Asia Could Boost Solar ETFs

Nearly five months ago, the Asian Development Bank started a major drive to promote the use of solar power throughout the continent which could eventually lead to positive price support in the Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN) and the Market Vectors Solar Energy ETF (KWT).

Under this initiative, the Asian Development Bank aims to put in place solar power projects with a total capacity of 3,000 megawatts by 2013, pushing capacity to six times what it currently is.  The solar move is especially taking place in India, where the government has committed $20 billion to its solar program in hopes of having 20,000 megawatts of grid-connected solar energy by 2022 and nearly 200 megawatts of off-grid solar energy by 2013. 

Renewable Auction Mechanism May Boost Solar ETFs

Recently, the State of California proposed a decision to adopt to a renewable auction mechanism (RAM) which enables rates to be set my market-pricing, which could lead to a new avenue of growth for ETFs like the Claymore/MAC Global Solar Energy Index (TAN), the Market Vectors Solar Energy ETF (KWT) and the Market Vectors Glb Alternative Energy ETF (GEX).

This proposed subsidy is expected to work as a feed-in-tariff, which will use market-rate pricing that is being set and driven by a bidding process, as opposed to utilizing rates that are being set and driven by the California Public Utilities Commission.  A major goal of this new subsidy is to enable developers of solar power to furnish adequate returns and to soften the blow to ratepayers which are being overburdened by excessive subsidies.  If this can be achieved, it is expected that the solar industry will see a massive expansion.

Four ETFs To Play China’s Energy Stance

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), China has taken the top spot as the world’s largest energy consumer and as a result is pledging to develop cleaner energy.

Last year, China consumed 2.252 billion tons of energy equivalents, almost 4% more than the United States, driven by growth in its industrial and infrastructure sectors.  As for the future, the nation is likely to continue to see growth and is expected to witness a further increase in its appetite for energy.  To help balance the correlation of growth and carbon dioxide emission, China has agreed to reduce its emissions based on GDP output through the use of alternative energy sources.