Learning Curve

Offshore Wind: Europe Now, U.S. When?

Vestas set up manufacturing operations near Fort Collins, home of Colorado State University. Our community is remarkably forward looking with respect to alternative/clean energy; so that at this moment, to supply our city, solar arrays are set under wind turbines. The visual aesthetic of this is in the fact of the intelligent design to solve a mighty problem. I welcome any such effort, frankly, and I find wind turbine arrays to be beautiful.

Economic Short Takes: Things I'm Worried About Right Now

Thank you for writing a thoughtful article.
I'm looking with a jaundiced eye at the chosen members of the new economic team who –with the exception of Paul Volker—impress me as a bit out of touch with how to manage an economy in extreme recession.
(I have my view because I’m prejudiced to believe anything Paul Krugman says.)
Sighting Krugman's NYTimes article of January 11th and titled 'Ideas for Obama':

“First, Mr. Obama should scrap his proposal for $150 billion in business tax cuts, which would do little to help the economy. Ideally he’d scrap the proposed $150 billion payroll tax cut as well, though I’m aware that it was a campaign promise.
"Money not squandered on ineffective tax cuts could be used to provide further relief to Americans in distress — enhanced unemployment benefits, expanded Medicaid and more. And why not get an early start on the insurance subsidies — probably running at $100 billion or more per year — that will be essential if we’re going to achieve universal health care?”

My dream is that corporations will begin to welcome the prospect of relief from their obligations to provide health care insurance to employees. I’m dreaming that businesses will see that component of their budgets as burdensome (despite the fact that such costs provide a tax write off) and will, finally, support universal health care. What a relief for all of us if we were to join the rest of the ‘first world’ in taking this scary cost component out of people’s lives.

Hydroelectric vs. Slow Volcanic Power

Basic question that I hope can be answered in this forum –either by you, Mark Courtenay, or by another contributor: Is NGLPF to be considered a utility stock, an energy stock, an industrial stock, a growth stock, a value play? Is it speculative, staid? In order to include it in my portfolio, I would like to understand how it should be viewed as compared to RZ, ORA, Excel, or Pacific Gas & Electric, GE, etc.

Has the Sun Set on Solar Energy Stocks?

Dr. Duru, thank you for your comments and clarifications. It is indeed alarming that so many solar stocks have fallen to new lows.
Zenfar & gebby:
An investment misunderstanding I've had is that I didn't realize that guesses about political outcomes would move stock prices so very much.
However that may be, what is disappointing about my solar investments is that their stock prices are more subject to short term interest in trading and less interest in the long term need for clean renewable energy.
A mistake I made in investing in clean energy stocks as a long term play is that, while I knew they would be volitile, I hadn't realized that good ideas, prospects and products may not be rewarded in this market environment.
Even so, I'm net up in my clean energy portfolio, which I've held for 20+ months. That it is well diversified and that I 'bought low' are the reasons I'm ahead.
Overall, I intend to "remain long" with my portfolio and to buy good companies on the dips.

With Help from California, Solar Gets Fired Up

To see Reagan in action, proudly pulling off solar panels, see the film, "Who Killed the Electric Car". At the time of Reagan's re-election bid, a Republican acquaintance actually said to me that "we" must destroy alternative energy and subsidize oil in order to stay friends with the Saudis. He was serious! For a good history of how this foolishness brought us down, also see the film "The End of Suburbia".

Three Plays on Solar Strength This Summer

Wayfarer,
Here is the assumption I’ve been making: that thin film -–as in United Solar Ovonics-- can be formed around objects such as roof tiles and that the thin film technology may combine with other solar technologies to make a hybrid product.
I’d appreciate any discussion about whether this line of thinking about thin film has merit.
Meanwhile, I have deliberately diversified into a range of alternative energy stocks, in different points in the value chain and into diverse approaches to technical solutions ---which, then, includes ENER and FSLR.
In Fort Collins, Colorado, there is a little start-up company -AVA- that is developing ways to use window glass in this context. If/when it becomes public, I'll want to own a piece. (Although it will use cadmium telluride, and that is controversial!)

www.avasolar.com

MEMC Electronic Materials: Climbing the Wall of Worry

Excellent. Thank you, Tobind Ferrand, thank you all.

