By Michael Erman and Krishna Das

(Reuters) – Pipeline company Plains All American Pipeline LP (PAA.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said it made an unsolicited $1 billion bid for rival SemGroup Corp (SEMG.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) but the $24-a-share offer was rejected.

Shares of SemGroup soared 19 percent to $28.11 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange, indicating investors are looking for a higher bid.

FRANKFURT/NEW YORK (Reuters) – The solar industry is in for a dire quarter as falling government subsidies and low volumes further drive down equipment prices at a time when oversupply has already led many sector players to lower their full-year profit outlook.

A pick-up in demand for solar panels, widely expected by industry players for the second half, failed to materialize, pushing several U.S. companies, most notably panel maker Solyndra LLC, to file for bankruptcy in recent months.

Oct 19 (Reuters) – Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc posted better-than-expected quarterly profit on
Wednesday as weak copper prices were offset by soaring gold and
it was able to hold down mining costs

But the world’s largest publicly traded copper producer
lowered its sales forecasts for next year, citing an
“uncertain” near-term global economic outlook.

By Krishna Das and Christoph Steitz

(Reuters) – Most solar power component makers are coping with lower margins these days because of an industry downturn — but solar inverter makers are suffering less.

Unlike companies that make solar panels and cells, solar inverter makers enjoy some insulation from competition and the weak economy. Their products are complex and harder to make, and prices have stayed relatively stable.

By Krishna Das

(Reuters) – A steep drop in the price of solar panels has been a boon to the companies that install the renewable energy systems on rooftops, and it could set off a wave of consolidation in the sector.

Those installers number in the hundreds across the country, focusing mostly on residential and small commercial market rooftop arrays rather than large-scale multi-megawatt systems under development in the U.S. Southwest.

Oct 10 (Reuters) – A steep drop in the price of solar
panels has been a boon to the companies that install the
renewable energy systems on rooftops, and it could set off a
wave of consolidation in the sector.

Those installers number in the hundreds across the country,
focusing mostly on residential and small commercial market
rooftop arrays rather than large-scale multi-megawatt systems
under development in the U.S. Southwest.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Westinghouse Solar Inc expects to start posting profits next year after years of losses, as a deal to buy cheaper solar panels should help it cut prices and increase sales, its chief executive told Reuters.

Westinghouse, which makes solar power systems, earlier this year signed a deal to buy solar panels from China’s Lightway, reducing its near-total dependence on Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd.

HONG KONG/BANGALORE, Aug 26 (Reuters) – China COSCO Holdings
Co Ltd’s president said on Friday that the
company has resolved lease disputes with shipowners on 18
vessels, adding that ship seizures are common during such
disagreements.

Zhang Liang told a video conference in Hong Kong that the
company operated more than 400 bulk cargo ships and the contract
disputes involved only a small number of vessels.

BANGALORE (Reuters) – Solar company STR Holdings Inc is looking to buy a competitor or a raw material manufacturer as it brings acquisitions into the heart of its business strategy.

“We are looking at acquisitions,” Chief Financial Officer Barry Morris said in a telephone interview. “Before, we were a little more opportunistic, now it’s definitely part of our core strategy.”

BANGALORE, Aug 16 (Reuters) – JinkoSolar Holding Co
posted strong quarterly results and expects sales growth to hold
up this year as the Chinese solar company continues to make
inroads into newer regions, cheering up investors in a gloomy
market.

The company’s shares, which have shed 17 percent of their
value so far this year, rose 11 percent to a high of $18.66 on
Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange. The wider MAC Solar
Energy Index was down 2 percent.