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Solar Power's Growing Pains: Part I

By David Sterman

About this article:
Part one of this series looks at the recent sharp rise and fall of the solar sector and looks two to three years ahead to identify future trends in pricing, demand and what it takes to survive the coming industry shakeout. In part two of this series, look for some of the likely winners and losers in this fast-changing landscape. The Claymore/MAC Global Solar Energy ETF hit a new all-time low on Wednesday, dropping more than 75% from highs touched this summer. In recent weeks, sector players have noted a sudden slowdown in demand and a sharp contraction in pricing. That's tough news for an industry that is undergoing a massive expansion in production capacity. Rising supply and a slowdown in demand growth are likely to squeeze profit margins and stress debt-laden balance sheets. The good news? Those lower prices are accelerating the time it will...

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