QUICK NEWS, April 2: WIND TO TAKE PROVEN TURBINE DESIGN TO SEA; ON FIRST SOLAR’S PROSPECTS; THE BIZ OF WIRING SMART CITIES TO TRIPLE BY 2020

WIND TO TAKE PROVEN TURBINE DESIGN TO SEA Offshore Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Are Sinking Not Swimming

Mike Barnard, March 25, 2014 (Clean Technica)

“One of the persistent myths of wind energy is that vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are better than the iconic three-bladed horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWTs)…[O]ffshore applications have some different conditions which might favour VAWTs over HAWTs, but…the [prototype of the] SKWID by Modec, a Japanese marine engineering company [sank]…[T]he Nenuphar device [by a French company]…stalled in December 2012…[and] Nenuphar CEO Charles Smadja said that based on performance alone, horizontal axis turbines would always be superior to their vertical axis equivalent…[Sandia] performed extensive R&D on vertical-axis wind turbines in the 1970s and 80s, none of which resulted in economically viable products…They are dusting off 30- to 40-year-old research…[and] spending about $4 million…This is a reasonable and small side bet in a rich industry…[T]he Deepwind project in Europe…proposed a simplified, long-shaft floating VAWT [in 2010]…As of early 2013, they were still presenting purely hypothetical designs…[T]he Norwegian Gwind research project…[has] a small-scale prototype that was launched in September of 2013. Results aren’t in…Vertiwind, a sub-project of the INFLOW program…is at least a year behind…” click here for more

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ON FIRST SOLAR’S PROSPECTS First Solar: Upside Momentum To Continue

Stock Gamer, March 30, 2014 (Seeking Alpha)

“The share price of First Solar (FSLR) has risen substantially by 154% over the past 12 months, compared to just an 18% return for S&P 500. In my view, there remains ample room for further price appreciation…In the company's recent Analyst meeting, management provided their long-term vision on FSLR's CdTe technology. The technology's cell efficiency is expected to rise from 20% in 2014 to 25% in 2016. Given that the efficiency ratios for both multi-crystalline and mono crystal cells are currently at about 20% and 25%, respectively, which are close to their theoretical limits largely due to limited investments, it is believed that CdTe's cell efficiency would eventually surpass the efficiency of the two competing technologies. Management also expects system-wide efficiency to reach 19.5% by 2017, which is higher than previous target of 17.2%...[FSLR's strong fundamental trend…should ensure healthy organic growth…Balance sheet strength provides significant capacity for future M&A which would drive incremental growth...Trading below peer average on EV/EBITDA basis, FSLR's valuation is inexpensive]…” click here for more

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THE BIZ OF WIRING SMART CITIES TO TRIPLE BY 2020 Smart City Communication Networks; Fiber, Cellular, Wi-Fi, RF Mesh, and PLC Networks for Smart Energy, Smart Transportation, Smart Water, Smart Buildings, and Smart Government: Global Market Analysis and Forecasts

1Q 2014 (Navigant Research)

“Smart city communications that connect people, objects, and sensors involve multiple access and aggregation networks that can vary from public to private and wired to wireless…Many of the innovations associated with smart cities – in energy, transportation, and the efficient delivery of public services, for example – are based on the availability of ubiquitous communication services…Yet, the communication layer in a smart city has largely been taken for granted…Today, cities are moving beyond simply connecting citizens and businesses to objects and sensors into a world of Internet of Things (IoT)…[and more] interoperability, security, data privacy, and scalability of communication networks. Navigant Research forecasts that global shipments of smart city communication nodes will grow from 17 million in 2013 to 55 million in 2020…” click here for more

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