This could work. Assuming you could get the executives on board (hardest part of any merger), bringing Sunpower and First Solar together would make a lot of sense. Both companies are rooted in manufacturing and have products that offer a strong value proposition. First Solar does really well in the utility scale segment with modules close or better than 72 cell poly panels. On the other hand Sunpower is leaving the utility scale and focusing on distributed, mostly residential. The companies already share 8point3, the publicly traded yieldco. With the public markets down on solar, now would be a great time for a buyout of all three public companies. First Solar has a solid balance sheet but is entering a difficult time as they skip the Series 5 and go straight to Series 6 panels. If a PE firm is interested in this idea, give me a call!
A 5 billion dollar profit for taxpayers? It didn’t do what it was supposed to do, lose money. Get rid of it, total loser. Sad!
Solar farms in Florida. The biggest disappointment in solar over the past 10 years has been the market in Florida. One of the largest users of energy, sunny (Sunshine State after all) and plenty of land. Good to see some of Sunedison’s legacy projects getting to the finish line.
- Motley Fool: First Solar and SunPower – Better Off Together?
- Bloomberg: Trump’s Team Urges Freeze to Program That Aided Solyndra
- Lakeland Ledger: Lakeland’s 5th solar farm gets its day in the sun
- GreenBiz: Can green tariffs attract big business to states?
- Renewable Energy World: Notes from the Solar Underground – Slippery Slopes — The Trolley Problem, Solar Module Price Choices and Climate Change
- Grist: Trump’s ban puts a chill on science and cleantech
- NRDC: Very Good News, Part 1—Smart Policy Sends Solar Jobs Soaring
- Greentech Media: The ‘New Normal’ in America – Renewables Boom, Emissions Plunge and Consumers Save More Than Ever
- Reuters: EU softens proposal on extension of Chinese solar duties
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann