USA
March 2, 2011
Polysilicon or refined silicon is the raw material behind most of the world's consumer electronics.Polysilicon is used to make both solar and semiconductor silicon wafers.Silicon wafers are used in making chips which are used by the Intels and Samsungs of the world while Solar Wafers are used in making solar crystalline panels used in generating electricity from the sun.Most of the world's major solar energy companies used c-Si Technology in making solar panels.Polysilicon is an energy intensive process which requires cheap electricity.The polysilicon is produced mostly in the western countries like Japan,USA and Germany now.However the rise of solar panel producers in Asia has given rise to large volume Asian producers of polysilicon as well.Note Polysilicon production is concentrated in the hands of 8-9 companies unlike solar panel production which is done by hundreds of companies.This is a capital intensive process and requires around 2 years to complete a single plant.Semiconductors require higher purity levels of Polysilicon than the solar industry.The massive increase in demand from the solar industry has led to massive growth in poly production.Here are a list of the main polysilicon companies in the world
February 18, 2011
Solar Energy is the fastest growing renewable energy source in the world and has shown tremendous growth in the last 2-3 years.This has been driven by a more than 50% decline in Solar PV costs which continues to decline further.With further increase in energy prices,Solar Power is becoming closer and closer to retail electricity price.Not only is the price declining,solar power is clean energy a most valuable feature in these days of accelerating climate change.Solar Energy has already reached grid parity in places like Italy and Hawaii and will do so in more places in the coming 2-3 years.The industry is a dynamic one and the list of top solar companies can change quickly.Rapid Technology Change and Fast Declining Costs have pushed out most of the Top 10 companies of 5 years ago and brought in new ones mainly Chinese.Here is a list of the Top Solar Panel Producers in the World.
February 18, 2011
India too needs to be worried from these missile developments.Note the Defence Minister had said that he was concerned from the rapid modernisation of China's military forces but was not overtly worried.I think its time for him to worry as China's armed forces show massive technological improvement.Note China has the largest military force in the world in terms of number but it lags way behind in technology compared to the West.However that is changing with growth of the Chinese Economy the 2nd biggest in the world.China and Indian relations have been quite tense of late with China raising the ante on a number of issues.China has been placing missiles in Tibet while India is deploying fighter aircraft and troops near its borders with China.
February 17, 2011
John Kerry is doing the rounds of Pakistan and Obama has called for the release of the "diplomat" on the grounds of diplomatic immunity which is a joke.The widow of one of the killed men had done suicide because she was sure that her husband's killer would not be brought to justice.The US is doing exactly that by threatening to cut off all aid and break off diplomatic ties.It is this kind of behaviour which leads to more anti-Americanism around the world and displays the American hypocrisy over defence of human rights and democracy.I am sure if such an incident had happened in USA,the murderer would be facing a lethal injection in a very short time.However in an unequal world human rights for an American and a Pakistani or three is different.
February 10, 2011
China has repeatedly cropped up in the news for cyberattacks on various governments as well as large multinational companies.While the Chinese government has denied responsibility for these cyberattacks,the evidence continues to grow as large reputed organization have blamed hacking on Chinese origin IP addresses.Note South Korea,USA and India have blamed China for cyberattacks on government computers.Growing cyberwarfare from China has made India start a cyberattack centre of its own reflecting the serious growing nature of these attacks.The recent Stuxnet virus attack on nuclear plants of Iran has been also been blamed on a Chinese attack on India gone wrong.Note cyberattacks are not considered of very serious nature in today's geopolitics and has deniability.This has probably made China to continue with cyberwarfare on countries considered hostile to its interests.
February 7, 2011
Switzerland is one of the richest,most developed countries in the world hosting one of the biggest financial centre in the world and home to two of the largest banks UBS and Credit Suisse.Switzerland has been long been regarded as a neutral safe haven for money with the its currency Swiss Franc thought to be a risk averse store of value.Switzerland is known for its excellent banks which provide a high quality of service and safety.But the less publicized fact is why this small mountainous country attracts trillions of dollars in wealth from around the world.Its because of its secrecy laws which don't allow the name of the bank account holder to be revealed unless its proven that it is due to criminal misconduct.This Law has made Switzerland the safe haven for all kinds of criminal wealth including drugs,guns,prostitution,genocide etc.The recent spat between USA and Switzerland over the revealing of US tax evaders brought this anomaly into the open.Switzerland is the only large country to have such a law which promotes crime and tax evasion globally.
