Doug Neeper's Blog

UPDATE 1-First Solar could supply two major U.S. projects

First Solar to supply Solar Millennium US projects
1:19pm EST

Wed Nov 16, 2011 3:12pm EST

Nov 16 (Reuters) – German solar project developer solarhybrid AG said on Wednesday it plans to use First Solar Inc panels in two major U.S. power plants as part of its plan to take over Solar Millennium AG’s U.S. project pipeline.
The news comes three months after Solar Millennium said it would convert its massive California project – expected to one day be the world’s largest solar power plant – to photovoltaic panel technology instead of solar thermal power because of the dramatic drop in the price of solar panels.
First Solar panels would be used in the 1-gigawatt Blythe project and the 500 megawatt Palen project, both located in California,
solarhybrid and Solar Millennium said in a statement posted on Solar Millennium’s website.
Solarhybrid also said it “intends to involve” First Solar as a partner in the takeover of Solar Millennium’s 2.25-GW U.S. project pipeline. It was not immediately clear whether that would mean First Solar would take part in the acquisition of the pipeline or simply be the panel supplier for the projects.
A First Solar spokesman had no comment.
Solar Millennium and solarhybrid have been negotiating the sale of Solar Millennium’s U.S. project pipeline since late summer, the companies said. The deal is expected to be finalized at the end of this month.
Many solar projects this year have elected to change most or all of their technology to PV, which turns sunlight into electricity, from concentrating solar power, or CSP, which uses heat to create steam that powers a generator.
Prices on solar panels have fallen 40 percent this year alone due to cutbacks in solar subsidies in Europe and a sharp increase in panel manufacturing capacity that has created a global glut.

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DFN: Great properties, though mostly permitted for CSP, they’ll have to be repermitted for PV, and since PV is less invasive than CSP they in all likelihood will be re-permitted.

Solarhybrid, First Solar May Buy Solar Millenium U.S. Projects

By Christopher Martin – Nov 16, 2011 7:33 AM PT .

Germany’s Solarhybrid AG (SHL) has asked First Solar Inc. (FSLR) to form a joint venture to help it purchase Solar Millennium AG (S2M)’s U.S. project pipeline. First Solar will provide panels for two plants with total capacity of 1,500 megawatts, Solarhybrid Chief Executive Officer Tom Schroder said today in a statement. He expects
negotiations with Solar Millennium to acquire its entire pipeline, with 2,250 megawatts of planned projects, to be complete by the end of the month. To contact the reporter on this story: Christopher Martin in New York at cmartin11@bloomberg.net

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Lynn Samuels – 11/07/2011
I went to the St. Isidores Networking Group (SING) last night. SING meets in Danville, Monday nights at 7PM. Smaller more intimate group, very impactful. Lynn Samuels was the facilitator for the meeting and spoke about “The Keys to success, flame out factors”. Her talk was in part based on the works of Lominger International; Lominger studied the traits which contribute to peoples success interviewing / working on a job.

They wrote about what causes the behavior and how can It be changed. Or rather, this was the discussion Lynn led us through last night.

As an example, am I a blocked personal learner? What are the symptoms of this characteristic? Closed to new learning, prefers same, narrow in focus, not insightful , doesn’t seek input, lacking curiosity. If I recognize this behavior in myself, how would I correct it? Let’s say I recognized I didn’t solicit other people’s opinions? I would slowly begin to ask other peoples opinions, reserve the right to make my own decision, but overtime get more comfortable with asking others opinions and in the long run make better decisions.

You can get a more complete listing of these characteristics, what level of employee they apply to and which ones are the most on www.lominger.com

Good book:
Never eat alone

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Dick Bolles 11/05/2011
If you missed Mr. Bolles presentation this past Saturday, I’m sorry; it was one of the best, if not the best presentation we’ve had at Job Connections in almost ten years. His biggest ahha for me was that even in the worst of times, jobs are reported so as to minimize  there is in fact a significant amount of new jobs; I’ll leave it up to you as to speculate why. The example he gave was this April, net increase of 76K, masked, new jobs gotten by previously unemployed folks, of around 3 million. True this covers folks which lost jobs, retired, etc; but nonetheless 3 million NEW jobs.

