Clipper Windpower Share Discussion Threads

[wibbler] 19/12/2005 14:06

Affc21, good article thanks!

[affc21] 19/12/2005 11:08

Kyoto Treaty Powers Up U.S. Alternative Energy Firms



Page 2 of 2



He predicted that the cost of solar systems would drop by two-thirds over the next five years, thanks to technical improvements.

Rising natural gas prices have made wind technology another increasingly attractive option. This year, wind power companies are expected to spend close to $3 billion installing 2,500 megawatts of new capacity in the U.S., a 40% increase over the previous year, according to Patrick Caramante, vice president of U.S. operations for British-based Garrad Hassan, one of the world's leading wind energy research firms.

Jim Dehlsen, founder of Clipper Technology, said, "The U.S. market has come to life," now that wind turbines can produce a kilowatt of electricity for 4.5 to 5 cents, compared with 9 to 9.5 cents for a new natural gas turbine project.

Dehlsen's first entrepreneurial venture was Zond Corp., which was sold to Enron Corp. in 1997 and eventually ended up in the hands of General Electric Co. G.E. Energy is now the country's leading wind power provider.

Clipper Technology recently opened an assembly plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where Dehlsen expects to produce five of his high-power Liberty wind turbines this year and 150 in 2006. Those turbines, which are designed to operate even when wind is low, cost about $2.5 million each and can generate enough electricity over a 30-year life span to power 1,250 homes.

Some complain about the visual blight and noise created by wind turbines. But Dehlsen said wind power generation was far less damaging to the environment than fossil fuels, which produce high levels of greenhouse gases.

In addition, wind power could bring jobs to depressed farming and industrial areas. Dehlsen said. Germany, in less than six years, has installed enough wind projects to generate 14,000 megawatts of power and employ 75,000 people.

"The U.S. has a huge wind energy resource," he said. "There are four states alone ... that could supply all of the electricity needs of the country."

Though most of his sales have been in the U.S., Dehlsen sees huge opportunities in Europe and the developing world. He said he was negotiating deals in Eastern Europe, Latin America and China, with an eye on capturing 12% to 15% of the global market.

But Dehlsen and other renewable-energy advocates said the lack of government support was threatening U.S. technological leadership, pointing to reduced support for the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colo., the primary provider of government research funds.

Stepped-up interest from venture capitalists and Wall Street investors has provided seed money for entrepreneurs in the U.S. But once they have mastered the technology, many firms are shifting their manufacturing to countries where governments are providing investment incentives and an assurance of long-term demand.

The U.S. share of global production of photovoltaic cells has dropped from 45% in 1996 to 8% today, according to the Solar Energy Industries Assn.

Evergreen Solar Inc., one of the nation's leading solar firms, developed its modules at a facility in Marlboro, Mass., where it employs 250 people. But the firm sells three-quarters of its product in Germany and plans to invest more than $50 million in a production plant there that will employ 400 people.

"We will eventually build a plant here in the U.S.," said Tim Woodward, a board member of Evergreen and managing director of Nth Power, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm. "But the market demand is not great enough here for us to justify really expanding aggressively in the U.S. market."

[affc21] 19/12/2005 11:07

December 19, 2005 latimes.com : Science : Environment Single page Print E-mail story Change text size

Kyoto Treaty Powers Up U.S. Alternative Energy Firms
American companies benefit from European demand for solar and wind power products.

By Evelyn Iritani, Times Staff Writer

Page 1 of 2

The United States has not joined the Kyoto Protocol to cut greenhouse gases, but the pact nevertheless is boosting sales for American companies that market "clean" energy technologies.

The spread of renewable-energy standards - particularly in Europe - propelled by the treaty, along with a surge in oil and gas prices, has triggered a boom in business for solar and wind energy companies.

When Solar Integrated Technologies Inc. opened an office in Germany last spring, for example, the salespeople were allocated enough solar roofing material to provide one megawatt of power. In six weeks, they were sold out. Within a month, they had orders for 16 megawatts more.

"It's a no-brainer to do business in solar in Europe," said Jon Slangerup, chief executive of Solar Integrated, whose 120 employees are producing about one mile of solar roofing panels a week at a plant in South Los Angeles. "The only question is: How much can you allocate and how fast can you install it?"

