fuel cell
CCM News, in partnership with Mercedes-Benz, has created Eco-Trek -- one of the world's first online syndicated cleantech news magazines. Eco-Trek is composed of a 125-day trip documenting the most compelling cleantech stories from around the world. The magazine's producers will travel exclusively in Mercedes-Benz's F-Cell vehicle -- a zero emi
The week began strongly, paused on turmoil throughout the Middle East, and then finished higher with solid corporate earnings reports overcoming mediocre U.S. employment data. The green sector indices and ETFs narrowly beat the broad indices.
It’s only a matter of time before the United States makes a serious effort to power more vehicles by burning natural gas because 1) it is 25 percent cleaner than oil, 2) it would displace an expensive, insecure, imported fuel with a domestic, cheap and plentiful one, and 3) it would reduce vehicle maintenance costs.
This theory commands more interest when worries about oil supply disruptions -- the current Mideast upheaval, for example -- push the price above $90 a barrel.
Solar power technology companies continued this week to lead the overall green indices and ETFs as well as the broad markets.
The EnergyBoom Solar Subindex (E•B Solar) increased 4.06 percent and the Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN) gained 3.32 percent on the week, compared with the S&P 500 (+0.13 percent), the Dow Jones Industrial Average (+1.43 percent) and the NASDAQ composite ( -1.51 percent).
Here are the Top 10 Renewable Energy News Stories You May Have Missed this Week:
Shares of Ener1, Inc. (NASDAQ: HEV) closed up 14 percent Tuesday (down from 25 percent earlier in the day) after announcing prior to the market open that it had signed a joint venture agreement with Wanxiang Electric Vehicle Co., Ltd. to co-manufacture lithium ion cells and battery packs for the Chinese market.
Ener1 shares are up 43 percent over the past six months, but down 19 percent over the past year.
A closer look today at Plug Power, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLUG), whose 66.7 percent gain last week led the EnergyBoom Clean 100 Index (E•B Clean 100).
Plug Power, based in Latham, New York, announced in April 2010 it was restructuring to cut costs, focus on its GenDrive fuel cell power units for fork lifts and halt development and manufacturing of its stationary backup and off-the-grid fuel cell power generators.
Most green sector stock market indicators, including all five EnergyBoom indices, trounced the broader markets in the United States and overseas this week. The best performance was turned in by the EnergyBoom Solar Subindex (E•B Solar) which increased 5.28 percent.
Two fuel cell companies were among the six top performers in the EnergyBoom Clean 100 Index (E•B Clean 100) over the five trading days leading up to the Christmas break.
Shares of FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL) were up 28.7 percent (down 44.5 percent year to date) and shares of Ballard Power Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: BLDP) were up 14.5 percent (down 16 percent YTD).
It is pretty clear that the economic viability of wind and solar energy and the extent to which they will contribute significant power to the grid depends on being able to generate electricity intermittently -- when the sun shines and the wind blows -- and store it for use when it needed and/or when the sun is not shining nor the wind blowing.
