Tom Konrad

Is Raser Technologies a Bargain, Or Just Cheap?

Barrell-
Rasor's advantage is exactly that: first mover advantage on low temperature geothermal leases. There are only so many known resources. If Rasor manages to prove their model, others will start to compete, but Raser will then have a large number of MW of plants producing power, generating income to shareholders even if they never build another plant.

Also, don't udnerestimate the value of the orgnizational knowledge needed to get a plant operating in the field.


On Jul 24 07:25 AM A Barrel Full wrote:

> I have asked a similar question before about Raser. I love the business
> model, and they have the advantage of jumping the gun, so to speak.
> However, longer term there is nothing to stop anyone else copying
> what they do. Buy the technology from UTC and deploy. What is their
> USP? Is it just down to the fact that they have a good lot of assets
> already in the bag?

Smart Grid Stock List: They're All Good

CGP - agreed it's early in the game... I lean towards the profitable pure plays pointed out by Alan Young.

As for the stimulus, there is significant funding in the form of federal matching grants for utility expenditures. See: www.altenergystocks.co...


On Jul 16 10:23 AM CGP wrote:

> Certainly big potential but my sense is it's early in the game to
> be investing on this thesis. Also it seems smart grid was talked
> up more in the stimulus than it had actual funding.

Smart Grid Stock List: They're All Good

I like BCON - See 10 Green Energy Gambles for 2009: www.altenergystocks.co..., but I consider it to be an energy Storage stock, not a smart grid stock. That's why it's not in the list.


On Jul 16 08:28 AM Blue Duck wrote:

> Take a look at Beacon Power (seekingalpha.com/symbo...)
> and would welcome your comments.
>
> TIA

10 Clean Energy Picks Enjoying the Obama Effect

See the Q1 Update here:
www.altenergystocks.co...

Sorry I forgot to link to it in this article.


On Jul 08 10:14 AM SlowOfStudy wrote:

> Please explain the last of the ten--3x$-2xspy.,

Not All Green Jobs Were Created Equal

I'm waiting on the market as a whole, not stock price targets... if the market falls as I expect, it's only getting started.

And I'll probably say in an article, after I've done my buying myself.... not in a comment.


On Jul 07 05:42 PM decoflair wrote:

> Tom,
> Have any of the stocks you have mentioned dropped into a "buy" range??

5 Electricity Transmission Stocks for Your Clean Energy Shopping List

Stephen,
CPTC is a foavrite of mine, but it's a very risky play... I left it out because I'm worried that they will have to issue more stock soon and dilute exisitng shareholders. It's a very exciting company, and I included it in my "10 gambles for 2009" www.altenergystocks.co... but it does not currently make it inot my mainstream lists.

5 Electricity Transmission Stocks for Your Clean Energy Shopping List

Debt, in itself is not a bad thing, so long as the company has adequate liquidity (cash) and can easily cover the interest with operating cash flow. As long as payments on the debt are manageable, it makes sense to have some debt in order to take advantage of the tax deductibility of interest and increase returns to equity.


On Jul 01 10:57 AM Gravity404 wrote:

> I like the idea of BGC. I have never followed it, but checking it
> out you failed to mention while they do have almost $4 per share
> in cash they also have approximately $24 in debt.
>
> With $300 in free cash flow it will take a long time to pay that
> off. I was also concered to see the stock pice hit a low of $6 in
> December. But like you prefaced, buy on the next dip, which I also
> believe is coming.

5 Electricity Transmission Stocks for Your Clean Energy Shopping List

Isaac,
I follow an active investing style, and eblieve that stock picking and timing have a valuable role to play in a sector as under-analyzed as clean energy. So an ETF (essentially an index fund) goes against the grain. There are also serious regulatory and compliance issues which would involve a headache I'm not interested in.

I feel a small investor would do better just buyinf one of the many modle portfolios I list, such as my 10 stocks for 2009, www.altenergystocks.co... or my quick clean energy tracking prortfolio www.altenergystocks.co..., and they'd incur lower cost in the porcess.



On Jul 01 10:52 AM isaac the terrible wrote:

> Tom,
> I'm not going to stop thinking that you guys should put together
> an Energy Eff, Storage and Transmission Index. Theres got to be a
> good solid 50 stocks that fit this niche. Solid like ABB, PWR, ITRI,
> XIDE, JCI, etc.
> And then some big organization can base an ETF on it. Most individual
> investors have trouble investing in this field because there are
> so many players rather than several dominant ones. One can't spread
> themselves too thin, but an ETF would garner alot of attention.<br/>I
> see this sector as kind of like the tools and shovels analogy to
> clean energy.
> Thanks.

