Alternative Energy Stocks

I finally got around to setting up a virtual mutual fund at Marketocracy.com. This virtual fund gives me 1 million in play money to prove my worth. If they like what they see, they will set up a real fund. Just like every real mutual fund you need to setup an investment charter and style. They will report on performance once you have maintained the mutual fund compliance rules. In a nutshell they are as follows: No position can exceed 25% of your total portfolio value.Half your portfolio must be comprised of positions under 10% each.Your cash...

Lighting Science Group Corp. (LSGP.OB) has been on my watchlist for several months. They design and market energy efficient lighting solutions with long lasting LED bulbs that can be quickly deployed in existing lighting applications and produce immediate cost savings and environmental benefits. Some key events that have attracted me to this company: They recently moved to the OTC BB off the pink sheets.They recently received a private placement of almost $7 millionAfter a several year absence they are finally a fully reporting companyThey are currently far from being profitable, but the trend on the balance sheet is...

Dr. John Tuttle, Chairman and CEO of DayStar Technologies Inc (DSTI) released a very extensive operational update detailing fundamental progress that has been made by DayStar over the past several months. "Since my last communication of this nature, we have made great progress towards establishing our first product-based revenue opportunities and have announced two new exciting customer relationships. Specifically, on June 9, 2005, we reported signing a purchase agreement with Blitzstrom, GmbH, a PV system integrator of Megawatt-scale PV power plants and a distributor of photovoltaic systems and components in Germany and the EU. This agreement, which could...

Electro Energy Inc (EEEI) announced receipt of a $1,050,000 contract with the U.S. DoE for the further development of its Bipolar Nickel Metal Hydride energy storage battery. These 2nd generation prototype test units, rated from 150 Volts, 20AHr to 500 Volts, 6AHr, will be constructed and tested at EEEI, and subsequently delivered to Sandia for further testing. Units of this size have potential applications for utility, wind, solar and customer side load regulation and back up power. This stock has been in a long term down trend and this contract was a much needed win to...

I'm continuing to make changes to the site behind the scenes.One major change that I'm going to institute is to provide greater transparency in my own Alt E portfolio. The goal of this change is not for ego but to prove that this sector can be profitable for your portfolio. In future posts you will see everything, the winners, the losers, and also the what and why of each investment decision. This was one of the most frequent requests made by many website visitors. The news stories will be fewer and more focused. This will give me more time...

Green Car Congress has an excellent writeup about the recently announced Honda 2005 Civic Hybrid. Compared to the 2005 Civic Hybrid, the 2006 model with the new IMA is 18% more powerful than its predecessor while delivering a combined EPA estimated fuel economy of 50 mpg US compared to 47–48 mpg US of the 2005 hybrid. The new IMA also adds the ability to cruise only under the power of the electric motor. Honda Motor Co (HMC) has been playing catchup with Toyota in the hybrid marketplace and they are looking strong with this new offering....

Fredric Ruffy from Optionetics.com has written a cautionary article about investing in Alternative Energy stocks. If alternative fuel companies made lots of money, there would be no energy crisis today. Unfortunately, most of these companies don't. You will start to see more and more stories about this sector now that gas prices are starting to cross the $3 per gallon mark and head even higher. As I said in a previous article, this sector is currently in a trading market. While he cautions investors that are looking for the long term viability of this investment, he...

Joel Makower has a written a good article about how "young financial analysts are extremely skeptical about the relevance" of investing in Alternative Energy and other environmental issues. You can read his article and also view the full report via Joel's website.

I just completed my registration to attend the Solar Power 2005 conference in October. I plan on blogging my notes for this conference for everyone to read and will be keeping a sharp eye out for new investment opportunties. Many of the companies in this sector will be in attendance and I will be spending a great deal of time on the expo floor trying to determine who I should invest in next. Here is the current exhibitor list. If you have any questions you would like me to ask, feel free to leave a...

The impact of Katrina to the gulf coast has caused a corresponding impact to the cost of energy. Up to 90% of output from the Gulf Of Mexico remains closed today and the uncertainty surrounding how long it will take to get back online drove crude oil prices above $70. This region supplies approximately 25% of all US energy and is home to nearly 10% of US refinery capacity. This short term impact on the cost of oil has many of the Alternative Energy stocks up with double digit percent gains yesterday. Be very careful at this...

As you can see the site is starting to show some of the changes I have planned. First off, there is a slight redesign of the website to take advantage of some new features available from the newest release of MovableType. If you currently run a blog with MT I highly recommend the upgrade. If you want to get into the world of blogging, feel free to drop me a line and I can give you some links/advice. I have updated the stocks list and refreshed some of the listings. You may also notice that there is...

I recently received an e-mail question from Don that asked, Have you come across any mutual funds that invest in alt. energy stocks? Here was my response, Don, I haven't found any specific mutual funds that are entirely in this sector. I know that the Pax funds have a few holdings of Alt E stocks. This sector has been hot recently, so I know many of the stocks that I follow are in many mutual fund portfolios. Most mutual fund managers are momentum players and when they see stocks moving quickly in any specific quarter,...

I wanted to extend my thanks to all of the people that want me to keep this website alive. I have been reviewing many of the comments and plan to incorporate many of these changes very soon. My plan is to have a re-launch of the website with all of the changes by September 1st. My goal is to become more focused on investment ideas, rather than just a press release news source. I think many of you will be very happy with the final results. Thanks for your patience. Mark p.s. The call...

I have been recently thinking to myself, "What is the purpose of this site." Originally I had grand plans about introducing people to this particular sector of stock investing. I think that alternative energy investing should be a part of your portfolio for several reasons. I feel we should support these companies so they can continue to grow and provide alternative ways to provide energy. I also feel that these companies are ideally poised for tremendous growth in the future as the technology matures. This growth usually means growth in the stock (and profits in your portfolio.) To...

Capstone Turbine Corp (CPTC) said third parties have recently expressed interest in taking over the company. The company said its board has adopted a stockholder rights plan to ensure equal treatment in the event of a takeover attempt. It said its goal is not to prevent an acquisition but to deter coercive takeover tactics.

IdaTech (IDA) announced it has entered into a new contract with the U.S. Army to continue the development of a portable fuel cell system for military applications. This contact was signed 11 months after one signed in 2004, further establishing IdaTech's advanced portable power systems and integrated Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell system as a potentially key technology for meeting the unique field energy supply requirements of the military.