Wind Energy - Green Chip Review

Brazil Wind Energy

Thousands of middle-class Brazilians slept on subway station floors Tuesday night.

This wasn't a solidarity project to see what life is like for the homeless. . . It was the result of a blackout that hit 60 million Brazilians in 800 cities.

The trigger? Three — count 'em, THREE! — transmission lines. Officials say torrential rain and thunderstorm conditions caused the trio of high-voltage lines to simply collapse and in turn Itaipu, the world's largest hydroelectric dam, totally broke down.

Three is the magic number that can evidently bring one of the world's top emerging markets, enshrined in the BRIC pantheon with Russia, India, and China, into primitive darkness. Three downed lines plunged the proud hosts of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics into literal obscurity.

This is a problem whose solution requires urgent investment.

I spent two weeks in Brazil this spring, chatting with folks in corner cafes, speaking with businesspeople, and learning about the country's ProInfa clean energy infrastructure expansion plan where international companies are set to play a major role. More on ProInfa in a bit. . .

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First, I have to tell you that I've spent the past two days talking to friends of mine in Brazil, and reading the accounts of others who e-mailed the local Portuguese-language press about their individual ordeals. Each story is heart-rending, and I tell you sadly that they are more reminiscent of terror attacks than of major power outages.

Stories from the Great Brazilian Blackout of 2009

In Rio, Alessandra told the newspaper O Globo how she and her brother set out for a night on the town. Instead, they walked in complete darkness down a subway tunnel alongside the soccer stadium that will host the Cup final in four years. On arriving at the station, they waited hours longer without water, food, and the worst thing to lack during a disaster. . . news.

Jose, who lives in the world famous Copacabana beach district, experienced both the psychological and technological reality of a sudden blackout. He started to hear "the shouts of people asking for help because they were trapped in elevators, and cries of children who were afraid of the dark."

Fortunately, Jose had just turned off his computer when the lights started to flicker.

Nevertheless, countless computers were fried that night, destroying school work, music, and millions of dollars worth of business information. I can tell you first-hand that even in the hillside favelas (as the slums in Rio are called), there is a computer in nearly every home. Computers are a gateway to the world for a rising middle class around the world, and the demise of a PC can mean the death of a dream for students, artists, and others who saw a picture of a better future on their monitors.

Things won't be normal for a while. Traffic signals were still sending people at the wrong time on Wednesday morning in Rio, causing car crashes and pointing to just one lingering cost of the blackout.

Despite this nationwide infrastructure calamity, with all the money lost and Brazilians now terrified of what might happen during the World Cup and Olympics, international investors haven't lost confidence in Brazil.

Why the Lights Are Still Bright for Brazilian Stocks

The broadest indicator that I follow is the iShares MSCI Brazil Index, which is listed as an exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE: EWZ has gained nearly 10% since Monday, and the ETF barely dipped on the day after the power outage. EWZ rose by over 26% from mid-August to mid-November, nearly tripling the S&P 500 rally over the same period.

And this brings us to a major point you must understand if you want to outperform U.S. stock averages like the Dow and S&P. . .

Investors aren't bullish on China, Brazil, and other emerging markets despite their problems; they're bullish because solutions require money. You get your car repaired when something goes wrong, right? You only put in the money up to a point, of course, because the benefit of keeping the thing running has to outweigh the cost in the long run.

Brazil is in urgent need of investment from both domestic and international sources, and Brazil will get the money it needs. At the Renewable Energy Finance Forum in Rio this spring, I met plenty of suits who were licking their chops at the chance to put money into Brazil's energy infrastructure upgrades. . . and that was well before the Olympics were awarded to Rio!

Most appetizing to everyone there was Brazil's upcoming auction of national wind energy permits. I told you about it back in April, but it seemed far off.

Now, the December 14 Brazilian wind energy auction date is rapidly approaching, and dependence on hydroelectric generation has just caused an emergency that has scarred citizens and leaders alike (7 million Sao Paulo residents also lost water service Tuesday night due to the dam failure). Brazilians shudder to think about what would happen should a blackout of any size repeat in 2014 or 2016 when the sporting world gathers in Brazil.