5 Electricity Transmission Stocks for Your Clean Energy Shopping List

Quick: There's a Smart Grid entry in this series to come...


On Jul 01 09:47 AM quick wrote:

> Good list, thanks for the ideas. I've been looking at ITRI more of
> as a smart grid play, but these are some good ideas too!

5 Energy Efficiency Stocks on My Clean Energy Shopping List

I have a set of five geothermal and solar stocks in the works...


On Jun 25 08:35 AM wind4me wrote:

> U know I still like Nevada Geothermal in the Geothermal space
>
> LUX is very interesting for sure! Agreed!

Ways to Play Cellulosic Ethanol and Advanced Biofuels

Stockferret: Didn't you read the article? Even if OOIL's process is legit, it's only a small part of the puzzle, and not sufficienct reason to invest.

William Taylor: Jatropha is no panacea... it's more productive than many crops, but still only produces about 250 gal/acre, and uses much more water than expected. Algae is the only crop I know of with the potential for 1000's of gallons per acre, the level we'd need to substaintially replace current oil use.

Ethanol's Persecution Complex: To Rehabilitate Its Image, It Must Understand the Issues

Thanks for the info on the FFV break phasing out in 2014. Good news.
A large %age of FFvs is a good thing, but it's no substitute for efficienct vehicles.


On Jun 20 10:22 AM GMBiofuelsGuy wrote:

> Tom Konrad: I work in Biofuels at General Motors. Toward the bottom
> of your blog, you reference the CAFE break that automakers receive
> for building flex-fuel vehicles. The Renewable Fuel Standard indexes
> these out around 2014. At GM, we have been building 3X as many FFVs
> annually as qualify for a CAFE break. Current plan has GM at 61 percent
> FFVs by 2012. Now, we just need to see a commesurate increase in
> the number of fueling stations that offer E85, which is the point
> of our commitment to FFVs.

Ethanol's Persecution Complex: To Rehabilitate Its Image, It Must Understand the Issues

Does anyone else find these comments from the corn lobby as annoying as I do? The issue I'm taking about is not high fructose corn sysrup vs sugar, it's high frutose corn syrup vs ethanol.


On Jun 19 04:34 PM cornrefiner wrote:

> High fructose corn syrup, sugar, and several fruit juices are all
> nutritionally the same.
>
> High fructose corn syrup is simply a kind of corn sugar. It has the
> same number of calories as sugar and is handled similarly by the
> body.
>
> The American Medical Association in June 2008 helped put to rest
> misunderstandings about this sweetener and obesity, stating that
> “high fructose syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more
> than other caloric sweeteners.”
>
> Even former critics of high fructose corn syrup dispel long-held
> myths and distance themselves from earlier speculation about the
> sweetener’s link to obesity as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
> releases its 2008 Vol. 88 supplement's comprehensive scientific review.
>
>
> Consumers can see the latest research and learn more about high fructose
> corn syrup at sweetsurprise.com/.
>
> Audrae Erickson
> President
> Corn Refiners Association

Ethanol's Persecution Complex: To Rehabilitate Its Image, It Must Understand the Issues

I totally agree with you, John, that biofuel from waste is a very good thing (as opposed to the kinda sorta good thing that is corn ethanol) athough there may be better ways to displace carbon emissions using waste, such as recycling the recyclables, and gasifing the remaining organics to generate electricity.

As for the quantity available, it's limited, and very difficult to turn into fuel. I have an upcoming article on advanced biofuels with more detail (will publish Monday.) The difficulty imposed by the impurity of wate streams is the reason why waste to electricity may be a better use.


On Jun 19 11:28 AM John Lounsbury wrote:

> In my opinion, ethanol (or any biofuel) is most attractive if made
> from waste. Does anyone have numbers for the amount of processable
> waste that is currently going to incineration, landfills, etc? How
> much potential fuel are we not taking advantage of? And producing
> more methane in landfills, to boot.

Ethanol's Persecution Complex: To Rehabilitate Its Image, It Must Understand the Issues

SubsidyEye: in response to htis comment:

> You also claim that "Ethanol ... puts corn to a much better use than
> high fructose corn syrup that contributes to growing epidemics of
> obesity and diabetes." That is merely an assertion. Got any studies
> to prove that?

My assertion is not based on 1) Americans eat too many calories, many in the form of HFCS. 2) Displacing gasoline in your car does little or no net harm, and may do some slight good. Hence use #2 is better than use #1.