NEW ENERGY IN CHINA

For the third week in a row, NewEnergyNews leads “Sunday World” with a story about a U.S. New Energy producer gearing up to produce overseas. China is going to incentivize solar installations. The U.S. Congress doesn’t seem inclined to.

China is unimaginably energy hungry. China is a factor in coal, driving the argument about “clean” coal technology because China builds a new coal plant or two every week. China is a factor in oil, threatening to bring the world to the oil Peak almost on its own with its exponentially expanding car buying and highway building. China is a factor in nuclear, driving the development of next-generation “closed cycle” technology.

And China is serious about solar, so serious it is thinking about much more than solar rooftop installations and solar power plants. The new Weihai solar city (see BP SOLAR AND AUSSIES WILL HELP CHINA BUILD SOLAR) is exciting, but where China wants solar is in rural areas where the grid does not go.

China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. (CSOL), a Connecticut company, designs, manufactures and distributes solar hot water heaters, coal-fired space heating systems (boilers, furnaces and stoves), and biomass (waste heat recovery) products. That is the combination of power rural Chinese depend on - if they have power - in their homes, working places and public places.

Around 60% of China is rural and only 1 in 10 rural households has a water heater. CSOL calls that a $2.7 billion market opportunity.

Fourth-quarter 2007 revenues jumped 119% to $12 million. Quarterly net income skyrocketed 479% to $1.1 million. 2007 full-year revenue was up 73% to $37.1 million and 2007 net income was up 104% to $2.53 million.

The company projects 15% growth over the next several years. It will participate in the Weihai solar city development reported by NewEnergyNews in the last “Sunday World.”

CSOL closed at $1.92/share April 16. It traded between $1.50 and $4.50 over the last year. Based on 2008 Standard & Poor 500 earnings estimates, its P/E is about 14.

Paul J. Resnik, analyst, Dutton Associates: “...good prospects for above-average growth...one-year target price of $5.46.”

One caveat”: CSOL’s CFO resigned without warning in January. Yihai Yang was appointed acting CFO March 24.

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Check on China: China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions, Inc.
Shannon Roxborough, April 17, 2008 (SmallCapInvestor via Yahoo Finance)

WHO
China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. (CSOL); subsidiary Deli Solar

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WHAT
CSOL looks to own a huge part of a huge market with a lot of upside potential.

WHEN
- May 2007: Deli Solar bought 51% of Tianjin Huaneng
- January 2008: CSOL bought Shenzhen PengSangPu Solar Industrial Products Corp.
- April 11, 2008: CSOL reported record fourth-quarter and full-year 2007 revenues.

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WHERE
- CSOL is based in Connecticut.
- Deli Solar’s Tianjin Huaneng specializes in products for China and Southeast Asia.
- CSOL’s Shenzhen PengSangPu Solar specializes in the southern China market.

WHY
- CSOL was formerly named Beijing Deli Solar Technology Development Co., Ltd.
- CSOL revenues: 45% -- solar hot water heaters; 30% -- biomass; 25% -- coal space heaters.
- Solar hot water heaters are 75% cheaper to run than gas or electric heaters, last 20% to 30% longer and are 3 times as efficient as electronic, twice as efficient as gas.
- CSOL has a portfolio of 80 products.
- Deli Solar’s Tianjin Huaneng makes solar water heaters, heat pipes and tubes, heat exchangers, blast stoves, heating filters, water boilers, and radiators.
- CSOL’s Shenzhen PengSangPu Solar makes solar hot water heaters and space heating devices.

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QUOTES
Paul J. Resnik, analyst, Dutton Associates: "strong speculative buy"