In Germany, the world's leading solar energy market, farmers are replacing crops with fields of solar panels, thanks to a government buyback program for renewable energy that spurred 150% growth in solar installations in 2004.

Britain, France and Spain also have introduced aggressive plans to reduce their production of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases over the next decade.

"Every available [solar] module is going to Germany," said Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Assn. in Washington. "It's Google-like growth."

A world leader in renewable energy less than a decade ago, the United States is now viewed as a laggard. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Montreal this month, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin accused the U.S. of lacking a "global conscience" for refusing to sign the Kyoto treaty, which requires developed countries to slash their greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2012.

Craig Stevens, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Energy, said the Bush administration recognized that climate change was a "serious long-term issue."

But he said the best way to address that concern was by developing cleaner, more environmentally friendly forms of fossil-fuel-generated energy and nuclear power.

Stevens said renewable energy would also be an "important part" of the nation's energy mix, which was why the government was planning to invest $391 million next year in solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal energy projects.

State and local governments don't think the Bush administration is moving fast enough. Twenty states, including California, have established standards to guarantee that a certain portion of the energy they use comes from renewable-energy sources. California is the world's third-largest market for solar energy and the nation's leading producer of wind-generated power.

The state agreed last week to spend an additional $300 million in subsidies to put solar energy panels on as many as 1 million rooftops over the next 11 years.

"California clearly has been a U.S. leader," said Ron Pernick, co-founder of Clean Edge Inc., a West Coast energy consulting firm that predicts that the market for solar photovoltaics, wind power and fuel cells will reach $15 billion a year by 2014.

Unless domestic production expands quickly, Californians hoping to jump aboard the solar bandwagon could face lengthy delays, according to solar experts. They said the strong demand from Europe had taken up much of the U.S. production.

Investors are scrambling to get a piece of the renewable-energy action, sending the stocks of California companies such as Solar Integrated and Clipper Windpower Inc. of Carpinteria soaring. Both companies are listed on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market, where investors have shown a strong appetite for "green" companies.

Clipper Windpower was trading Monday at 287.5 pence (about $5.10) a share, up more than 100 pence since late November. Solar Integrated was at 195 pence (about $3.46), up from 175 pence in November.

Slangerup, who had just returned from a European investment tour, said governments in Europe were betting that having a strong renewable-energy base would be a competitive advantage in the future.

Solar Integrated produces a commercial roofing material that uses photovoltaic cells to produce about four watts of electricity per square foot. Though it costs more to produce a kilowatt of electricity with this method, companies can use government subsidies to offset their capital outlays. Those include a 30% federal tax credit on the cost of installation, rebates from the state and renewable-energy credits that can be used to offset fees or fines.

"You turn a roof into a performing asset that has a guaranteed energy stream over 20 years," said Slangerup, whose customers include Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and commercial real estate developer ProLogis. "It becomes a real powerful selling proposition."

[wibbler] 19/12/2005 09:45

Aye, losing those apostrophes can be catarstophic! ;o)

[abcd1234] 19/12/2005 09:06

You would have thought Invest Chron. could have at least got their spelling correct. Says a lot about the standard of UK journalism

[affc21] 17/12/2005 21:52

CWP mentioned twice in this weeks Investors Chronical:


first article:
section under Green Energy.
Clipper Windpowers Liberty turbines are flying of the shelves in the US.



second article:
This US company based in california,makes wind turbines and also owns wind farms-the most recent substantial one being a 150MW facility in Iowa with output to be sold under contract to Alliant Energy,a local power company that is majoring on wind power.Clipper has also assembled a number of sites for future wind farm development with a potential capacity,if all of them were to be developed,of some 5800MW.
And since wind can generate cash quickly once a facility comes on stream,Clippers negative cash flow could turn around quickly.It should continue making money from making and selling turbines,too.The group expects to deliver a total of 150 turbines to the Iowa project alone in 2006.
It goes on to state there are no forecasts and appears established but unresearched.Only pure wind-power play on the LSE.
Speculative buy.

