How many invested in solar stocks last year?

Windsun

We did not

Solar and energy stocks had all the signs of the recent dotcom bubble, so I stayed away completely.

And as of right now, I see nothing that really looks good. I expect at least a few companies to have some real problems in 2009. And, no I have no idea which, except that we wonder about Evergreen Solar (ESLR), and have thought for some time that First Solar (FSLR) is way overpriced and overhyped.

icarus

Re: How many invested in solar stocks last year?

I've owned Energy Conversion Devices since ~1978. A whopping 10 shares. Never seen a dividend, and I think the stock price is about the same as it is now! I sorta forget that I have it.

T

boB

Re: How many invested in solar stocks last year?

I haven't bought any stocks, per se, but I HAVE invested a LOT of time.

From what I am hearing, 2009 should help this industry s LOT.

Time will tell.

Merry New Year !

boB

nigtomdaw

Re: How many invested in solar stocks last year?

I invested in actual Stock, Outback MNS and X whilst the $ was in the doldrums.
Then we had the credit crunch the £ made a U turn and kicked in the afterburners heading south and the Euro took a jump downwards although admittedly wearing a parachute,

So I have stock, but it feels as if someone flicked a switch and all the spending in Spain stopped just after the builders left to go back thier homelands.

icarus

Re: How many invested in solar stocks last year?

boB wrote: »

I haven't bought any stocks, per se, but I HAVE invested a LOT of time.

From what I am hearing, 2009 should help this industry s LOT.

Time will tell.

Merry New Year !

boB

BoB,

I disagree,,I think that '09 is going to be very tough in the business. The collapse of oil prices, driving down energy prices across the board makes it all that much harder to get projects to pencil out. On an large scale getting the money together is almost impossible, especially when the perceived pay off is not there. Witness the collapse of Pickens wind farm ideas, as well as the big wind farm in E. Washington that has been put on hold.

At the individual/retail level, people who lose their jobs, or are having trouble paying the bills, have a hard time justifying spending $$ on RE while the price of energy is so low, money is hard to borrow, and equity is evaporating.

Having said that,,,have a happy new year!

Tony

PS. Our paths probably crossed sometime in the early '70's. I was involved in the music biz in Bellingham, and from your site, know some of the folks I saw there,,,Wheatfield etc. Used to work with Phase Linear and Tapco stuff.

T

Windsun

Re: How many invested in solar stocks last year?

http://www.investorideas.com/pl/news/010209a.asp

....and as the table below clearly shows, solar stocks with their very high beta's* did about twice a poorly as the general market.

Symbol
Company Name

Performance % 2008

AKNS
Akeena Solar, Inc.

-78.4

ASTI
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.

-84.9

CSIQ
Canadian Solar Inc.

-77.1

CSUN
China Sunergy Company Ltd.

-76.1

DSTI
DayStar Technologies Inc.

-85.0

EMKR
EMCORE Corporation

-91.5

ENER
Energy Conversion Devices Inc

-25.1

ESLR
Evergreen Solar, Inc.

-81.5

FSLR
First Solar, Inc.

-48.4

JASO
JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd

-81.2

LDK
LDK Solar Company Ltd.

-72.1

RSOL
Real Goods Solar, Inc.

-63.5

SOL
ReneSola, Ltd. (United Kingdom) ADR

-77.5

SOLF
Solarfun Power Holdings Co.

-84.5

SPIR
Spire Corporation

-78.3

SPWR
Sunpower Corporation

-71.6

STP
Suntech Power Holdings ADR

-85.8

TSL
Trina Solar Limited

-82.7

WFR
MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc.

-83.9

YGE
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited

-84.2

2008 Average Solar Stock Decrease

-76.0%

Leading Indexes

DJIA
Dow Jones Industrials

-33.8

SPX
S&P 500 Index

-38.5

NASD
Nasdaq Composite

-40.5

Average Index 2008 Decrease

-37.60%

icarus

Re: How many invested in solar stocks last year?