Look What's Blowin' In: The New Wind ETFs

What's not to be happy? A beautifully balanced, egalitarian society that enjoys sensible solutions to problems and has those delicious long summer days.
(How Danes feel in the winter may be another matter.)
Personally, I've seen nothing more hopeful and harmonious than a spread of wind energy fans whether they be in Europe or California.

Wind Power Is Blowing Strong Right Now

I agree with 'rvantass'. That's why I rely on Seeking Alpha.

To Meet Wind Power Goals, Government Action Needed

I feel lucky! Here on the north Front Range of Colorado, Vestas has set up its US operations. There is an ever developing "Clean Energy Cluster" in Fort Collins and in association with Colorado State University. We have set good goals in Colorado for renewable energy, have a wealth of creative entrepreneurs in our Fort Collins Technology Incubator and in other "clean" enterprises; and best of all, we have citizens who are supportive of our renewable energy initiatives.
Thanks for the discussion.

Will Some Solar Companies Face a Cash Crunch?

This is critically important information and perspective. Thanks.

The Deflation/Inflation/Stagnation Debate

Thank you all. This is a discussion we urgently need. One qualification on the article... Wolff states that, "The public neither heard about, nor seemed interested in this from 2001-2007." Perhaps the public was ignoring the "impending doom". But many many others, including the writers here, did hear about this and & hear & hear.
We saw the statistics about the American personal savings allocation going down. We witnessed that the Japanese personal savings rate was high and that no matter the stimulus, they still would not spend.
We saw the underemployment, the growing disparity of wealth. We heard about the 'new economy' and supply side.
Meanwhile, we voted against our own self interest and that of our children.
It was painful to watch the lack of response by these "wizards of wall street" and certain Administrations back to 1980.
While it may be true that the wealthy feel none of this, who, exactly is going to recharge the stock values in their portfolios once the buying public is completely tapped out and Disney Land, medications, electronic devices, education, Chinese toys for the kiddies, food from south of the equator and shiny new automotive transportation are no longer in the consumer’s budget? Politicians and magnates can’t continually hurt the citizenry with bad policy and expect the US to remain a world power.

Investor in the Woods, Part I

I’m hoping someone will discuss what percent of a retirement portfolio a person might put into commodities ETFs & ETNs. At present I have ~ 5%. I own DBA, DBC, GCC, RJA, & RJI, and Pimco’s Total Return. I don’t intend to buy & sell within these positions but to hold them as a cushion. Meanwhile, I deliberately have attempted to diversify the individual commodities and hold oil and gas in energy overweighted mutual funds. Anyone want to offer a little more theory or critic this approach –particularly for a retired person?

Buying Green Energy Stocks Into The Elections

Since we seem to be on the topic:
I think we’ll see American consumer behavior change abruptly, particularly automotive and driving behavior. This “shock of gas prices” that was supposed to make people wise up once gasoline hit $6 a gallon has now begun at $4. Meanwhile, there is an ever increasing interest in other positive changes in behavior –at least all around me here on the front range of Colorado (excluding Colorado Springs). The few vociferous people who say that ‘peak oil’ is a hoax are dismissed as citizens begin to actually look into the issue.
Of course, I worry that political behavior will trump good reforms and that we’ll be a long time out of this entrapment by big-oil.
Meanwhile, with regard to Republicans being good for the economy, please to look at the actual performance of economies and stock investing as a function of which political party is in power. Review the depredations on Americans produced by Calvin Coolidge (much admired by R Reagan) and the unfortunate H Hoover. Understand the frustrations Republicans felt when a decent and insightful man (Theodore Roosevelt) became president and took on the mega-corps.
By the way, john gordon, I agree completely.

EV to EBITDA US Stock Screen

Another valuable lesson. Thank you.