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Posted
Feb 10 2008, 11:54 PM
by
Jon Markman
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Corn-based ethanol production is sure to go down as one of the greatest mistakes ever in U.S. energy policy, yet it is so heavily embedded in election-year politics it just won't go away.
The government's recent move to boost ethanol production -- embedded in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 -- panders to Midwestern and Southern farm-state electorates that are influential in presidential races, yet will end up costing the nation billions more than it purports to save.
I wrote about this scam back in October in a column titled, "Shuck the ethanol and let solar shine," but apparently for some reason my expression of outrage was not enough to prevent Congress from passing a law in late December that will cost taxpayers as much as $550 billion over the next four years.
Now scientists have finally completed research that shows ethanol is not only bad business but also bad for the environment. According to news reports, the latest issue of Science magazine highlights studies showing that biofuels produce more greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels when all of their production inputs are accounted for.
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Posted
Jun 05 2008, 01:38 AM
by
Jon Markman
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
One of the most awesome things about the world energy shortage is that it has encouraged every wingnut science professor, inventor, entrepreneur and lawmaker with an ounce of moonbeam in their veins to announce a wacky solution. Maybe they can all generate heat just by making us laugh. Where is Rube Goldberg when we really need him?
So as my tip of the hat to World Environment Day – which is June 5, by the way – I would like to call your attention to my new column on solar thermal energy, and my favorite idea, which comes courtesy of the Australian National University.
Australia, you have to understand first, is one of the world’s largest exporters of coal, oil, natural gas and uranium. It’s like a floating strip mine which every resource-hungry nation of the world is doing its best to hollow out. Yet folks there
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Posted
Jun 06 2008, 08:18 AM
by
Robert Walberg
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
With Sen. Hillary Clinton expected to officially concede on Saturday, Sen. Barack Obama has finally secured his party's nomination for president. As such, the time has come for investors to start thinking about how the November election might impact their portfolios. In what is sure to trigger a response from many of you, it is my belief that Obama will win and win big. Before I get to what stocks might benefit from an Obama presidency, let's take a look at why he will win.
First and foremost my prediction has nothing to do with party preference or policy issues. It has to do with simple math and if you are into electoral math, as I am, you need to take a look at Web site FiveThirtyEight.com. While the site suggests that the race will be extremely close, similar to the past two presidential elections, if you dig a little deeper you see that if the Obama can increase the turnout of young
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Posted
May 27 2008, 12:24 PM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Solar energy may be the wave of energy's future, but companies like Google and Chevron may best start-ups in getting to the benefits. A number of large American companies with tremendous balance sheets are pouring money into solar energy based on the fact that it is becoming more competitive with oil.
According to Bloomberg, "Costs for the technology will fall below coal as soon as 2020, the U.S. government estimates. JPMorgan and Wells Fargo invested last year in the biggest solar plant built in a generation; Chevron and Google are funding research; and Goldman Sachs is seeking land to lease as demand out-paces wind turbines and geothermal."
Given the potential size of the bonanza, the investments should not be surprising, but they could squeeze smaller solar energy companies out of the market. Firms like JA Solar and SunTech bet their entire futures
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Posted
Nov 08 2007, 08:27 AM
by
Matt Koppenheffer
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 The report on crude oil inventories yesterday showed that inventories fell less than expected. This may have slowed oil's mad rush to the magical number of $100 per barrel, but if recent history is any indicator of the future, the respite may be temporary.
As much as we all may hate high oil prices, for those working towards a world less dependent on fossil fuels, the skyrocket price of crude may be a big help. After all, the bottom line usually ends up being the bottom line, and as long as oil continues to be a cheaper source of energy than alternatives, those alternatives will have a tough time hitting the mass market. For "green" energy sources, though, higher oil prices helps level the playing field.
On The Motley Fool's CAPS service, players have had a mixed reaction to many alternative energy stocks, but have identified Suntech Power and MEMC Electronic Materials as top plays in the solar market, and they also have liked Archer Daniels Midland for its work in ethanol.
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Posted
May 28 2009, 12:23 PM
by
John Reese
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Warren Buffett made a big splash last fall with his electric car bet. Since then, he's continued to talk up BYD Auto, the firm in which Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) took a 10% stake, and recent reports that Volkswagen (VLKAF) is now turning to the Chinese company for battery help are keeping the Oracle of Omaha in the "green" spotlight.
Buffett's eco-friendly bet got me wondering whether any other "green" stocks pass muster with the Buffett-inspired Guru Strategy computer model I use on Validea.com (which has returned 15% this year while the market remains in the red). The marriage of green stocks and the Buffett method is an odd one -- the strategy looks ten years back into a company's fundamentals to find stable, consistent firms, while green companies remain relatively new and, in many cases, unproven.
Nevertheless, I did find a couple green plays have what it takes to get some interest from my Buffett model.
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Posted
Jun 29 2009, 03:51 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Oil exploration and refining companies are natural enemies of alternative energy. Wind power, nuclear power, clean coal, and solar could all undermine the value of crude in world markets. Oil companies have a great deal to gain if new sources for heating and electricity prove successful, even if they will not admit as much in public.
Under those circumstances, it is odd that Valero (VLO), one of the world’s largest oil refiners, would turn to wind power to provide energy to some of its operations.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Valero installed 33 windmills to supply a refinery in Texas with green electricity to produce gasoline and diesel.
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Posted
Aug 31 2009, 11:11 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 Think cash-for-clunkers was a good deal? Then look at cash-for-wind farms, which is even better.
Investing in wind farms is all the rage, thanks mostly to a new government program giving big cash grants to renewable energy projects, The Wall Street Journal reports. Morgan Stanley (MS) and Citigroup (C) are each investing $100 million in separate wind farms. We saw cash-for-clunkers explode in popularity, with so many people trading in cars for energy-efficient models that the government had to shut the program down. But unlike cash-for-clunkers, there is no spending limit with renewable energy grants, the Journal reports. Cash-for-wind farms will pay 30% of the cost to build a wind farm (or other renewable-energy facility), and more depreciation deductions (a plus come tax time).
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Posted
Oct 12 2009, 03:46 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
The government is putting part of its $787 billion stimulus package into alternative energy and improving the infrastructure of the energy grid. And private foundations have started to put money into green energy initiatives in underdeveloped nations.
Leave it to billionaire George Soros to try to look good supporting alternative energy while planning to make money at the same time. Soros says he will invest $1 billion in clean-energy technology and donate $100 million to an environmental advisory group to aid policymakers.
Bloomberg says Soros will screen his investments, saying, “they should be profitable but should also actually make a contribution to solving the problem.”
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Posted
Sep 08 2008, 11:48 AM
by
Matt Koppenheffer
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
The Motley Fool's CAPS service allows members to set up a blog to lay down some of their thoughts on stocks, the market in general, or -- in some cases -- completely random topics. Browsing through the blogs today I came on cbwang888's post titled "The market got it so wrong on solar stocks."
cbwang's take on the situation is that the market has discounted solar stocks too far given the fundamentals of the industry. Among other things, he points out that solar cell demand from Germany and Spain will continue to be strong, while Italy looks promising as another big market for solar. He also notes that though oil has been pulling back, prices outside of the US will continue to be a terrible burden unless they fall a whole lot further.
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