February 7, 2011
The Chinese Penetrate the US Solar Utility Market – exclusive playground of First Solar and Sunpower
The US Solar Utility Market has been the preserve of the 2 largest US Solar Module Players Sunpower and First Solar.While other Solar Panel Makers have won small deals,these 2 companies have dominated the US Utility Market so far.Sunpower has been very successful in the commercial,municipal and utility segments winning a huge number of deals even as its residential dominance evaporated.The bigger Chinese solar producers like Trina,Yingli,Suntech had already taken over the residential market in California with their much cheaper prices.Now even the larger utility market is under threat from the low cost companies from Asia.Note upstream producers like LDK and GCL Poly are also targeting the system development market in US through acquisitions and alliances.The 250 MW Sempra Generation solar plant being built in Arizona will source Suntech modules and will be completed by 2013.This is a huge order win by Suntech which is the largest module producer in 2010 and could see other Chinese producers using this as a template to push out Sunpower and First Solar.
January 13, 2011
USA recently signed a Military Law which obliges the US Defense Forces to buy Solar Panels which are made in the USA.This "Buy American" proposal directly contradicts US actions and policy which advocates free trade in Green Energy.The US Steelworkers Trade Union recently filed a petition with the US Administration against subsidies being given to the Green Industry by China.US government officials also spoke against the "domestic content" requirements of the Indian Solar Subsidy Policy JNNSM.However when it comes to their own solar panel procurement,the US government has foolishly forced its military forces to buy USA made panels.Not that this will help in boosting the US industry too much,as a number of foreign solar panel producers like Solarworld,Suntech already have module making factories in the United States.Also it remains doubtful about how many solar panels the US Military will buy in the coming years.It will remain a fraction of the global solar demand.Instead of supporting US Solar companies like Evergreen Solar,Energy Conversion Devices which are fighting to survive,the administration has given billion dollar loans to a Spanish Solar Thermal Producer.
January 12, 2011
Sunpower has been the dog of the solar market in 2010 as competitive pressures from low cost Chinese companies have made investors question the long term sustainability of the company.But Sunpower has managed to survive with some smart deals like the manufacturing JV with AUO and focusing on the solar project development.Sunpower makes the world's most efficient solar crystalline panels but comes at a much higher cost.This has led to erosion of its marketshare as cutthroat Asian companies have ruthlessly cuts prices and costs of solar panels.Sunpower has lost its dominant position in the US residential market with major Chinese companies like Trina,Suntech,Yingli and Canadian Solar winning large chunks.However Sunpower management has been a trier all along with its management constantly looking for ways to survive and proper .It has also started using less efficient solar panels for its projects as part of its strategy to compete.
January 12, 2011
About 800 jobs in the Solar Industry will be lost directly to China as the USA administration has failed to support its established solar companies.Massachusetts had supported Evergreen with $58 million in subsidies but it was not enough for Evergreen to compete against the ongoing subsidies received by the strong Chinese players who have captured almost 70% of the global market in a few short years.The other US solar companies like Sunpower and First Solar are surviving by manufacturing most of their solar panels in Malaysia and other places.The recent "Buy American" Pentagon Law may not help all that much as module making is a low value add activity already being done by European and Chinese players in the USA.In the complicated supply chain of global manufacturing its difficult to understand who ultimately benefits and loses from such provisions.Note most of the polysilicon going inside the wafers and cells made in Asia are imported from USA and Europe.
December 21, 2010
The Dollar is being relentlessly attacked by Bears due to massive QE program unleashed by the US Fed.However the US Dollar continues to be a safe refuge in many parts of the world.For countries affected by major politicial and economic problems,dollar is looked upon a safe haven for capital preservation.Many of these places have a history of high inflation and major political upheavals.In these places,Gold and Dollar are looked upon as equals for preserving wealth during times of chaos.Vietnam serves as a reminder where even citizens of relatively fast growing stable economies look upon as Dollar as a rock of stability.The South East Asian country has seen high inflation in recent times and numerous devaluations of its currency.The Communist led country has tried to replicate China in many of its policies some of which have backfired.The recent scandal and debt default of a major government owned company has shaken the confidence of investors.With high inflation and depleting foreign reserves
December 15, 2010
Rare Earth Metals promise to be a continuing geopolitical drama for the coming few years as Chinese monopoly over these crucial raw materials continues.Japan has already been at the receiving end of a Chinese exports embargo once and has its companies scattering to secure rare earth mineral resources in varied places like India,Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam.Hitachi is looking to increase recycling of rare earth minerals while other companies too are looking to optimize and reuse these metals.USA is currently less susceptible to rare earth disruptions as its requirements are quite low and anyway it imports most of the products using rare earth in finished form.
