Shares of solar power companies rose after German lawmakers reached a tentative agreement on a smaller reduction in state subsidies to solar companies than some investors feared.
Lawmakers agreed to cut the nation’s so-called feed-in tariff by 8 percent in 2009 and 2010, and 9 percent for each subsequent year. The law requires utilities to buy [...]

Liang singled out Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. as a favorite because weakening prices in the second half of the year could shake out the industry and leave Suntech in a stronger relative position.
Suntech rose $3.84, or 8.6 percent, to $48.63.
Elsewhere in the sector, shares of SunPower Corp. gained $6.80, or 7.6 percent, to $95.86, [...]

Nothing but blue skies for shares of many solar products makers, as a Citi Investment Research analyst said prospects look good for continuation of government solar tax credits.
Analyst Timothy M. Arcuri said in a client note that his “contacts indicate the House Ways and Means Committee is likely to propose a new bill that will [...]

A uranium shortage has India’s nuclear plants running below capacity.
The government admitted the shortage along with declining profits only last week, the Times of India reported.
“Currently, there is a mismatch in the demand and supply of indigenous uranium. As a result, this capacity is being operated at lower power level, matching fuel supply,” a government [...]

In a Rose Garden speech, President Bush proposed stopping the growth of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and urged other industrialized nations to set goals to address climate change.
While setting a broad goal, the president offered only a general outline — and few specifics — about how to achieve the objectives.
Friedman, Billings, Ramsey [...]

Lobbyists have reported spending more than $789,000 during the ongoing debate over two proposed coal-fired power plants in southwest Kansas, most of it on efforts to sway public opinion.
Opponents of the plants initially reported putting far more money into their public relations campaign. But since the year began, supporters have reported six times as much [...]

India approved the auction of 39 coal blocks to state-run and private power companies to meet the demand for power.
The blocks would be awarded to government-controlled National Thermal Power Corp., Tata Power, Essar and Jindal Steel and Power Ltd.
“The (coal) ministry has cleared the allocation of 39 coal blocks for various government-owned and private [...]

Australia’s Newcastle port, the world’s largest coal export terminal, has cut allocations for all producers for 2007 in a bid to ease severe ship congestion, potentially driving coal prices higher in a tight Asian market.
Port Waratah Coal Services (PWCS), operator of Newcastle port, said in a statement on Wednesday that with the reinstatement of the [...]

Speculations are rife that an impending power supply crisis is stage-managed to justify the jacking up of expenses in the acquisition of coal supply, enabling the government to come up with additional funds for its candidates’ campaign kitty.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr.’s latest allegation came in the light of reports on expected series of [...]

South Korea’s Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) is trying to secure overseas coal mines as early as this year as it seeks a steady coal supply for its generators, the company’s president said on Wednesday.
State-run KEPCO, which currently holds no stakes in coal mines, will also look at mergers with overseas electric power companies in [...]