$100 Million Deal for Yingli (NYSE:YGE)
Yingli (NYSE:YGE) has just announced that it has signed a $100 million supply and power agreement with DuPont (NYSE:DD). The deal calls for DuPont to sell metalization paste that can increase performance and for Yingli to build a solar power plant at a DuPont facility in China. Yingli is up about 2 percent in pre-market.
Will France Lift the Ban on Fracking?
Is the lure of shale riches too much for France to ignore? According to a new parliamentary report, that could be the case. France currently has a ban on fracking, but this new report suggests that the nation must estimate its reserves more precisely, especially considering the promising data on shale in the Paris Basin.
Of course, environmentalists have been quick to point out that much will depend on how the fracking is done, noting that there are very real pollution issues associated with fracking and that gas prices in the U.S. don’t take into account the cost of environmental damage that future generations will have to pay. While there is certainly truth to that, I find it interesting that a country which has exported tons of nuclear waste to Russia is worried about environmental damage. I guess as long as you can export that toxic slop, it doesn’t matter.
In any event, I believe that eventually the promise of shale riches will be too much for the French to shrug off. So we’ll keep a close eye on how this plays out.
When Solar Panels Don’t Work
Those who wish death upon the solar industry are about to be given a gift. According to a New York Times investigation, reports of defective solar panels are starting to rise — just as the industry is on the cusp of significant adoption and expansion. Energy analyst Todd Woody points out that no one is exactly certain how pervasive the problem is, writing:
There are no industry-wide figures about defective solar panels. And when defects are discovered, confidentiality agreements often keep the manufacturer’s identity secret, making accountability in the industry all the more difficult.
Click here to see how this is going to play out, and more importantly, how you can profit from this latest development.
