Alternative Energy Stocks

by Tom Konrad Ph.D., CFA Sustainable infrastructure financier Hannon Armstrong (NYSE:HASI) is not in my Ten Clean Energy Stocks model portfolio for the first year since its IPO in 2013. I still love the company and its business model, but I have become concerned about its short term prospects. Dividend Disappointment? In my last update on the 2017 portfolio, I wrote, “Sustainable infrastructure and clean energy financier Hannon Armstrong reported earnings on November 1st. The headline numbers were lower than expected, but for a very good reason. The company has spent the last few months locking in low interest rates by refinancing its...

Tom Konrad Ph.D., CFA Ten Years of "10 Clean Energy Stocks." A 38% total return in 2017 is the one to beat. I started blogging about investing in clean energy stocks in 2005.  At the time, I had just started an independent investment advisory practice, and thought blogging was a good way to impress people with my knowledge of clean energy.  I don't know how many people I impressed, but the clients were hardly pounding down the door. What I did learn, however, was that I loved writing about clean energy from the perspective of a stock investor.  Because I was...

By Tom Konrad Ph.D., CFA 2017 is turning into a second banner year in a row for my “Ten Clean Energy Stocks” model portfolio. I expected at best to make high single digit returns after the impressive 20% (while my benchmark fell 4%). Instead, the portfolio produced a 36.8% total return while its benchmark is up 19.5% with only four trading days left in the year. Such returns are obviously cause for celebration, and also for profit taking. I plan to replace at least five of this year's list with new stocks in the 2018 (tenth annual) “Clean Energy Stocks” model...

by Paula Mints All industries and the companies that populate them are vulnerable to macro and micro economic shocks, substitutes, changing tastes and other economic, political and social events. The global solar industry is vulnerable for all-of-the-above reasons and as it is incentive, subsidy and mandate driven while trying to unseat the conventional energy status quo, it is particularly vulnerable. The solar landscape remains low margin and requires government intervention of some type to thrive. It is correct to say that the global solar remains primarily policy driven, but this statement does not go descriptively far enough. Many deny that solar deployment still requires incentives, mandates and/or subsidies...

by Jim LaneGood news arrives from Minnesota that Syngenta has partnered with Green Plains (GPRE) to expand its use of Enogen corn enzyme technology across GPRE’s 1.5 billion gallon production platform. The Enogen backstory Enogen corn enzyme technology is an in-seed innovation available exclusively from Syngenta and features the first biotech corn output trait designed specifically to enhance ethanol production. Using modern biotechnology to deliver best-in-class alpha amylase enzyme directly in the grain, Enogen corn eliminates the need to add liquid alpha amylase and creates a win-win-win scenario by adding value for ethanol plants, corn growers and rural communities. We reported in January that Syngenta had reached...

by Tom Konrad Ph.D., CFA An updated version of this article is available here. After a painfully long wait, community solar (also called shared solar) is finally coming to New York state. After years of regulatory uncertainty, the state Public Services Commission (PSC) has put enough of the enabling regulations in place for a number of developers to move forward. What is Community Solar? A community solar installation is a large scale (typically 1 to 3 MW, or the size of about 150 to 800 residential solar installations) in which subscribers can sign up to lease or purchase a share of the production...

Third quarter reflects strong growth and new market entrants Overview The green bond market has kept its strong pace in Quarter 3 2017, reaching a total of USD27.7bn from July to September. On September 28th, the total amount of green bonds issued in 2017 ytd (USD83.2bn) overtook last year’s total issuance of USD81.6bn. We covered the big moment in our Blog Post here. Lots of new issuers The top sources of issuance were: Mexico - USD4bn China - USD3.9bn France - USD3.3bn U.S. - USD2.8bn India - USD1.9bn Mexico was a surprising addition to the number one spot, after issuing no green bonds in Q1 or Q2 this year. Big...

Tom Konrad Ph.D., CFA Yieldco Buyouts A Canadian Yieldco Invasion sent clean energy stocks running up in October and November.  My Ten Clean Energy Stocks model portfolio benefited from the purchase of 25% of Yieldco Atlantica Yield (NASD:ABY) by Canadian utility and renewable power generation conglomerate Algonquin Power and Utilities (TSX:AQN or OTC AQUNF), which was one of my Ten Clean Energy Stocks for 2009. Rumors had circulated that the Atlantica stake would be purchased by Brookfield (NYSE:BAM) and its Yieldco Brookfield Renewable (NYSE:BEP).  If there were discussions, Brookfield must have decided that it had enough on its plate with the recently...