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Brazil's Upcoming Wind Energy Auction

ProInfa, the national renewable energy incentive campaign, will help integrate 2 GW of wind energy capacity at a cost of about $6 billion by 2012. The companies that get ahead in the December auction will have to move fast to get capacity up by 2014, which means more production, higher profile, and higher share price.

The New York Times cites Pedro Perreli of the Brazilian Wind Energy Association's amazement that overall, 441 proposals for over 13.3 gigawatts in Brazilian wind power have come in already from companies all over the world. That more than doubles what government and local industry officials anticipated!

Green Chip International readers are already profiting from two Brazilian clean energy and infrastructure stocks, and we're watching the run-up to Brazil's wind-only auction closely.

I'll also be in Peru soon, visiting wind power facilities and talking with people with knowledge of how these deals get done across South America.

Don't miss the next play — check out GCI for yourself and start investing in energy solutions to avoid future blackouts!

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

Top Wind Energy Companies

Last year, I sat on a panel at an energy conference where someone asked me my thoughts on China's impact on the renewable energy sector.

My response was simple, upset a lot of people, and has since proven to be pretty accurate. . .

"They're going to bury us!"

I don't say this to disregard all the progress we've made here in the United States. Certainly, we've come a long way over the past few years. And there are some excellent renewable energy companies operating domestically.

But the fact is China's desperate need for more domestically-produced power that doesn't further degrade their dwindling water supplies or pollute their air — which will give your eyes and lungs a good burn on a stagnant day — is a major catalyst for renewable energy growth in the Middle Kingdom.

An Urgent National Priority

GE, Google, IBM, and Cisco have quietly invested $3 billion in a new technology that Energy Secretary Steven Chu has called an "urgent national priority."

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This is why the Chinese government is ponying up billions in support for solar, wind, and electric vehicles. Because without these things, future growth will absolutely be stalled. They know it. . . the big money knows it. . . and if you're a long-time reader of these pages, you know it, too. . .

In the meantime, the Chinese continue to pump out solar modules cheaper than anyone else; their largest wind turbine manufacturer, Sinovel, will likely become one of the world's largest wind turbine manufacturers; and — as we're finding now — if you need billions in financing for a wind farm, China may be more than willing to provide that, too.

Laying the Groundwork for Alternative Energy Development

Last Thursday, China marched into the Lone Star State with $1.5 billion for a 600+ megawatt wind farm.

The project is actually a joint venture with Cielo Wind Power, U.S. Renewable Energy Group, and Shenyang Power Group. When completed, it will provide enough power for about 180,000 homes. Chinese turbine manufacturer A-Power Energy will be supplying the turbines.

Here's what Jinxiang Lu, Shenyang Power Group's CEO had to say about the project: "With a long track record for building some of the world's biggest wind farms, the U.S. is an ideal target for foreign alternative energy investment."

And he's right.

But this is no secret. . .

Sure, it was just last week when Energy Secretary Steven Chu told reporters that the U.S. was falling behind China and others in alternative energy investment.

But we've been reporting on this for years.

And let me tell you, you don't have to be the Energy Secretary to know that foreign corporations have been aggressively laying the groundwork for alternative energy development in the U.S.

Heck, just over the past two years, Spanish wind energy powerhouse Gamesa (MCE: GAM) has built four new wind turbine production facilities in the States. Siemens (NYSE: SI) has a rotor blade manufacturing facility in Iowa and they are currently building a turbine production facility in Kansas. And Denmark-based Vestas (CO: VWS) is now building two new manufacturing facilities in Colorado.

My friends, companies like these don't throw down hundreds of millions of dollars to build out manufacturing in the U.S. without some certainty that there's a big pay day involved. . .

And investors who ignore this fact will continue to miss out on one of the greatest investment opportunities of the 21st century.

Like our latest wind play, for instance. This one could be an easy double in six to eight months.

It's a wind energy developer based in California that could get a huge boost in about eight weeks, after California's new renewable energy mandate goes into effect.

You can read more about this wind company here.

To a new way of life, and a new generation of wealth. . .

Jeff

Canadian Wind Energy

There's a ton of money at stake in British Columbia.

Here's what I mean...

BC is the epicenter of a huge Canadian energy transformation.

