APWR in 7/29 Sunday Times:
Business section, page 8, right hand column article entitled; "Blackouts Burnish A Maker of Solar Gear."
(Excerpted)
California may be suddenly awash in electric power, and prices of oil and natural gas may have fallen, but the solar electric power industry is still booming. Unlike fuel cells or microturbines, solar power is a proven technology, and it is becoming cheaper to produce. And AstroPower, a maker of solar cells, modules and panels, is a rarity in the sector: a profitable stand-alone, publicly traded company. It can meet only about 60 percent of demand for its rooftop systems and is adding manufacturing capacity as fast as it can.
"Our customers know we are getting a little respite right now, but they really want to have control over their energy," said Allen M. Barnett, an electrical engineer who is the founder and chief executive of AstroPower, based in Newark, Del.
.
.
.
.
.
Solar electric power was a $2.5 Billion market last year, according to Clean Edge, a market research and consulting firm; it expects the market to grow to $23.5 billion by 2010. The biggest markets are in Germany and Japan, where government subsidies and public concern about global warming have promoted renewable energy sources. More than three-quarters of AstroPowers sales are overseas.
.
.
.
In recent months, AstroPower has struck deals with three California home builders to include solar panels in new homes. Formed in 1989 out of the solar cell program at the University of Delaware, AstroPower went public in 1998 and has been profitable in all but one quarter since then.......They are to report second-quarter earnings on Tuesday. Analysts expect its profit to rise to 11 cents a share from 8 cents in the first quarter; for the full year, they predict earnings of 53 cents a share, up from 27 cents a share in 2000. Analysts also expect its earnings to grow 47 percent a year, on average, for the next three to five years.
"This is a real growth company, and it's a company that's been able to sustain growth for many years," said Eric Prouty, an analyst at Adams, Harkness & Hill in Boston.
(end of excerpt)
Hmmmmmm.....Market sector projected to grow to $23.5 billion by 2010. APWR projected to sustain a growth rate of 47% on average over the next 5 years.....hmmmm....this one bears closer scrutiny me thinks. Especially given the CEO's statement about customers wanting to gain control over their energy. I've the impression this little statement conveys more power (no pun intended, heh) and potential than might be conventionally thought.
John~ |
