouse gases would help make 2007 the hottest year on record. At year’s end, even though the British scientists reported the global temperature average was not a new record — it was actually lower than any year since 2001 — the BBC confidently proclaimed, “2007 Data Confirms Warming Trend.”
When the Arctic sea ice last year hit the lowest level ever recorded by satellites, it was big news and heralded as a sign that the whole planet was warming. When the Antarctic sea ice last year reached the highest level ever recorded by satellites, it was pretty much ignored. A large part of Antarctica has been cooling recently, but most coverage of that continent has focused on one small part that has warmed.
When Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans in 2005, it was supposed to be a harbinger of the stormier world predicted by some climate modelers. When the next two hurricane seasons were fairly calm — by some measures, last season in the Northern Hemisphere was the calmest in three decades — the availability entrepreneurs changed the subject. Droughts in California and Australia became the new harbingers of climate change (never mind that a warmer planet is projected to have more, not less, precipitation over all).
The most charitable excuse for this bias in weather divination is that the entrepreneurs are trying to offset another bias. The planet has indeed gotten warmer, and it is projected to keep warming because of greenhouse emissions, but this process is too slow to make much impact on the public.
When judging risks, we often go wrong by using what’s called the availability heuristic: we gauge a danger according to how many examples of it are readily available in our minds. Thus we overestimate the odds of dying in a terrorist attack or a plane crash because we’ve seen such dramatic deaths so often on television; we underestimate the risks of dying from a stroke because we don’t have so many vivid images readily available.
Slow warming doesn’t make for memorable images on television or in people’s minds, so activists, journalists and scientists have looked to hurricanes, wild fires and starving polar bears instead. They have used these images to start an “availability cascade,” a term coined by Timur Kuran, a professor of economics and law at the University of Southern California, and Cass R. Sunstein, a law professor at the University of Chicago.
The availability cascade is a self-perpetuating process: the more attention a danger gets, the more worried people become, leading to more news coverage and more fear. Once the images of Sept. 11 made terrorism seem a major threat, the press and the police lavished attention on potential new attacks and supposed plots. After Three Mile Island and “The China Syndrome,” minor malfunctions at nuclear power plants suddenly became newsworthy.
“Many people concerned about climate change,” Dr. Sunstein says, “want to create an availability cascade by fixing an incident in people’s minds. Hurricane Katrina is just an early example; there will be others. I don’t doubt that climate change is real and that it presents a serious threat, but there’s a danger that any ‘consensus’ on particular events or specific findings is, in part, a cascade.”
Once a cascade is under way, it becomes tough to sort out risks because experts become reluctant to dispute the popular wisdom, and are ignored if they do. Now that the melting Arctic has become the symbol of global warming, there’s not much interest in hearing other explanations of why the ice is melting — or why the globe’s other pole isn’t melting, too.
Global warming has an impact on both polar regions, but they’re also strongly influenced by regional weather patterns and ocean currents. Two studies by NASA and university scientists last year concluded that much of the recent melting of Arctic sea ice was related to a cyclical change in ocean currents and winds, but those studies got relatively little attention — and were certainly no match for the images of struggling polar bears so popular with availability entrepreneurs.
Roger A. Pielke Jr., a professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado, recently noted the very different reception received last year by two conflicting papers on the link between hurricanes and global warming. He counted 79 news articles about a paper in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, and only 3 news articles about one in a far more prestigious journal, Nature.
Guess which paper jibed with the theory — and image of Katrina — presented by Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth”?
It was, of course, the paper in the more obscure journal, which suggested that global warming is creating more hurricanes. The paper in Nature concluded that global warming has a minimal effect on hurricanes. It was published in December — by coincidence, the same week that Mr. Gore received his Nobel Peace Prize.
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Gore didn’t dwell on the complexities of the hurricane debate. Nor, in his roundup of the 2007 weather, did he mention how calm the hurricane season had been. Instead, he alluded somewhat mysteriously to “stronger storms in the Atlantic and Pacific,” and focused on other kinds of disasters, like “massive droughts” and “massive flooding.”
“In the last few months,” Mr. Gore said, “it has been harder and harder to misinterpret the signs that our world is spinning out of kilter.” But he was being too modest. Thanks to availability entrepreneurs like him, misinterpreting the weather is getting easier and easier.
Next Article in Science (4 of 9) »In a world of second opinions, get the facts
AKNS up 38%. All Solars gapped up and moving up. Amazing.
Oh yeah, no doubt! I wouldn't hold them for sure but I'm sure you can find that quick 2-5% gain somewhere still.
