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Technology Stocks : Ballard Power -world leader zero-emission PEM fuel cells -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Olaf Koch who wrote (1287)	11/3/1997 8:11:00 AM
From: Don Beals	Respond to of 5827

Olaf I have not been able to find a pure play on solar cells either. Don

To: Olaf Koch who wrote (1287)	11/3/1997 2:25:00 PM
From: Michael Winkler	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5827

Olaf: To my knowledge, the major manufacturers of PV(photovoltaic) solar electric panels are owned by much larger companies for whom this is a small business. This includes: Solarex(Amoco) and Siemems Solar(formerly Arco Solar) One company that is close to a pure play in solar is Energy Conversion Devices. There is an SI thread on them. Their major current business is Nickel Metal Hydride batteries that are used in electric vehicles. I believe that GM's EV1 will be using their batteries soon. ECD is headed by Stanford Ovshinsky(inventor) and Robert Stempel(former head of GM). They also are doing major development of amorphous solar panels. Originally, Ovshinsky was dismissed as a crackpot and an eccentric for developing and believing in amorphous solar panels. In recent years his successful developement of these panels has moved him more into the mainstream. I believe that this type of solar panel has the greatest chance for major cost reductions. Ovshinsky seems to be a brilliant and original thinker. Energy Conversion Devices ovonic.com Stanford R. Ovshinsky Robert C. Stempel ENERGY CONV DEV (Nasdaq:ENER) Another company that does not make solar panels, but will benefit from development of solar panels and fuel cells is Trace Engineering. I haven't been able to determine if they have publicly traded stock or whether they are owned by a larger company. Trace makes inverters that convert DC(generated by solar panels and fuel cells) into AC(used in the electric power grid). According to their web site, they recently acquired Kenetech which was the largest windmill manufacturer in the world, but that went bankrupt about 1 1/2 years ago. Kenetech had developed very sophisticated inverters that were use in their advanced variable-speed wind turbines. Trace Engineering traceengineering.com