Solar Power

With the steep rise in oil prices, I have become increasingly interested in alternative energy sources, and recently solar power in particular. I've been wanting to invest in a company that manufactures solar panels, but really don't know who makes any, much less any of the fundamentals, and researching solar power stocks on investment sites has been a dead end. Well, my luck has now changed thanks to 2 interesting articles forwarded to me by my brother.

The first, interestingly enough is about a company in Abu Dhabi that is building some huge solar power plants. For a country so rich in oil, this strikes me as very forward thinking, although it makes perfect sense since the area is also a hotbed of solar activity. Where better for a solar plant than in a desert? I'm very curious to see how this story progresses.

Next, and even more interesting, is a story about some companies that are creating lightweight, flexible, and more importantly low cost solar panels. I now have these 3 companies to look into: HelioVolt, Miasolé, and Nanosolar. And what's particularly fascinating about this technology is some of the proposed uses. They can be molded to roofing tiles, so you don't have to have the traditional large glass panels mounted to your roof. They can be attached to the sides of office buildings, potentially allowing offices to become self sufficient and generate all the power they need. And possibly the most fascinating, embedded in clothing, allowing you to plug your cell phone, ipod, crackberry, whatever into your pocket and charge it as you walk around.

So, any additional information on solar power would be welcomed. I think that if production is ramped up sufficiently, we might see a big enough drop in manufacturing costs to make it economically feasible.