Bloomberg: South Africa’s Renewable Benefits Seen at $310 Million
South Africa saved 4 billion rand ($310 million) in fuel and by avoiding blackouts in the first half of 2015 due to renewable-energy projects, according to a study by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.
From January to June, 800 megawatts of wind and 1 gigawatt of solar photovoltaic power generation saved about 3.6 billion rand in diesel and coal-fuel costs, according to the Pretoria-based center. During 15 days in the period, renewables either prevented or limited rolling blackouts, the study showed.
PV Magazine: Official NYSE-Delisting Notice for Yingli
Yingli Green Energy has confirmed that it has received an official notice from the New York Stock Exchange stating that the company was not in compliance with the stock exchange's price criteria.
The official notice came on August 13, 2015, according to the Baoding-based PV manufacturer. Yingli's shares have had an average closing price less than $1/ADS (American Depositary Shares) and thus have not been complying with NYSE's minimum $1 per share regulation. Yingli's shares have been consistently below that threshold for the last several weeks.
Wall Street Journal: Auto Industry’s Ranks of Electric-Car Battery Suppliers Narrow
Luxury car maker Audi AG on Wednesday revealed its first all-electric car would go 310 miles on a charge using an advanced battery developed by South Korea’s LG Chem Ltd. and Samsung SDI Co., two of three Asian suppliers increasingly favored by carmakers.
Failed technology gambles and a half-decade of jockeying among suppliers have top automakers increasingly choosing LG, Samsung SDI and Panasonic Corp. The three are emerging as the early winners amid a shift by car companies away from in-house efforts, traditional battery makers and startup ventures.
Barron's: Oil Prices Are Heading Toward $20 a Barrel
Oil prices, which skidded to a six-and-a-half-year low of $41.35 a barrel last week, could fall to $20 as professional speculators sell. That’s the prediction of Steve Briese, editor of the Bullish Review of Commodity Insiders, and a key source for Barron’s prescient March 31, 2014 cover story, “Here Comes $75 Oil.” A $20 capitulation low could lead to a rebound, he says.
With West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark crude, trading at $100 a barrel in March 2014, our cover story struck many readers as too bearish by half. It turned out to be too modest by half. Investors can use exchange-traded funds such as the United States Oil fund to invest in oil futures; ETFs such as the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) target energy stocks. Both funds may have further to fall.
CBS: Audi's New Electric Car to Rival Tesla Model X
Auto manufacturers are expanding the range of electric vehicles available to consumers.
Audi this week said its e-Tron Quattro concept car, an all-electric drive sport SUV, will debut at the 2015 International Motor Show in Frankfurt, which opens next month.
The e-Tron Quattro, which uses battery cells from LG Chem and Samsung SDI, has a driving range that rivals electric cars made by Tesla Motors (TSLA). General Motors (GM) also has an electric car, the Chevy Bolt, which has a 200-mile range.