Solar Industry Faces Brighter Prospects in Second Half of 2011

ByMikael Schlaug:I will make a bullish case for investing in First Solar (FSLR) by pointing out some key points for the industry and for the company in particular. Solar energy industry

By Martin Fluck:Generous solar subsidies were never going to survive in an age of austerity and cheap natural gas. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Germany. Solar energy was supposed to herald a new age of clean energy, and provide thousands of green jobs. But not a single solar manufacturer is expected to survive there. With governments like Italy also ending their tax payer funded bonanzas, the industry is facing total collapse, globally.

World Market Pulse submits:The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has reopened the global debate on our continued dependence on fossil fuels as prime sources for world energy requirements. As witnessed from the horrific aftermath of the deepwater horizon oil spill, it's clearly in the interest of the human race to continue developing alternative, non-carbon-emitting fuels and technologies that can save the human as well as the animal race from grave dangers associated with our reliance on oil and coal.

Here's a pretty shocking chart: it's the share price of TEPCO, the beleaguered Japanese power company at the center of the Fukushima nuclear disaster that followed from the Japanese earthquake in April 2011. Year-to-date, the stock is up 396%. In recent days, it's gone absolutely vertical in the past few days on speculation that the company will at last power up its nuclear reactors again, which have been shut down since the disaster.

Last year saw a shift from a reliance on oil and coal to an exploration of untapped natural gas resources and renewable energy. Few will bet against this topsy-turvy, transitional energy state persisting through 2013 and beyond. For the coming year, fossil fuels will continue to dominate the energy market, but renewables will continue their slow and steady gains, experts say

This report was sent to subscribers on August 31, 2011.  Join our free mailing list to receive actionable SIR information 48 hours before it is posted for the public… EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

ETF Database submits: With oil prices held in check below the $80 mark until very recently, sluggish global growth has combined with decreasing alternative energy subsidies from cash-strapped governments to batter the alternative energy ETF market for much of 2010.