Massive fossil fuel forays, like the Northern Gateway oil pipeline to the Pacific Ocean, are competing with several small clean energy developments for regulatory priority and public support. At the same time, a few intrepid traditional energy companies are stepping in to stake their claim on clean energy expansion.

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In fact, some of the Calgary crude kings are seeing the writing on the wall and signing deals to diversify into green power.

Two of the key players in this scenario are Plutonic Power and Enbridge. They're already familiar to Canadian energy investors. But soon, they'll be international names.

Here's what they — and you, as an investor — stand to gain in British Columbia.

Plutonic Power's Wind and Hydro Projects

In June, we looked at Plutonic Power Corp. (TSX:PCC), a Vancouver-based hydropower developer. Plutonic had just teamed up with General Electric's Energy Financial Services arm to push a run-of-river hydropower project in the Bute Inlet just north of Vancouver Island.

Elections in June put politics on Plutonic's side, as CEO Donald McInness told the Vancouver Sun: "It's not a given that our business plan advances, but without the Liberals winning, we certainly weren't going to advance at all."

Yet progress is slogging along for the Bute Inlet initiative, as environmental impact assessments continue and provincial utility BC Hydro considers and reconsiders Plutonic's proposals.

So in the meantime, Plutonic and the GE financing units are pushing forward with plans to tap a woefully underexploited resource in British Columbia: wind.

The pair plans to purchase the existing Dokie Ridge wind farm project from bankrupt developer EarthFirst Canada, adding a 144 MW array to their clean energy portfolios. The Dokie Ridge site can be expanded to 300 MW from its partially completed state. That would serve around 34,000 homes with 340 gigawatt-hours per year (GWh/yr), according to a press release.

If approved, Plutonic and GE will be 51%/49% financing partners, with the local firm taking the bigger stake in completing the 144 MW stage by early 2011.

What started as preliminary due diligence in June became a commitment to buy the Dokie Ridge project in late September.

Regulatory approval awaits, but the outlook is good.

Now Plutonic is on the way to establishing British Columbia's wind energy capacity. And as you can see in the map below from the Canadian Wind Energy Association, BC's wind output is currently next to nothing:

Even with GE on its side, though, Plutonic won't be the only company racing to bring BC's wind resource to life. . .

Enbridge Balances Oil Overrun and Wind Energy Options

Calgary's Enbridge, Inc. (NYSE:ENB) is a giant. Its U.S. market cap is $14.6 billion — dwarfing Plutonic's Toronto total of $161.19 million.

Enbridge's main business, as you might expect, is energy delivery. But right now the behemoth is scrambling to save faith in its biggest project, the Northern Gateway pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia's Pacific coast.

The Northern Gateway pipeline was initially backed by PetroChina (NYSE:PTR) in 2005. The subsidiary of national oil company China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) inked a memo indicating the Middle Kingdom's state-owned energy enterprises would be first in line to buy oil from Canada's Pacific Coast. Nothing official was ever finalized.

The oil in question would come primarily from the tar sands of northern Alberta, where petroleum-laden soil is essentially cooked to get crude.

On October 6 of this year, Enbridge admitted that costs to establish the Northern Gateway conduit will exceed drawing-board estimates. That overrun could be a lot or a little over the initial US$3.77 billion estimate, but the main concern is China — Enbridge hasn't had any formal talks with PetroChina since August, according to reports. We have to wait 'til later in the year, when regulatory filings come due, to get the real price tag on the Northern Gateway line.

It doesn't help matters that two parts of the TransCanada natural gas pipeline exploded in September. Enbridge may have an arduous uphill battle ahead of it before the Northern Gateway line gets approved and built.

So here's where home-country clean energy consumption comes into Enbridge's game plan.

If you scour Canadian Wind Energy Association installation lists, you'll see that Enbridge is actually a participant in Canada's wind energy industry, operating the 181.5 MW Ontario Wind Power farm installed in April of this year. All together, Enbridge operates four wind power projects totaling 260 MW.

That kind of energy doesn't go into a pipeline to China. . . it stays up in the Great White North where it belongs.

If wind weren't enough to convince you that Enbridge is diversifying away from oil and gas transport, consider this: Enbridge just announced its acquisition of a 20 MW solar power plant in Ontario from Arizona's First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR).

