Shining Everywhere
Table: The Next Generation
Investors interested in solar stocks should consider reaching beyond the U.S., where the primary pure plays are relatively smaller. Some of the world's largest solar companies are based in Germany and Japan, both of which have provided rich subsidy programs designed to speed adoption of the technology as an alternative to fossil fuels. Here's a quick rundown on some of the world's solar stocks.
| | Recent | | |
| Company | Price | Ticker/Country | Business | | |
| Arise Technologies | C$0.25 | APV/Canada | Small-cap renewable-energy firm outfited Canada's first solar neighborhood. |
| ATS | C$13.78 | ATA/Canada | Parent of Photowatt, largest solar operator in France. |
| Carmanah | C$3.15 | CMH/Canada | Canadian firm builds integrated solar products, such as bus shelters, streetlights. |
| Conergy | €84.35 | Germany | World's largest wholesaler of solar power. |
| Cypress Semi | $15.40 | CY/U.S. | Parent of SunPower, solar-cell company now in registration for intitial offering. |
| Daystar | 13.76 | DSTI/U.S. | Maker of alternative non-silicon solar systems; shares have sextupled in 12 months. |
| Energy Conv Devices | 37.66 | ENER/U.S. | Alternative energy company includes solar arm. |
| Evergreen Solar | 7.59 | ESLR/U.S. | Solar-wafer maker uses unique string ribbon wafer process, requiring less raw material. |
| Kyocera | 7.20 | KYO (ADR)/Japan | World's second-largest solar company; though only small percentage of overall revenues. |
| MEMC | 19.43 | WFR/U.S. | One of the world's largest silicon-wafer producers. |
| Motech | TW $380.00 | Taiwan | Taiwanese company makes cells and modules. |
| Phoenix SonnenStrom | €14.94 | Germany | German solar systems wholesaler sales grew 57% in 2005's first half. |
| Q-Cells | – | IPO Speculated/Gr | Germany's largest solar-cell producer seen going public soon. |
| Renewable Energy | – | IPO Speculated/Gr | Ranks among leaders in raw silicon, solar cells; IPO considered imminent. |
| Sekisui Chemical | ¥743 | Japan | Manufactured home builder; 60% include solar. |
| Sharp | ¥1644 | Japan | World's largest solar-power company. |
| S.A.G. Solarstrom | €7.92 | Germany | Produces solar systems; came public in 2004. |
| Solar Integrated Tech | 168 pence | U.K. | U.K. maker of industrial solar systems. |
| Solar-Fabrik | €12.92 | Germany | German maker of solar modules, inverters, accessories and systems. |
| Solartron | 11.8 baht | Thailand | Leading Thai solar-power company. |
| Solarworld | €113.10 | Germany | Largest pure-play solar-power company by market cap, slightly over $1 billion. |
| Solco | A $0.35 | Australia | Australian maker of solar water heaters and pumps. |
| Solon | €28.68 | Germany | Producer of solar inverters and modules. |
| Spire | $10.52 | SPIR/U.S. | Leading supplier of equipment and technology to make photovoltaic power cells. |
| Sunways | €13.00 | Germany | Producer of solar cells and inverters. |
| Tokuyama | ¥1031 | Japan | Diverse chemical company is Japan's largest silicon producer. |
| WorldWater | $0.59 | WWAT.OB/U.S. | Micro-cap provider of residential, agricultural solar systems, including solar pumps and motors. |
| XsunX | $0.23 | XSNX.OB/U.S. | Development-stage company focused on technology for producing solar power on glass. |
Sources: Corporate Websites, CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, Yahoo Finance
The Next Generation
Though the number of publicly traded solar companies remains small, venture capital firms are funding a steadily increasing number of new players. A sampling of some recent fundings in the sector:
| Company | Business | Amount | Investors |
| COLED Tech | Developer of materials and processes to manufacture organic light-emitting diodes. | $1,200,000 | ITU Ventures, HCF Partners |
| CSG Solar AG | Developer of thin-film solar-module technology. | $31,135,000 | Apax Partners, Good Energies, Q-Cells, Renewable Energy, IBG |
| Nanosolar | Developer of nanostructured solar cells. | $20,000,000 | Mohr Davidow Ventures, Mitsui & Co., Onpoint Tech, Benchmark Capital, U.S. Venture Partners |
| Miasole | Manufacturer of thin-film solar cells. | $16,000,000 | Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Bessemer Venture Partners |
| Konarka Tech | Developer of technology for producing photovoltaic energy products. | $7,000,000 | New Enterprise Associates, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Vanguard Ventures, others |
| HelioVolt | Developer of solar-energy technology. | $8,000,000 | New Enterprise Associates |
| Energy Innovations | Developer of low-cost rooftop photovoltaic solar concentrator systems. | $16,500,000 | Mohr Davidow Ventures, Idealab |
| Advent Solar | Developer of photovoltaic cells, modules and integrated products. | $8,000,000 | EnerTech Capital, CMGI, @Ventures, Fort Washington Capital |
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Source: Cleantech Venture Network
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