QUICK NEWS, 10-18: WIND AND JOBS; GE PLANS GIANT SUN PLANT; PV MAKERS IN SNAFU

WIND AND JOBS
Blowing in the Wind: Jobs in the Wind Industry
Vivian Wagner, October 12, 2011 (E-Commerce Times)

"The wind industry is essentially built on turbines -- those large, hulking, spinning windmills set up in wind farms on and off shore. Many of the jobs in the industry are related to their design and manufacture -- more than 400 American manufacturing plants build wind components, including turbines, towers and blades. Any investment in wind power, therefore, is an investment in the manufacturing base of the country…

"…The second quarter of 2011 saw more than 1,003 megawatts of wind power capacity installed, and the wind industry has contributed upwards of 35 percent of all new generating capacity during the past four years, second only to natural gas…"

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"…[T]he U.S. wind market accounts for around 20 percent of the world's installed wind-generating capacity…[T]hat wind power has meant jobs for American workers -- around 85,000 of them currently…in areas such as engineering, manufacturing, project development, operations, maintenance, transportation and logistics…

"…[I]n the U.S., the states with the strongest presence in the wind industry are those with the most consistent and strong winds -- such as Texas, California and Iowa -- but there are other regions and local markets that are holding their own…Other variables that affect wind markets are the prevailing cost of electricity in the area and competition provided from other energy sources…"


GE PLANS GIANT SUN PLANT
GE Plans to Build Largest US Solar Factory in Colorado, Expand Solar Innovation in New York and Deliver Lighter, Larger, More Efficient Thin Film Solar Panels
13 October 2011 (GE)

"GE (NYSE: GE)…plans to build its new solar panel factory in Aurora, Colorado. When completed, the advanced manufacturing facility will create 355 jobs in Colorado and will be larger than any existing solar panel factory in the country today.. with the first panels coming off the line in 2012 with commercial availability in 2013.

"…[T]he factory in an existing building in Aurora… also is in proximity to GE’s existing solar center of excellence…[enabling] an accelerated start-up schedule with production equipment installation beginning in January 2012. At capacity, the new factory will produce enough panels per year to power 80,000 homes and will be larger than 11 football fields. When complete, the new solar factory will highlight a $600 million investment in GE’s solar business."

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"Colorado already is home to GE Energy’s thin film solar pilot line, where joint technology advancements from GE’s Global Research Center and PrimeStar Solar have been validated and tested. GE completed the acquisition of PrimeStar earlier this year.

"…In support of its expected growth in the solar space, GE also announced plans to create 100 new positions in New York…Solar panels produced in GE’s new Colorado factory also will be more efficient, lighter weight and larger than conventional thin film panels…reducing the total cost of electricity for utilities and consumers…[facilitating] easier installation and enable important applications including commercial rooftop…[and lowering] total system cost by reducing the amount of racking and electrical components required…"


PV MAKERS IN SNAFU
US$6 Billion Overspend Forces PV Manufacturing Equipment Suppliers to Adjust Strategies; Significant Industry Over-Capacity to Cause Prolonged Downturn in PV Equipment Revenues
October 17, 2011 (solarbuzz)

"Global PV equipment spending (including c-Si ingot-to-module and thin-film panel) is now projected to fall by more than 45% in 2012, down from a historic peak of US$13.1 billion this year…As a result, PV equipment suppliers are being forced to redefine their product roadmaps to align with the projected upturn in spending after 2012.

"Almost half of PV equipment spending in 2011 has been stimulated by new entrants to the PV industry or from existing tier 2 or tier 3 manufacturers seeking to increase revenues simply by adding more capacity. The majority of this investment has turned out to be supplemental to… short term industry demand."

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"Consequently, revenues available to PV equipment suppliers have been temporarily inflated by US$6 billion during 2011. The scale of this over-investment will not only drive the magnitude of the revenue declines during 2012, but will also prolong the spending downturn period into 2013…

"The only PV equipment suppliers that will be shielded from rapid declines in revenues through 2012 are those with strong order backlogs aligned with polysilicon expansion phases in progress across the Asia Pacific region. This will actually drive Y/Y growth in revenues for a select group of companies…[M]any other PV equipment suppliers will experience Y/Y revenue declines of 30-70%. Equipment suppliers that benefitted most from the c-Si wafer, cell and module expansions of 2011 will be the hardest hit during 2012…"