I suppose you could consider them a bargain now! Or not!

Tony

Windsun

Re: How many invested in solar stocks last year?

Actually I think that some of them are, but I am waiting a couple weeks before I do anything myself.

A couple I would stay away from, like First Solar (FSLR), simply because I don't trust their hype, but that is just my opinion.

The single major factor I think in how solar does will be the credit situation, if it eases up then I look for some decent gains.

BB.

Re: How many invested in solar stocks last year?

I would still be very careful investing anything... Many of these companies had problems making money in good times... Now with the oil and credit market collapse--they may be seriously impacted.

And even if they rise in the near future--it could still be a "dead cat bounce".

-Bill

boB

Re: How many invested in solar stocks last year?

icarus wrote: »

BoB,

I disagree,,I think that '09 is going to be very tough in the business. The collapse of oil prices, driving down energy prices across the board makes it all that much harder to get projects to pencil out. On an large scale getting the money together is almost impossible, especially when the perceived pay off is not there.

My outlook is only valid if Obama can get that money spent on Renewable energy that he said he would. Lots of promises. We can but hope.
I know the biggies have been affected but hope that will change. At least the small companies, like OutBack, Magnum, MidNite, are doing "OK" for now. Affected yes, but not to the extent of those ones listed above.

as well as the big wind farm in E. Washington that has been put on hold.

Now I hadn't heard that ! (or maybe I had ?) This must be the PSE sites I suppose.

Having said that,,,have a happy new year!

Tony

PS. Our paths probably crossed sometime in the early '70's. I was involved in the music biz in Bellingham, and from your site, know some of the folks I saw there,,,Wheatfield etc. Used to work with Phase Linear and Tapco stuff.

WoW ! What a small world !

You know, the northwest inverter industry (Except for Dynamote) came out of the old audio industry when Steve Johnston, (Bob Carver's ex partner at Phase Linear), in the early eighties, was sailing around the world... Steve had just thrown overboard, yet "another" broken Tripp-Lite inverter and landed on a beach in Costa Rica owned by none other than Heart, of Heart Interface. Steve and the guys that started Trace engineering worked with him at first before starting Trace... Which Xantrex of course later (much later) bought... Of course, Trace/Xantrex begat OutBack Power, Magnum Energy, and now MidNite Solar. And, other companies started out of Phase Linear too. Mackie, Rane, Symetrix. etc etc. We're all "related".

I am still in touch with the audio people, Mackie, etc, and even go to Oregon to see Wheatfield now and then. They have gotten together again to play once in a while. Wonderful !

Merry New Year !

boB

icarus

Re: How many invested in solar stocks last year?

BoB,

I used to live in an apartment that Kerry Canfield vacated to move to Eugene. Used to have to carry his damn Piano up and down the stairs after every gig! I used to own the Swift Current bus! I just strung cords and turned dials,, never got into the technical side of things. Just gave away a Phase 400 that was blowing fuses.

As for the E Washington wind farm, there was a piece I read somewhere in the last couple of weeks that a big project had been put on hold. Don't know if it was PSE or not.

Tony

boB

Re: How many invested in solar stocks last year?

>>I used to live in an apartment that Kerry Canfield vacated to move to Eugene. Used to have to carry his damn Piano up and down the stairs after every gig! I used to own the Swift Current bus! I just strung cords and turned dials

WoW ! REALLY small world ! I was a Wheatfield addict starting around 1976 or so when they used to come to Seattle... Pre-Kerry. They had a TAPCO mixer (as you know) and I fixed it, which is where I met them. I remember that piano too ! I actually first met my wife in October 1982 at the G-Note in Seattle during Wheatfield's last weekend there. I also some recordings of those nights. Yes, we probably DID meet each other somwehere along the lines.

I tell you, they were REALLY energy related ! Got LOTS of dancing excersize ! Someof the best times and years of my life.
I'm glad they are still playing some.
boB