Developers are beating manufacturers in the U.S. solar power market.
In August, two U.S. companies — Evergreen Solar Inc. and startup Spectrawatt Inc. — filed for bankruptcy protection. A third company, Germany- based Solon SE, announced it would shut down its Arizona solar-panel factory.
The U.S. market for installing solar panels, however, has never been better. Many analysts are predicting that U.S. shipments of solar photovoltaic modules, which convert sunlight into electricity, will double this year to about 2,000 megawatts.
Federal and state subsidies that offset the price of installation, and renewable energy requirements in California, New Jersey and other states are driving the market. A recent steep slide in solar-panel prices, brought on by soft demand in Europe and an oversupply from China, has made solar panels more competitive against conventional power and other renewables, such as solar- thermal, wind and geothermal power…
Read More: US Solar Market Favors Project Developers Over Manufacturers via Nasdaq.com