December 15, 2010
USA has opposed India’s Local Content Requirements for the Federal Solar Energy JNNSM program.Note according to the JNNSM rules,solar panels will have to be produced in […]
December 14, 2010
Using the same logic,I had questioned the massive amount of USA taxpayer money being given as a cash grant to build almost 4-5 GW of Solar Thermal Plants in California.Most of these solar thermal projects were approved in the last 6 months of 2010 so that they could be eligible for the Treasury Cash Grant under Rule 1603.I seem to have been vindicated quite early with 2 of these giant solar thermal projects being developed by Tessera Solar have run into trouble.The CEO of the company has already left and many of the employees have been fired.Strange for a company that has won multi billion projects in hand.The parent Irish company NTR is reportedly looking to shelve the plants as it does not have enough money for 5% of the total project costs required before 2010 end.
December 8, 2010
NextEra Energy Resources which was previously known as FPL Energy has bought a number of Solar Energy Generating Assets in the past few months.NextEra is the largest Renewable Energy utility in the USA with around 18 GW of Capacity out of which around 6.5 GW is Gas and 7.5 GW of Wind Powered Capacity plus 2.5 GW of Nuclear Energy.NextEra Energy with its long experience in Green Energy Generation has now decided to expand its Solar Asset Portfolio buying equity stakes in Solar Thermal as well as Solar PV Farms in USA and Canada.NextEra Energy is already the biggest Wind Energy Producer in the United States and on the way to become the biggest Solar Energy Producer as well.While Wind Energy is facing uncertain times in the USA,Solar Energy is growing at a rapid clip driven by the sharp fall in Solar Panel Costs which have more than halved in the last 2 years.
December 4, 2010
USA Big Business is waging war on Wikileaks as one by one,top US Web Companies take measures against the whisteblowing website Wikileaks.Note Wikileaks has uploaded thousands of secret USA government cables in recent days which are making headlines daily.USA Diplomacy has become an open book causing huge headache for the US government.These Cables follow leaks on the Afghanistan and Iraq War.The US Government has said that it might put an espionage charge on Julian Assange the leader of the Wikieaks website and threatening him in myriad ways.Now USA Big Business has joined the government in making it very difficult for Wikileaks to continue under the cover of US Laws.
December 3, 2010
Renewable Energy has faced a very bad year in 2010 at least in terms of stock prices.The failure of the Copenhagen Climate Meet in 2009 and the complete indifference towards the Cancun Meet in Mexico has made the Green Energy Sector one of the worst performing ones.Wind Energy has been the worst hit with falling gas prices and falling subsidies with USA and Europe the worst hit.Other sectors like Solar Energy and Biofuels have not got much love from the markets either.In fact major financial insitutions have sharply reduced their Renewable Energy Holdings with Short Interest Rising to a Record High amongst Green Companies like American Semiconductor,Jinko Solar etc.However despite the ascendancy of the Republicans in USA and the cold shoulder given to climate and energy bill,this might mark a bottom for Renewable Energy
December 1, 2010
Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons Growth Alarms Global Powers;Fears of Islamic Terrorist Rogue Nuclear Bomb
Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons Program is known to be source of tension for world powers was already known.But the WikiLeaks revelations has shown that the situation is more alarming than it seems.USA is not the only big power concerned with the Nuclear Weapons falling into the hands of Islamic Terrorists.China,Russia and UK are equally concerned with the high risk that this nuclear program poses.Pakistan has recently been torn apart by internal Islamist and Taliban terrorism bringing the economy to a halt.Floods and Earthquakes have exacerbated the situation.The Pakistan Polity is equally as corrupt and self serving as most of the other South Asian ones.Note Pakistan became a nuclear power by testing nuclear weapons in 1997 following India's Nuclear Tests.