How can anyone not see they are all overvalued? The companies are not reporting billions of profit yet! I guess the amaetuers and the ones who think pink sheet stocks are real will keep throwing money into solar stocks at this point.
LDK Solar is at $47? It was at $72 2 weeks ago. $26 5 weeks ago. Thats a 175% gain in 3 weeks then a 35% drop last 2 weeks.
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NO PINK SHEET STOCKS IN HERE. PLEASE SEE LINK FOR THAT BOARD.
FUEL CELL STOCK CHARTS: BLDP, DESC, FCEL, HYGS, IDA, MCEL, MDTL, MKTY, PLUG, QTWW, UTX
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SOLAR STOCK CHARTS: AKNS, ASTI, CHP, CSIQ, CSUN, DSTI, ENER, ESLR, FSLR, HOKU, JASO, LDK, SOLF, SOLR, SPIR, SPWR, STP, TAN, TSL, YGE
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ETHANOL & BIO FUEL STOCK CHARTS: ADM, PEIX, USBE
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WIND - OCEAN - GEOTHERMAL & MORE STOCK CHARTS AMSC, OPTT, RZ
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=20425987
OTC & PINK SHEET ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STOCKS ACMG, AENS, ARGY, ARSC, CWBYF, DYMTF, EBOF, GRSR, GSHF, HYBT, HYEG, IAUS, IESV, IFUE, LLEG, MHTX, PFCE, PWAC, SLRE, SOEN, RENW, WWAT
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=8644
TYPES OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY:
Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, can be used as an alternative fuel in flexible fuel vehicles that run on M85 (a blend of 85% methanol and 15% gasoline).
Hydrogen: The simplest and lightest fuel is hydrogen gas. Hydrogen is used in a growing number of fuel cell vehicles. Hydrogen and oxygen from air fed into a proton exchange membrane fuel cell "stack" produce enough electricity to power an electric automobile, without producing harmful emissions.
A Fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with water and heat as its by-product. No other energy generation technology offers the combination of benefits that fuel cells do. In addition to low or zero emissions, benefits include high efficiency and reliability, multi-fuel capability, siting flexibility, durability, sand ease of maintenance. Since fuel cells operate silently, they reduce noise pollution as well as air pollution and the waste heat from a fuel cell can be used to provide hot water or space heating for a home or office
Natural Gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons—mainly methane (CH4)—and is produced either from gas wells or in conjunction with crude oil production.
Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel produced by fermenting and distilling starch crops that have been converted into simple sugars. Blends of at least 85% ethanol are considered alternative fuels under the Energy Policy Act of 1992. But you still need Gasoline to run it.
Biodiesel is a domestically produced, renewable fuel that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF USES WITH FUEL CELLS:
•Large Stationary – The most advanced of fuel cells providing electricity and heat to a region including tapping into Grid & for use in Hydrogen Fueling Stations.
•Small Stationary – For Private Households or Small businesses.
•Portable – For mobile electronic devices such as cell phones, batteries, ect.
•Military – Providing power for Field to Land & Sea transportation
•Transportation– Need I say more? Uses in Cars, Buses, Trucks, Trains.
LATEST NEWS ON FUEL CELLS:
•http://www.h2fc.com/news.html
•http://www.fuelcellsworks.com/news1.html
•http://www.energyandcapital.com/
OTHER ALTERNATIVE ENERGY LINKS:
•http://www.thewhygreennetwork.com
•http://hydrogenhighway.ca.gov/
•http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/home
•http://hydrogen.energy.gov/budget.html
•http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/fuelcell.shtml
•http://fuelcellseminar.com/2006_exhibitors.asp
•http://magnumheat.com/
•http://www.energydaily.net/
•http://www.renewableenergystocks.com/Companies/RenewableEnergy/Stock_List.asp
•http://www.solarconnecticut.org/
•http://www.switch2hydrogen.com//
•http://vegenergy.com/
•http://www.energyandcapital.com/
•http://www.solarbuzz.com/news/NewsPage.asp
•http://www.wfcg.org
LINKS TO SOME IMPORTANT POSTS:
~ About Hydrogen: http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=15775719
~ Alt. Energy Funds: http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=15775811
~ Annual Fuel Cell Reports:
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=15420961
~ Where the money is going: http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=16387674
~ State of the Union: The Advanced Energy Initiative http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=16445887
~ The 2007 Global Warming Globie Awards
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=17354041
~ Ice Core Video Of Earths History.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=17981341
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