|
|
Smallcap Stocks on Solar Technologys Cutting Edge
Solar power is well past the prove it stage. The next step in its evolution is bringing its cost down to where its comparable to gas and coal energy prices. To do that, the technology and equipment has to improve in addition to becoming for functional in a real-world environment. Thats good news for smallcap investors, as many of the companies making those advancements are publicly-traded.
Here are some of solar powers most compelling current developments, and a few companies " some of them smallcaps - that could make their investors glad to be owners.
Solar Panels You Just Paint On
Do you hink a solar panel is a large, flat piece of equipment that you have to securely mount? Thats what they are now, but a new development may change the definition of solar panel in the future. In tests, the photovoltaic materials used in a traditional solar cell have also successfully been painted onto a solid structure, and then successfully converted solar power into electricity. Mounting a panel may not be necessary if the paint can be made to work well enough.
Though no publicly-traded stock can be purchased as a way of investing in this paint, dont assume thats a permanent problem. When corporations see that the technology is viable, theyll likely adopt and begin marketing it.
Flexible Thin Film Solar Panels
If for some reason painted-on solar panels wont work well enough, and theres not enough flat, sturdy surface area to mount traditional (i.e. heavy) photovoltaic cells, the solution is a flexible thin film solar panel. Theyre flat and thin and not rigid. String-ribbon cells also fall into this category.
One of the better-known stocks representative of thin-film panel technology is First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR). The companys cadmium telluride thin solar panels cost less than $1.00 per watt.
That said, once again its a smaller company that may be taking a particular technology to the next level. Smallcap stock XsunX, Inc. (OTCBB: XSNX) may be of interest to investors, as their ASI-120 (amorphous silicon) solar module is expected further reduce the per-watt cost of thin-film panels. And, they may work well in more environments.
Another small stock of interest is Energy Conversion Devices (NASDAQ: ENER). Its wholly-owned subsidiary Uni-Solar Ovonic manufactures a triple-junction silicon solar cell that is proving to a vast improvement on already0advanced thin film panels.
Making It Is One Thing; Storing It Is Another
As solar energy production has moved past the trial stage and into the application stage, a problem has surfaced " the sun doesnt shine 24 hours a day. To become fully powered by the sun, the energy collected when the sun is shining needs to be stored for use when the sun isnt shining. This is where batteries come in.
Theres an inherent problem with current battery technology though. Most of the batteries capable of handling that kind of power storage are made of solid components, which decompose to the point of uselessness pretty quickly. That may be a mot problem. However, considering these same batteries are also slow to charge, and have a limited lifespan. The answer to the problem is promising liquid-based batteries.
The problem so far? MIT is developing the liquid battery, which doesnt leave an investor any options to tap into its success. Once proven though, it is expected that smallcap companies will be the first to warm up to the technology.
Thats not to say investors have to wait for the liquid battery to become commercialized though. Several solid-component battery manufacturers are producing products that still meet current demands. One of them is Valence Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:VLNC), which has a great deal of the large-capacity battery market the kind that utility companies would be interested in. Advanced Battery Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: ABAT) and EnerSys (NYSE: ENS) are also key players in the battery market, and could play a major role as the need for power storage is increased.
Those are hardly the only battery manufacturers that could become tremendous investments though. There are a couple of dozens of these corporations, any of which could benefit from the solar power paradigm shift.
Bio-Backsheets
Ironically, though solar power was mostly developed to get around the use of petroleum to supply energy, petroleum is actually used as one of the materials in a solar panel. Where? Not the panel itself; those are still made of silicon or similar materials. However, the protective covering for solar panels " called a backsheet " uses petroleum in its construction.
The problem? Backsheets are expensive enough as is, but the cost of the back sheet can skyrocket if crude oil prices move upward. The alternative to expensive petroleum-based backsheets is bio-based backsheets. In bio-backsheets, plant materials are used instead of petroleum, which can significantly lower the cost of the entire panel module. Smallcap company BioSolar Inc. (OTCBB: BSRC) is the leader of the bio-backsheet advance.
The bulk of BioSolars work thus far has been backsheets for the common crystalline silicon solar panel. However, with , copper-indium-gallium-selenide and cadmium telluride thin-film panels now becoming popular (due to better performance and lower per-watt costs), the company recently began developing backsheets for those two kinds of solar cells as well. BioSolar has very few indirect competitors, and no direct competitors yet.
Electricity-Generating Windows
Many homes as well as most commercial buildings cover a great deal of their surface are for glass. This is partially a matter of convenience and expense, but also serves an aesthetic purpose. More important to the industry though, its a waste of a lot of solar power real estate. What if a window could also serve as a solar panel though, yet still be transparent?
A smallcap company called New Energy Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: NENE) has found a way to turn that glass into an effective solar panel. A thin layer of silicon nanoparticles covers the glass in question. When sunlight hit these windows, the ultraviolet light is converted into electricity. Best of all, this glass loses very little transparency.
Advice to Investors
Solar energy technology is not only on a path to progress, but that path is always changing. For that reason, investors should not only keep up with the stocks mentioned above, but also with the industrys focal points themselves.
We feel smallcap stocks in particular can quickly surface " often without warning - as worthy investments since their respective companies are nimble. Either way though, the industrys projected growth is undeniable, so one company or another is going to benefit from the dollars being poured into the efforts described above.
The paradigm shifts in solar powers technology are no small matter, but for serious investors who need details of their commercialization potential, keeping tabs can be tough. Thats why we strongly recommend subscribing to our free newsletter. Well inform you of the industrys advances, and the stocks that can let you tap into that progress.
About the Author James Brumley has spent the last two years researching alternative energy stocks and has successfully identified sectors and specific stocks in the alternative energy space that may hold tremendous promise. If you have an interest in learning more about alternative energy stocks, make sure to visit the Small Cap Network web site and subscribe to their free newsletter.
|
 |
Please Rate: |
|
Rating: |
 Processing ... |
(Average: 2.9 stars by 7 users) |
| Views: | 263 | |
|
| More Articles from Investing | | |
| Top Articles in Investing | | |
|