November 25, 2010
Wind Energy Companies are increasingly facing competition from a host of new entrants into the industry.The dominants firms Vestas,Gamesa and Suzlon have seen their stock prices fall steeply due to declining revenues and margins.A number of Giant Industrial Firms have entered the Wind Energy Industry to diversify from the slow growth in their own sectors.Korean Shipbuilders have invested heavily in the Wind Turbine Manufacturing en masse to take advantage of the secular growth of Wind Energy.Chinese companies have risen from virtually nothing 5 years ago to become Top 5 Global Wind Energy Players.Companies like Sinovel,Goldwind,Mingyang Power are now trying to spread their wings outside of China.India's Wind Energy Industry is comparatively small but it has also seen a number of wind power companies setting up facilities with technology licensed from the West.The slowdown in the Western Markets has led to huge problems for dominant Western firms like Gamesa and Vestas.It has led to painful restructuring for Vestas which has fired thousands of workers from its domestic manufacturing base in Denmark.Gamesa has also seen management and ownership turmoil as WTG Orders have evaporated and its competitive position has eroded.GE,Suzlon,Gamesa and Vestas are all investing in the Chinese market which has grown exponentially in recent times and which is expected to form 50% of the Wind Energy Demand till the next few years.
November 23, 2010
The US Government has recently approved a number of Large Scale Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic Projects as Renewable Energy Projects rush to meet the December 2010 Deadline for getting the 30% Subsidy Cash Grants from the US Treasury.California has been leading the way with gigawatts of solar thermal plants being approved.However these projects are facing resistance from local groups due to different reasons.Green Activists are questioning the Environment Friendliness of these projects due to the harmful effects on endangered desert wildlife.While some projects have dedicated millions of dollars for the Rehabilitation and Resettlement of Tortoises and other wildlife,Green NGOs are not convinced.The 660 MW,$2 Billion Tessera Solar Thermal Plant has been put under a review of its approval due to protests that the approval was done with haste and without following proper procedures.Note Large Solar Thermal Projects need hundreds of acres of land and are being frequently built on public land.
November 22, 2010
China is using its industrial strengths to become an emerging low cost low quality Weapons Exporters.Note the Global Arms Market is dominated by USA and Russia with UK,France,Germany the other major exporters.China,India are the biggest importers of arms with most of their purchases from Russia.However the equation is set to change with China moving up the Technology Ladder to become an Arms Exporter.China has started to export fighter aircraft and missiles and is looking to export drones as well.Its major customers are countries which have difficulty in finding weapons elsewhere.Pakistan is the biggest customer with joint development of weapons with China.Note Russia has become alarmed over the developments as many of Chinese arms said to be copied from Russian Technology.
November 22, 2010
Climate Change in the last year has faced one hit after another which should culminate in the failure of the Cancun,Mexico talks which is to start on November 29.Note there are not many expectations from the Cancun Climate Change negotiations in sharp contrast to the Copenhagen Talks in 2009.Despite the global attention and expectations from the Danish hosted Climate Meet,Copenhagen was a total disaster putting Global Warming in the Backburner despite more and more evidence of the massive global harmful effects.In the recent year,the Fossil Fuel Lobbies have been trying to discredit the very agency in charge of spearheading the war against Global Warming.They have been largely successful with global polls revealing a distinct cooling towards Global Warming Efforts.China despite huge investments into Clean Technology is emitting more Carbon Dioxide while USA has completely given up its Global Leadership on the most pressing World Problem.Here are the Reasons why the Cancun Climate Change Talks would fail.
November 20, 2010
Deflating Developed Countries are fueling Inflation in Developing Ones with ultra low interest rates.QE2 has been heavily criticized around the world due to the dangers of it creating asset bubbles in emerging markets as yield hungry investors look for growth at any price.With hundred of billions flooding emerging debt and equity markets,the situation has become volatile for a lot of countries.Brazil has already seen its currency skyrocket in the last 2-3 years due to the huge spread between its bond yields and the US interest rates.With carry investors able to make around 10%,Brazil remains a favorite market for the inflow of dollars.Other countries like Thailand,Malaysia,Indonesia have seen their stock markets rallying to all time highs as well.Many of these countries have already imposed capital controls earlier.Now they are increasing further,as monetary authorities rush to close the gates.