That acquisition isn't an experiment or a way of throwing investors a corporate social responsibility (CSR) bone — Enbridge just bought the biggest solar power plant in Canada!

Combining for Cleaner Canadian Energy

BC Hydro bears its name for a reason: Canada's rushing rivers have long been known as a precious resource for mills, fields, fish, and energy.

As Vancouver Sun columnist Miro Cernetig wrote in June, "British Columbia is a laggard in harnessing the wind." Cernetig appeals to BC residents' sense of progressive provincial identity to make his case:

"Despite our efforts to be seen around the world as green, we make no commercial electricity from the wind. We are actually the only province with that status."

That is changing quickly.

2009 is already set to be a record year for wind energy development in Canada, and the first year with wind installations in every province, including BC.

No matter where you are, you can benefit. All types of listed energy companies are positioning themselves to profit from more record-setting years in Canada's clean energy expansion.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

P.S. What we see in Canada today represents a broader worldwide trend that finds even petroleum titans like Chevron, Shell, and Enbridge moving into clean energy sectors. Whether they snap up existing projects or start their own, Green Chip International readers are hot on the money trail. To learn more about GCI and follow the next story like Plutonic Power to portfolio gains, check us out today.

Offshore Wind Power

Cape Cod is about to be turned upside down.

Known for its $50 million homes, yacht clubs, and kettle-cooked potato chips, it'll soon have another defining image: 130 wind turbines on the Horseshoe Shoal of the Nantucket Sound.

These turbines — rated at 3.6 MW each and provided by GE — are a part of the Cape Wind project that will be the nation's first large-scale offshore wind farm. This wind farm will have the capacity to supply enough electricity for roughly 75 percent of Cape Cod and the neighboring islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

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While the offshore wind farm won't be operational until 2011, developer Cape Wind Associates has been hard at work, permitting and collecting environmental data since 2001.

Since then, Cape Wind has received a nearly-spotless bill of health following tough scrutiny by various local, state, and federal agencies.

In 2007, the project took a significant blow when the Cape Cod Commission denied the request for a necessary permit to begin the project, after more than half a decade of heated debate from the public.

That did not stop the project from moving forward, however. . . in May 2009, the State Energy Facilities Sitting Board presented the Cape Wind project with a composite certificate — or "super permit" — granting the project all of the approval necessary to break ground.

Of course, those who fought the project from its inception have not yet traded their picket signs for acceptance. . .

The fact is even after the Minerals Management Service found the Cape Wind project free of presenting any major lasting impacts on wildlife, navigation, fishing, tourism or recreation (which was a consistent criticism of the project), opponents continue to carry on their tired arguments.

And I suspect even after the farm is built and is sending clean green power to the region — which, by the way, endures some of the most expensive and volatile energy prices in the nation — some of these same folks will continue to present their arguments to anyone who will listen.

Fair enough.

But to its credit, the Cape Wind project has jumped through all the necessary permitting, regulatory, and environmental hoops. Most residents even support it. According to a 2008 Newswire poll, 78% of Cape Cod residents feel that their state should be a large-scale leader in renewable energy by moving ahead with offshore wind power.

It's not surprising that hordes of folks are on-board with a renewable energy project in a state where energy prices are the second highest in the United States. . . behind only the Hawaiian Islands, where a large chunk of electricity still comes from oil and diesel!

But with the energy provided by the Cape Wind project, Massachusetts residents will have a low-cost provider to compete with current options.

While estimates vary, sadly because of political leanings, some show Cape Wind is expected to save the New England region over $25 million per year on energy bills.

With projected savings like those, you can bet offshore wind is being looked to in a variety of locales.

More Offshore Wind Projects

Besides Cape Wind, there are no less than 17 offshore wind farms being planned in the United States.

The largest — a 1.95 GW behemoth called Radial Wind Farm — is slated for 2012 completion in Michigan, obviously on the Great Lakes.

And the Eastern Seaboard will soon be an offshore wind Mecca. In addition to Cape Wind's 420 MW, another 700 MW are being proposed for Massachusetts's shores.

Proposals representing several gigawatts are on the books in Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Georgia.

My home state of Maryland, through the state Energy Administration, began soliciting business interest in offshore wind last week.

