Charlotte firm announces Halifax County solar farm

Charlotte-based Geenex LLC said it will build a 6-megawatt solar farm at a former airport in Halifax County, with plans to expand the site by another 50 megawatts.

CEO Georg Veit said construction should start by the third quarter. A power-purchase agreement with a utility has not yet been signed. One or two additional phases could begin in late 2013 or early 2014, he said.

Geenex plans to build a 5,000-square-foot solar training center at the Halifax site, outside Roanoke Rapids. The project was announced Thursday in Halifax County. Bruce Henderson

Netflix’s stock still winning fans on Wall Street

Netflix remains a hot ticket on Wall Street. The Internet video service’ stock climbed another 14 percent Friday to reach its highest price in 16 months. The latest surge followed a 42 percent leap on Thursday that marked the stock’s biggest single-day gain since Netflix Inc. went public in May 2002.

Netflix’s fourth-quarter earnings spurred the stampede to buy the company’s stock. The results released Wednesday were highlighted by an unexpected profit and accelerated customer growth that left Netflix with 33 million worldwide subscribers to its service that streams movies and TV shows to Internet-connected devices.

The stock closed Friday at $169.56, up $22.70. Despite the recent rally, the stock remains below its peak of nearly $305 realized 18 months ago. AP

Smartphone sales rise 36 percent in fourth quarter

A new research report says worldwide shipments of smartphones climbed 36 percent during the fourth quarter as the handheld devices supplanted personal computers and other gadgets on holiday shopping lists.

The findings released Friday by International Data Corp. are the latest indication of the technology upheaval being wrought by the growing popularity of smartphones that can perform a wide variety of tasks, including surfing the Web and taking high-quality photos.

IDC estimates 219 million smartphones were shipped during the final three months of last year. That compares with nearly 161 million in the same 2011 period.

Samsung Electronics Co. retained its bragging rights as the smartphone leader, shipping nearly 64 million devices for a 29 percent share of the global market. Apple Inc.’s iPhone ranked second with a 22 percent share. AP

Exxon passes Apple as most valuable company

In other news for Apple, Exxon has once again surpassed Apple as the world’s most valuable company after the iPhone and iPad maker saw its stock price falter this week.

Apple first surpassed Exxon in the summer of 2011, displacing the oil company from a perch it had held since 2005. The two companies traded places through the fall of that year, until Apple surpassed Exxon for good in early 2012 – at least until Friday.

Apple and Exxon are among only a half-dozen U.S. companies to have ever reached $500 billion in market value. AP