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This Week in Solar

By Toby Shute – Updated Apr 6, 2017 at 2:38AM

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The race to grid parity, one week at a time.

This week in solar started with a stumble, when Energy Conversion Devices (NASDAQ:ENER) took a machete to its outlook on Monday. This wasn't your run-of-the-mill guidance cut, either. The thin-film firm also announced a production hiatus, a corporate restructuring, and an expansion slowdown. Quadruple-whammy!

On Tuesday, DuPont (NYSE:DD) released some complete non-news in announcing a tripling of its solar-related revenue by 2012. We already got the memo last June. In the "new" news category, Canadian Solar (NASDAQ:CSIQ) announced that it took charge in the fourth quarter, and one of Applied Materials' (NASDAQ:AMAT) SunFab customers announced that it was spitting out thin-film solar panels in China, five months after installation of the production equipment.

Midweek, we saw another solar project pipeline consolidation, between two private companies, in the vein of First Solar's (NASDAQ:FSLR) sweet deal with OptiSolar. Speaking of which, I thought that deal was supposed to save OptiSolar's manufacturing business. The struggling company went ahead and suspended production this week, laying off all but a transition team, and it's seeking a buyer. If $400 million in First Solar stock wasn't enough to keep OptiSolar solvent, there must have been a seriously loony capital structure in place.

On Thursday, China Sunergy reported a quarter more or less in line with the rest of the group. Plunging revenue, inventory writedown -- same old, same old. Meanwhile, Evergreen Solar teamed up with a renewable energy contractor to co-market utility-scale solar projects. SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWRA) and First Solar have shown that this is where the real action lies, so it makes sense for Evergreen to try and make inroads here.

Finally, we end on a pair of milestones. First Solar topped a gigawatt of solar modules, while Trina Solar (NYSE:TSL) commemorated the largest rooftop installation in North America. So kudos, chaps.

Fool contributor Toby Shute doesn't have a position in any company mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Stocks Mentioned

First Solar, Inc. Stock Quote
First Solar, Inc.
FSLR
$129.85 (-1.46%) $-1.92
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Stock Quote
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
DD
Canadian Solar Inc. Stock Quote
Canadian Solar Inc.
CSIQ
$36.84 (-1.45%) $0.54
Applied Materials, Inc. Stock Quote
Applied Materials, Inc.
AMAT
$84.29 (-0.88%) $0.75

*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.

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