And plans are coming in from the West Coast, as well, including a 150 MW farm in the works for Tillamook County, Oregon.

In Europe, several offshore wind projects have already been completed. The U.K. boasts a few hundred online megawatts, as do Belgium and the Netherlands.

But Denmark — home of industry-leader Vestas (COP: VWS) — is the far-and-away leader, with nearly 700 MW gracing their shores.

As an exclamation point on how fast offshore farms are becoming mainstream, Denmark recently commissioned the biggest project to date; turbines at the 209 MW farm Horns Rev 2 started turning in the North Sea just last week.

When it comes to an investment angle, however, the same strategies used for land-based installations apply.

Turbines are still being supplied by stalwarts like GE (NYSE: GE), Siemens (NYSE: SI), and Vestas. And installations are mostly being facilitated by either large utilities or private investors.

Given that most of the wind leaders are foreign-based, the best way to harness this growth is still through an ETF. That way, you can have exposure to several companies with skin in the wind game.

I prefer First Trust Global Wind Energy (NYSE: FAN), which not only holds all of the relevant players, but has doubled in the past six months as capital started flowing to cleantech projects once again.

It'll only edge higher as the United States, Europe, and Asia continue to increase their use of wind energy. . . both on- and offshore.

Good Investing,

—Kyle Haas

P.S. In addition to the ETF I mentioned above, Nick Hodge has given readers of his Alternative Energy Speculator the names of two other wind stocks he think will double. Click here to read about why the industry is moving so quickly, and how you can get the names of the other two wind stocks that could double.

China Wind Energy

I had never really wondered what Mars would look like if it had heavy industry. When I set foot in western China's Gansu Province in 2005, I knew.

The terrain outside Lanzhou, Gansu's capital and one of the most polluted cities in China, seems other-worldly. Bizarre stone shapes line the road as far as the eye can see. And, as it turns out, you can't cast your gaze very far through the brown haze that shrouds the city.

Pregnant women ride their bikes around Lanzhou wearing surgical masks so as not to inhale the noxious air, but so do many men. It's a frightening sight, and I'd be lying if I told you I didn't feel a little guilty that I would be able to go home to clean air while locals seemed doomed to a life of sooty snot and coughs.

Now, though, I feel more optimistic about Gansu's future. . . the province will soon be home to China's first 10 gigawatt wind farm.

China's Hinterlands are Ignored No More

People in Shanghai or Beijing will give you a funny look if you talk about places like Gansu. . . Those places normally only draw attention when something bad happens, like last year's terrible earthquakes or this summer's riots in Gansu's neighboring Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Here you see Gansu highlighted in red:

In spite of the East Coast's ambivalence about the hinterlands — or perhaps because of it — the Chinese government has set the goal of turning Gansu into a wind power equivalent of the enormous Three Gorges Dam, which has a 22.5 gigawatt capacity.

The 10 GW turbine cluster planned for the area around the city of Jiuquan is part of Beijing's $14.6 billion infusion into wind energy through 2010. With all that money, top brass want to more than double nationwide wind capacity by next year.

And when 2020 rolls around, China will have 100 GW of its own installed wind capacity up and connected. That nearly equals the entire world's current capacity of 121 GW!

But here's the rub. . . Grid connectivity is where the needle scratches across the record for wind farm proposals around the world. T. Boone Pickens' plan to build a massive wind farm in Texas got stuck on transmission line financing and regulatory clearance, and from China to Chile it's true that, as Jeff Siegel says, "If you can't move it, you can't use it."

So it's a good thing that China is using a full 23% of its massive half-trillion-dollar economic stimulus to prime the national grid for fresh renewable energy projects.

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That's right. . . over $134 billion has already been allocated to create a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) network to not only tether wind farms to cities that need clean energy, but also to optimize that network with responsive smart grid technology.

How much has been set aside for smart grid in the U.S. stimulus package? A comparative pittance of just $6 billion. That's less than one-tenth of one percent of the $787 economic nudge we're supposed to get stateside!

China knows it needs to commit that money if renewable energy is to become a reality, rather than just a government talking point or stock-market fad.

China and the United States: an Uneven Partnership

You see, China's only got a 73% success rate right now when it comes to moving wind-generated power to end users. Out of 12.2 GW of installed capacity at the end of 2008, only 8.9 GW ever made it to customers.