[lbo] 15/12/2005 17:07

At last year's EWEC 2004 in London, a California-based company called Clipper Windpower presented a 'table size' model of its 2.5 MW Liberty turbine series,available with 89 m, 93 m, and 99 m rotors for IEC Class I, II, and III wind sites. Its new variable-speed, pitch-control design comprises a compact and unusual drive-train concept. A forged steel main shaft is directly integrated with the gear housing. Four Clipperdesigned synchronous type PMGs fit directly to four output shafts at the rear of the gearbox.An onboard crane can handle the exchange of key components like generators if necessary. Among the benefits claimed for the choice for four generators is that continued operation is ensured even with a generator outage.According to founder and CEO Jim Dehlsen, Clipper is moving ahead with plans to open its first US manufacturing facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which is due to become operational by the end of 2005. In the first year of production the company expects about 150 turbines to have been completed. Following this, Clipper plans to move into the European offshore market with a marine version of the 2.5 MW Liberty. Future plans include the development of a 4–7.5 MW offshore turbine, to be ready by 2008.10

[holmead] 15/12/2005 16:39

at this stage all the matter is that the technology works and they are way ahead of where they expected to be with respect
to orders. This is only going one way in the short term as the price catches up with developments. Still plenty of upside. There are also institutional buyers in the market who cant get stock. Dont delay get in while you can.

[affc21] 15/12/2005 16:32

LBO,

Thanks for the info.

I suppose the rise can be justified after the Trading statement,just need to see some figures.

[lbo] 15/12/2005 16:27

I agree with holmead and this could go a lot higher short term. Also don't bother looking for broker notes! None out yet as they are in the silent period post IPO but when they do come out we may all find out why Lehmans etc are buying stock. But I suppose by that time they will be above £3.

[affc21] 14/12/2005 16:21

MM buy trade of 5000,
followed by an X trade of 50,000
have just gone through.

p.s. still not found any more CWP info.

[affc21] 12/12/2005 20:15

Not seen any new info Abcd1234.
Having problems trying to find any brokers notes to date.

May do a search in the USA.

[abcd1234] 12/12/2005 13:15

wonder whats pushing this today?
any info?

[lbo] 10/12/2005 18:04

UN climate summit ends with new deal
10/12/2005


Countries at UN climate conference in Canada have today agreed to a new formula for cutting greenhouse gases.

On the last day of the summit in Montreal, an agreement was brokered on cutting carbon emissions over the long term.

Those countries already signed up to the Kyoto protocol have agreed to adhere to its emissions reductions past the 2012 deadline. The US – which earlier left talks – will take part in further non-binding talks.

Margaret Beckett, environment secretary, said: "Today is a very important day in the global effort to tackle climate change.

"Despite the deep divisions of recent years, the whole global community including the United States, India and China, have agreed to work together through the United Nations process to examine the way forward. The UK and the European Union will do our utmost to ensure that this process is a success.

"Of course this is only the beginning. But the fact that we have all been bold enough to express our commitment so clearly - that we are ready to take a fresh look at the problem, despite various fears and concerns, is a cause for great optimism."

Former US leader Bill Clinton is thought to have been working behind the scenes to persuade the Bush administration to sign up to the new proposals.

George Bush withdrew from the Kyoto protocol in 2001, saying mandatory cuts on fossil fuel emissions fossil would hamper economic growth and job creation.

Clinton told delegates a "serious commitment" was needed for a clean-energy future.

He argued if clean energy and energy conservation technologies were applied fully the US could meet and surpass Kyoto targets without infringing economic growth.

The 1997 Kyoto treaty requires industrialised nations to cut their carbon emissions to five per cent below 1990 levels by the years 2008-2012.

[lbo] 10/12/2005 17:57

Renewable energy initiatives gather pace


Construction of wind farms reached record levels in 2004, but the development of offshore schemes must be stepped up if the government is to attain its climate change targets, according to Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt. The British Wind Energy Association estimates that 253MW of new wind power capacity came online last year, double the figure in 2003 and five times the average annual capacity built in the 1990s.

Wind farm developers plan to invest more than $13 billion in construction by 2010, by which time the UK aims to be generating 10 per cent of its energy from renewable resources. Wind power will represent three-quarters of this total, but 8,000MW of capacity – enough to power 6 million homes – needs to be built if the target is to be met. This will require 3,000 more turbines to be built in the countryside and along the coast, compared with the 1,000 currently operating. Another 18 developments, providing 617MW of power, are likely to be completed this year, and planning permission has been granted for 68 further schemes with a capacity of 2,000MW, half of it offshore.

