Solar Energy on the Rise in U.S.

BOSTON, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- With solar electricity generating more than one terawatt-hour (one billion kilowatt hours) of electricity in the United States in 2010 and continuing to expand rapidly, the key question is, "How can companies best capture value as the industry grows?", according to Michael Rogol, global PV analyst and CEO of Boston-based PHOTON Consulting.

"The U.S. solar power sector is very profitable, but value is migrating from companies that manufacture toward companies that provide installation, financing and other services. As profit migrates, solar companies and utilities have at least seven models to capture value," said Rogol, during his presentation at the 3rd Solar Electric Utility Conference portion of the 2010 Solar Terawatt-hours Conference Series hosted by PHOTON USA Corp. in San Francisco on Thursday.

Rogol showed how lower module prices are enabling swift growth in the North American solar market and how, as this occurs, profit within the sector is shifting downstream. The key to success, according to Rogol, is a strong, profitable business model capable of "unlocking value." He provided several key examples of strategies for strong value creation, including being low-cost suppliers, agile traders, value-added service providers, system developers and bundlers of solar power with other technologies. For traditional electricity companies, the biggest challenge, he noted, is to adjust their traditional businesses to create value from solar electricity.

"This is not the dot-com boom with easy access to capital. Companies need to build profitable businesses largely on their own. To do this requires detailed understanding of changing solar power market dynamics and how the electricity sector is evolving across North America," said Rogol.

To support companies as they assess strategic moves in solar power, PHOTON Consulting publishes three in-depth business research reports each year focused on company risks, market risks and sector risks. PHOTON Consulting's research reports provide solar companies at every step of the supply chain with the tools to make fact-based decisions in terms of price, volume and strategy. For more information on PHOTON Consulting's research reports, online research tools or project and consultancy services, please visit http://www.photonconsulting.com or email [email protected].

ABOUT PHOTON Consulting, LLC

PHOTON Consulting is the largest dedicated solar energy research consultancy and is a leading supplier of in-depth research, management and strategic consulting services specific to the PV sector. With the deepest, broadest integrated coverage, PHOTON Consulting tracks the solar energy sector from feedstock to factory gate to end customer in every active and emerging market. PHOTON's solar consultants model company, geographic and industry projections from the outside-in, cross checking company announcements with providers and buyers. Our PV data consists of historical and five-year forward projections for price, volume, revenue, cost, operating profit, operating margin and demand for c-Si and thin film technologies. With the most extensive research and data in the sector, PHOTON Consulting is the source for research and analysis in solar power. For more information on PHOTON Consulting, please visit the Company's website: http://www.photonconsulting.com.

DISCLAIMER

PHOTON Consulting, LLC © 2010. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer: The information and statistical data with this report have not been independently verified and we make no representations or warranty as to its accuracy, completeness or correctness. Any opinions or estimates reflect the judgment of PHOTON Consulting, LLC at the date of publication and are subject to change at any time without notice. This publication is for information purposes only and is not intended to provide professional, investment or any other type of advice or recommendation. PHOTON Consulting, LLC does not accept any responsibility and cannot be held liable for any person's use of or reliance on the information and opinions contained herein.

For more information on PHOTON Consulting, please contact Jean Foo at (+1) 617-904-0309 or via email at [email protected].

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SOURCE PHOTON Consulting, LLC