For engineers and officials charged with transforming sprawling and far-flung provinces like Gansu — described to me by my local host as a "big dog-bone" on the map — transmission losses add up to failure.

So ground-up renewable energy expansion is what we like to see, especially in places like western China, where locals can leapfrog eastern mega-cities that will require much more intensive conversion to be RE-ready.

But why is the resource balance so heavily tilted when we compare Washington's grid plan to Beijing's?

Maybe it's the fact that many rural Chinese denizens still live a centuries-old lifestyle. . . they know not to put the cart before the ox, as it were.

Or maybe it's that we have plenty to learn from China. After all, as Secretary of Energy Steven Chu was quoted in this month's Time Magazine, "Whatever the U.S. and China do today will determine the fate of the world."

That pairing is uneven, and China is the larger chunk when it comes to clean energy.

Looking to China for Clean Energy Stock Profits

Tech-side wind energy player American Superconductor (NASDAQ:AMSC) attributes much of its 80% share price increase in the past half-year to business activities in the Middle Kingdom. "China's our fastest-growing market," an AMSC spokesman said this month. "We're not counting on U.S. stimulus money," he added sharply.

So there's an American company depending on China for growth. In the other direction, some Chinese wind energy stocks are skirting the U.S. altogether, even when they're going for international attention.

Xinjiang Goldwind, named for the restive and resource-rich western region it calls home, has repeatedly rejected Wall Street IPO offers, opting instead to get cozy on the domestic Shenzhen secondary exchange (SHE:002202).

Then there's China Wind Power International Corporation. China Wind Power just listed on Vancouver's TSX Venture Exchange, which has long been a favorite for junior mining and energy companies. China Wind Power (TSX-V:CNW) CEO Jun Liu touts his company's listing as "an opportunity for Canadian investors to share in the substantial wind energy growth expected for China."

The company's near-term capacity goal is 546 MW for projects in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang. That's a chip shot towards China's 100 GW target for 2020, but every bit counts.

We'll keep you in the know about the goings-on in Gansu, and all the latest investment opportunities on the arc towards China's 100 GW wind energy goal.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

Global Wind Energy

This past Saturday, construction began on the first of seven 10-gigawatt wind power bases in China.

We initially told you about these wind power bases last month, when the vice president of the Chinese Wind Association announced the project — which is to be completed by 2020. Certainly this is a major part of China's wind power goal of 100 gigawatts by 2020.

But as we've said time and time again, this is a global trend.

While new government support in China and the United States is providing fertile ground for opportunity, it cannot be the sole focus of our strategy to profit from renewable energy.

Yes, because of renewed momentum in the U.S., our favorite wind developer play has shot up 112% since the beginning of the year. And we'll continue to play this one too, as the stock has really only scratched the surface as far as what it'll produce over the next six to eight months.

But the world is a big place. And the fact is there are already hundreds of active wind farms across the globe. Here's a map to give you an idea where most are concentrated today. . .

And here's a map that shows wind farms currently under production:

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Finally, here's a map of wind farms that are now planned for future development:

That's A Lot Of Turbines!

As is no surprise, some of the largest wind turbine suppliers continue to be Vestas, Gamesa, Suzlon, and GE. And it should be noted that Sinovel is becoming a pretty big player in China.

Sinovel is one of the largest and most successful wind energy companies in the country. And if you know anything about how the Chinese do business, you know that Chinese suppliers are almost always given top priority.

That being said, one U.S. company that's been benefiting from Sinovel's momentum is American Superconductor (NASDAQ:AMSC).

Back in 2007, American Superconductor (through its Windtec subsidiary), landed a deal with Sinovel to jointly develop 3- and 5-megawatt wind energy systems. But a couple of weeks ago, American Superconductor announced that it had increased its sales contract with Sinovel by $20 million, making the total deal now worth $470 million. Sinovel is also AMSC's largest customer, responsible for about 70% of its order book.

And if you're wondering how American Superconductor has done this year, take a look. . .

We'll have more on China's burgeoning wind industry later in the week, when our international renewables expert, Sam Hopkins, gives us a look into the future of Chinese wind development.

To a new way of life, and a new generation of wealth. . .