You can see the other points of Mr. Bolles presentation on my website at http://www.dougneeper.com

1. Survival job search skills will be increasingly important; in the best of times millions of people are out of work

2. Change in employment levels not a good measure of jobs; in the worst of times here are millions of jobs

3. How do we survive; cover widest area with least efforts, resumes, elementary job search; employers want to hire people with least risk; cost of a bad hire; 1 to 5 to times the annual salary. Means they want to know who they’re hiring; hire from within; next hire people who know people outside company. In good times, employers coddle job seekers; in bad times, employers change behaviors. employees don’t change behaviors, no work, no jobs. Tough times. Employee has to change behavior. Hire at low risk, temp job.

4. Figure out where you’d like to work, focus on these companies. Small. New, small companies. Look for people who can sponsor us.

5. Inventory What are your Favorite skills, knowledge. You’ve got to love what you do.

6. Employers look at total package in their hiring position. Find a place to join, take more time to do survival job hunting.

7. What do you have to offer; transferable skills, which are your favorites, write a story. Write 7; you’ll see a pattern emerge, these are your favorites. Adjectives are traits, diligent, patient, etc; these aren’t skills.

8. Target companies whether they have jobs or not. Vacancies come up all the time. Use LinkedIn to find bridge person, someone who knows you, someone they know.

9. Job hunt a pragmatic science.

As an aside, our co-sponsors mentioned a job search checklist that you might want to check out, www.jobhuntersbible.com

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DFN: Secretary Chu is essentially defending the US’ efforts to stimulate the clean energy market, which I think, despite the bad loan experiences of Solyndra and soon to be others, is the right thing to do
to establish a market. The trick will be determining at what point do the incentives stop.

Energy secretary: Solar panel market ‘will dwarf the beer market’

Published: 4:36 PM 11/03/2011 | Updated: 8:59 PM 11/03/2011
http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/03/energy-secretary-solar-panel-market-will-dwarf-the-beer-market/ By Paul Conner

Affordable Solar PanelsYou Could Be Saving Thousands. Try Our Solar Savings Calculator http://www.SolarCity.com/SolarPanelsQuote

The solar panel market will outgrow and “dwarf” the beer market, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu predicted Thursday.

Chu cited a report saying that the global green energy market is worth almost $240 billion worldwide, and that photovoltaic systems — which turn light into electricity at the atomic level — are part of an $80 billion market.

“That’s nearly as much as Americans spend every year on beer,” he said. “The difference is that the solar PV market will grow and will dwarf the beer market.”

Chu also defended incentivizing green energy innovations, while admitting that the federal loan guarantee program could be improved.

The loan program, which ended in late September, famously lost over a half-million dollars when the California-based solar energy company Solyndra filed for bankruptcy on Sept. 6. (RELATED: House panel approves subpoena on Solyndra loan)

“I think what one could do differently is you start with the idea that Congress and the administration can design a better loan program,” Chu said during a policy discussion hosted by The Washington Post, The Hill reported.

Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association in Colorado, told The Daily Caller that the retail value of beer in the U.S. is believed to be approximately $101 billion for 2010. When asked which product — beer or solar panels — is more valuable to the U.S. economy, Gatza noted that private breweries and solar panels complement each other.

“It takes the sun to help solar panels do their thing, and it takes the sun to grow barley and hops for beer,” he said in an email. “It is believed that Sierra Nevada Brewing Company produces the most solar energy of any private company in California.”

Chu attempted to draw parallels with the development of the airplane, automobile and information technology, and claimed that the
competition with other countries is heating up.

“While some people in Washington are debating whether the clean energy economy is real or whether we should try to compete, other countries are seizing the opportunity,” he said in prepared remarks.

The Energy Department has “stimulated the innovation chain,” Chu added; he also justified doling out over $35 billion in loan guarantees.

“Not every company or every product will succeed, but that is no reason to sit on the sidelines and concede leadership in clean energy,” he said.

“America faces a choice today: Are we going to recognize the opportunity and compete in the clean energy race or will we wave the white flag and watch all of these jobs go to China, Korea, Germany and other countries?”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/03/energy-secretary-solar-panel-market-will-dwarf-the-beer-market/#ixzz1cksug2GU

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