One wind farm developer, Spanish renewable energy company Gamesa, has created a wholly-owned UK subsidiary and opened an office in Newport in South Wales. The creation of Gamesa Energy UK is due to increasing backing for renewable energy in the UK, says the company. It currently has 400MW of power capacity in negotiation with landowners, for a number of projects across Wales.

[affc21] 09/12/2005 17:38

Up 7% today and closed at the high of the day,bodes well for next week.

[affc21] 08/12/2005 23:18

Nice little tick up today.

[stegrego] 07/12/2005 12:36

Was an article in The Times yesterday about E-On cancelling a wind farm project due to costs. The end of the article went on to describe how turbines etc were very scarce especially in Europe as the US was going Wind mad.

So - I'd of thought that was good news for Clipper in a roundabout way??

Still havent bought any of these yet

[affc21] 06/12/2005 23:17

Not sure if already posted,but found this article whilst doing a search (dated 15.10.2005.):

Professional Investor: Price rises and climate change fuel opportunities
By Emma Howard Boyd
Published: 15 October 2005

With oil close to nominal highs and petrol prices threatening to breach £1 a litre, the economic case for alternative energy has never been stronger. Whether the era of cheap fossil fuels has come to an end is a debate that is not settled, but there seems to be little chance of oil prices falling significantly in the short to medium-term.

There are a variety of themes that Jupiter's socially responsible investment team has identified as the most important in the current environment. These are clean energy, water management, transport, waste management, sustainable living and the regulatory change.

But of these six themes, clean energy is perhaps currently the most politically significant, in the light of recent events. This means that technologies that were uneconomical in an era of cheap oil are now viable.

From an investment perspective, the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels means that the alternative-energy industry is a long-term structural-growth story. A number of companies that specialise in these markets are listed on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM).

Wind power continues to be the fastest-growing sector of the global electricity generation sector, having averaged 28 per cent annual growth for the past five years. There are a number of wind-power stocks for investors to choose from, but one we hold in both the Jupiter Ecology Fund and the Jupiter Environmental Income Fund is Clipper Windpower, a US wind-turbine manufacturer and wind-park developer that AIM listed in September.

The company produces highly efficient turbines which can each produce 2.5MW of electricity, sufficient for 800-1,600 homes. Clipper plans to use the funds raised from its IPO to develop a portfolio of wind farms in the US and the UK.



Clearly some of these examples are young, early-stage companies, which are not suitable for every portfolio, but there are plenty of mature, highly profitable businesses listed in the UK.

Emma Howard Boyd heads Jupiter Asset Management's socially responsible investment and governance team.

cash@ independent.co.uk

[lbo] 06/12/2005 16:01

Irish independent Newspaper

Wind farms here to double by 2010

Charlie Weston

THE number of wind farms in the State is set to double by the end of the decade, in a move that should ensure Ireland meets the EU target of generating 13.2pc of its power from renewables.

Latest figures from transmission system operator ESB National Grid indicate that some 40 wind farms have signed contracts which give them the right to link up to the national grid.

This represents about 600 megawatts of power, and is in addition to the 500 megawatts of wind power already feeding into the grid.

In the first half of this year alone, over 300 megawatts of wind farms received offers to connect to the transmission and distribution systems.

And another 14 wind farms, representing 182 megawatts, have received offers to connect to the power system.

This means that, four years ahead of deadline, there are now enough wind farms either already constructed or with connection offers and agreements to push renewable energy generation beyond 1,100 megawatts and ensure that Ireland achieves and exceeds the renewable energy target of 13.2pc generated by 2010.

A spokesman for ESB National Grid said work would not stop with the achievement of the 13.2pc target.

"Plans for another processing system are currently under way to connect even more wind farms, quickly and efficiently," he said.

" The objectives are to continue to integrate more wind in the future, while maintaining a safe, secure and stable system."

Also FYI

[abcd1234] 02/12/2005 10:20

wow...£220k BUY showing up as a late reported trade now from 9.09am this morning
(100,000 shares at 2.17p at 9.09am when price was 215/217)

either someone has v big pockets
an instit is buying
or someone is stake building

either way... :O))))

[abcd1234] 01/12/2005 18:18

Mention in tonight's London Evening Standard/Daily Mail Newspaper Group.....




Smaller companies report: Thursday close
This is Money
1 December 2005


Clipper Windpower sailed 34p higher by the close to 212½p on the back of an upbeat trading statement,

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