Jeff

*Maps provided by GlobalData

Renewable Energy Investing

Knowing which stocks to buy and when is a beautiful thing.

It's a skill that's beyond difficult to master but, once perfected, can have life-changing implications. And it can be a bit easier if you focus exclusively on specific sectors.

Someone claiming to be able to rattle off winning stock advice on any company with a ticker — Cramer comes to mind — is either lying in the first place or has never been held fully accountable. (A recent study of his picks showed that his risk-adjusted returns were barely above the market average.)

But honing in on one sector, like Green Chip has been doing for years, has allowed us to become intimately familiar with a certain group of stocks. So much so that I'm confidently familiar with dozens of companies pursuing clean technology — both the good ones and the bad ones.

For instance, I know the comfortable price ranges for no less than ten Chinese solar stocks. I know where they should be trading based on future earnings forecasts; how well their peers (other Chinese solar stocks) are doing; outside factors like government; and most importantly, investor confidence.

And it's what allows me to give an edge to readers of the Alternative Energy Speculator, day in and day out. It's how I've helped them play the same Chinese solar stock SIX TIMES for profit in the past eight months:

Stock	Bought	Sold	Gain
JA Solar (NASDAQ: JASO)	11/13/08	11/24/08	30.45%
JA Solar (NASDAQ: JASO)	12/01/08	12/31/08	43.91%
JA Solar (NASDAQ: JASO)	03/03/09	03/04/09	13.66%
JA Solar (NASDAQ: JASO)	03/05/09	03/09/09	9.89%
JA Solar (NASDAQ: JASO)	04/07/09	05/06/09	36.56%
JA Solar (NASDAQ: JASO)	05/08/09	05/27/09	10.13%

And we're back in that same stock right now. . . even as you read this!

That's more than a fluke. That's more than luck.

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And it's not just JA Solar. . . my readers closed ten other Chinese solar winners in the same time.

And solar stocks aren't the only plays coming up big. . . from wind to water, we've closed 30 winners so far this year in everything cleantech.

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A Clean-Tech Case Study

In early June, I put out a new buy recommendation to my my readers. It went something like this:

I wanted to take a minute this morning to bring your attention to our smart grid plays.

We're currently doing well with XXX and XXX. They're up 38% and 18%, respectively. We've only held the latter for six days!

XXX, which also has exposure to the smart grid, is up 13%.

And we've successfully played Intellon (NASDAQ: ITLN), Comverge (NASDAQ: COMV), and American Superconductor (NASDAQ: AMSC) in the past.

We'll revisit past plays as I see opportunity. And I want to do just that with American Superconductor today. I think it's a $35.00 stock. So let's buy shares of (NASDAQ: AMSC) today below $28.00.

I'm also raising the buy under and target prices for XXX and XXX. You can see them in the portfolio.

I guess I probably should've said, "I know it's a $35.00 stock," because last week it climbed to $36.24 on the heels of a stellar earnings report.

Had you taken my advice and invested. . . you would've been sitting on a 35% gain when it popped. And while that's impressive, focusing solely on gains means missing the bigger point here.

In the company report that accompanied that recommendation I highlighted the following key points:

Company revenue guidance is conservative
Has already contracted 85% of expected revenue for fiscal 2009
Wind division is growing quickly
Can benefit from multiple markets: voltage, wind, transmission

Well, the second quarter numbers came out a few days ago. . . and you can probably guess what happened.

The company shattered revenue estimates — even mine — by about $12 million. And earnings per share of $0.04 blew away most analysts who were looking for flat earnings to a slight loss.

So the guidance was clearly conservative.

And my statement that American Superconductor's "wind division is growing quickly" turned out to be one of the understatements of the year. Chinese stimulus funding for wind energy could spark 100% growth in two years or less, and that was evidenced on AMSC's balance sheet in the form of increased orders from Chinese wind developers.

Beijing's Sinovel increased orders by $20 million and accelerated the term by eight months — meaning they'll be ready for next order sooner than expected.

I knew all of that in June. . . and so did my readers. But the rest of the investment world didn't find out until last week, when the stock had already soared 30% in one day.

Only Going Higher

That winner is just one of 13 still sitting in The Speculator portfolio. . . just waiting to be cashed out.

