Solar Sector Up on Upgrades, EPA Greenhouse Gas Ruling

Shares of solar energy stocks were up Monday, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared greenhouse gases (GHGs) a danger to public health and an analyst upgraded a number of solar companies.

In April, the EPA had announced a proposed finding, stating that the six main GHGs endanger public health and welfare. (For more discussion of that announcement and the formulation of U.S. climate policy, see my post here.) After a period of public comment and review, the proposed “endangerment finding,” as it has come to be known, was today adopted by the EPA. The finding paves the way for the agency to regulate GHG emissions, an outcome many observers believe to be less preferable than a cap-and-trade approach developed by Congress.

In her announcement, the agency’s Administrator, Lisa Jackson, noted: “These long overdue findings cement 2009’s place in history as the year when the U.S. government began addressing the challenge of greenhouse-gas pollution and seizing the opportunity of clean-energy reform.”

Meanwhile, Barclays Capital analyst Vishal Shah raised his ratings on JA Solar Holdings (JASO), SunPower Corporation (SPWRA) and Suntech Power Holdings (STP). Shah cited future demand in Germany, Italy, the U.S., china and Canada could drive sector growth — to as many as 9.3 gigawatts (gWs) in 2010, versus previous expectations of 7.3 gW for the same time period.