November 18, 2010
Note the Chinese government has completely denied any wrongdoing and it is almost impossible to prove the allegations.However the Chinese Origin IP Addresses point to the Chinese origin of the attacks.One of the main reasons for Google leaving China was the cyberattack on Google computers.China has become the 2nd largest economy in the world and a major world power.With growing power comes more responsibility though can't think of any global power taking much of that ( USA till recently believed in preemptive attacks on weaker countries).Growing cyberattacks will lead to increased security and restriction of the Internet which is to the detriment of all countries.Note the development of Networking and Communication Technologies has been a key element of the growing prosperity the world over.
November 18, 2010
Toyota is a Leader in Hybrid Vehicles with its iconic Prius the biggest selling Hybrid Car by Far.Toyota has been cautious about the growing rush into the Electric Vehicle Category.It has tied up with the much hyped up US Startup Tesla to introduce an EV RAV4,however its concentrating its energies on the Hybrid Car Market.Note another Japanese Automajor Honda is putting its bet on the Hybrid Segment of the Green Vehicle Market.The Economics of the Electric Vehicle Market as well as its Carbon Footprint is suspect despite all the media hoopla being created around it.While the Competition has increased substantially around both the EV market and its allied Battery Sector,the profits are far off.Hitachi has forecast losses for the next 2-3 years as China and USA compete to create national champions in the EV sector with Obama aiming for a 40% global marketshare .
November 18, 2010
Chicago Climate Exchange the only USA Exchange to allow trading of Carbon Emission Credits has been shut down by its owner ICE.While I am no fan of Carbon Emissions Cap and Trade Policy as it gives rise to Frauds and Misplaced Incentives,the mechanism is one of the popular subsidy tools in combating Global Climate Change.Note Carbon Cap and Trading was on the Policy Agenda of the Obama Administration,however a deadlock in the Senate prevented any move in 2010.The US has been a huge laggard in the global warming fight and with the Republican Ascendancy following the MidTerm Polls,things are set to stay the same.Despite the BP Oil Spill and Record Global Temperatures,US remains blind to its climate obligations.With US reluctance,the Climate Change has been in Cold Storage with little progress expected in Cancun Meet.
November 4, 2010
In my previous missive I had opined that the US Solar Energy Policies were misguided as President Obama visited a Solyndra Factory and the US Department […]
October 30, 2010
The US Wind Industry has been facing headwinds since the beginning of 2010 due to a confluence of adverse factors.This has continued till the 3rd quarter of 2010 with AWEA reporting just 395 MW of capacity installation and a 72% fall in wind capacity since the beginning of 2010.This is a drastic fall and the main reason for the Wind Industry falling into a coma is the legislative lethargy of the US Government.Despite lots of noise,no climate change or energy legislation has passed the Congress and Senate leading to the moribund state of the US Wind Industry.Note China and Europe are pressing full throttle on Green Industry Growth with a climate laggard like UK also taking a leadership in the offshore wind industry.China will continue its strong wind growth in 2010 installing around 50% of the overall global capacity.Its Wind Companies like Sinovel,Goldwind and Ming Yang are now trying to penetrate foreign markets while US Wind Turbine makers like Clipper have sold themselves unable to survive independently.
October 28, 2010
Pennsylvania is the Ground Zero for Shale Gas Development globally with more than 2500 Gas Wells in Operation.The State is situated on top of the Marcellus […]
October 27, 2010
USA is the 2nd largest importer of REE and it has thought of taking the issue to WTO.But the WTO has proved to be quite toothless delaying the hearing of issue till 2011.Obama has decided to rake up the REE shortage in the G-20 meeting even as US Senate thinks of passing legislation to boost domestic sources of REE.Molycorp was up more than 11% forming yet another lifetime high on the news.Note the US Congress has already passed a REE law and the Senate needs to endorse the draft in order for it to become law.Rare Earth Elements have a Defense Angle to them as well as many of the REE such as samarium are used in Defense Products.Radars,Pathfinders,Smart Bombs and a number of hitech weaponry require Rare Elements for their production.Without a domestic source,USA might be put at a serious disadvantage in the coming decades.