"If we could harness only 0.03% of the sun's light, we would have more than enough energy to power the entire planet"
This is a remarkable statement made by more than one scientist on the solar energy debate. Although solar energy is far more expensive to produce than other sources currently, we could be close to a tipping point where it becomes much more competitive and efficient.
This ETF is obviously not pricing in a solar energy revolution. In fact, solar energy stocks were crushed along with all energy stocks during the 2008 market crash. Currently, solar ETFs seem to be trading in a similar fashion to other energy related ETFs. The Market Vectors Solar ETF (KWT) is a relatively new ETF with little price history. Its major holdings are listed below.
TOP 10 HOLDINGS (67.25% OF TOTAL ASSETS)
Company
Symbol
% Assets
Canadian Solar Inc. CSIQ 4.18
First Solar, Inc. FSLR 9.64
MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. WFR 10.16
Q-CELLS QCE.BE 4.48
RENEWABLE ENERGY REC.OL 11.45
SOLARWORLD SWV.BE 4.14
SunPower Corporation SPWRA 4.45
Suntech Power Holdings Co., LTD STP 9.47
Trina Solar Limited Sponsored A TSL 4.82
Yingli Green Energy Holding Com YGE 4.46
If solar energy is to become the dominant energy source in the not-so-distant future, solar energy related stocks should start to be priced less like energy stocks and more like technology stocks. I anticipate that traditional energy stocks will lag the market for some time. Solar energy companies should eventually prove to be market leaders sometime in the future.