And that's on top of the 30 others we've closed for gains this year. As a Green Chip reader, you had to see this coming. We were predicting a renewable revolution two years before First Solar was even publicly traded.

That was half a decade ago!

Take a look around you today. Companies from Aflac to Yahoo! are touting their green credentials while we've been busy taking profits on the companies making it all happen — from American Superconductor to Zap.

All major cleantech segments have estimated growth rates that outpace the most beloved Wall Street sectors. . . I'm talking about a doubling of the solar and wind industries in the next three to five years.

No other industry is growing like that: not metals, not oil, not retail, not biotech.

We're in Wall Street's catbird seat — the position all other industries want to be in.

We're getting Federal dollars, being looked to as a solution to the recession. We're viewed favorably by the media and global governments. We're providing clean energy and sustainable practices.

And above all, we're making money.

If you haven't yet, now is the time to let us help you do the same. And you can do it, risk-free.

Use this link to sign up for the Alternative Energy Speculator with a 30-day trial. You can check out the portfolio, past updates, and the in-depth reports featuring earnings estimates and company-specific information.

You'll also begin receiving buy and sell recommendations. At our current success rate, it won't be long until you receive your first one. . . we've closed a winning stock for every week so far in 2009!

And if you still don't like the service after 30 days. . . you can get back every cent, no questions asked.

But you can't see how great it is — or how much money you'll make — if you don't try it.

Start closing cleantech winners today!

Call it like you see it,

Nick

Wind Energy ETF

U.S. wind power investors needed a pick-me-up this July, and they got it from beyond the border.

Early in the month, oil billionaire and newly-styled alternative energy bull T. Boone Pickens balked on an ambitious, multi-billion-dollar wind power project in Texas. Pickens said funding difficulty forced him to fold, but recent action on Capitol Hill leads us to believe that Pickens is shifting his focus to his favorite alternative (but not renewable) energy project: vehicular natural gas.

Whatever his angle was, Pickens's move stung. . .

At least for a few weeks.

First Wind's Financing Breakthrough

In mid-July, the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), a Canadian pension fund worth approximately US$64.7 billion, committed $115 million to Massachusetts-based developer First Wind.

Germany's HSH Nordbank also put up $76 million in financing for First Wind, enabling the company to add capacity at existing wind farms in New England and Hawaii.

So on one hand, there's AIMCo, which will distribute its infusion to First Wind over eight years, coming to just over $14 million per annum.

Nordbank, on the other hand, is taking the short-term approach. Their larger one-year infusion to First Wind combines with AIMCo's long-term vote of confidence to show that solid wind project plans can still get funds for expansion and that new farms can get up and running.

The American Wind Energy Association does say new projects have slowed — from 2,290 megawatts of installation in the first quarter of 2009 to 1,210 MW in Q2.

"The recession is a force that is having an effect on the industry, as it is on most other industries," a spokeswoman told Reuters this week.

19 Straight Closed Winners since January 2009

But the year-on-year change in U.S. installed wind power capacity is still impressive — new installations in the first half of 2009 surpassed the same period in 2008 by 1,100 MW.

The AWEA now puts total national generating capacity at 29,440 MW. Texas led all states in helping achieve that number, even in spite of the Pickens pullout.

With recovery on everyone's lips, credit market conditions will continue to change, though that transformation will lag behind benchmark economic indicators.

And as in the case of First Wind, the start-to-finish process of wind farm development from here on out will be far more internationally integrated.

Venture Capital Comes off the Bench

National stimulus packages, which some observers thought may be renewable energy's only lifeline through the recession, has actually turned out to be just one part of the financing picture for eager companies.

The Wall Street Journal reports that cleantech venture capital activity is skyrocketing: Deals doubled from Q1 2009 to Q2, and the dollar value of those deals rose by 73%.

Access to VC funding is essential for bringing next-generation renewable energy ideas from the drawing board to grid-readiness. And since venture capitalists are generally "serial entrepreneurs" with defined exit plans, this isn't pity money going to sub-par projects.

Deep-pocketed VCs join big-money institutions like AIMCo and Nordbank, which operates throughout northern Europe and is partly owned by the City of Hamburg, as they search all over the world for well-timed advantage.

First movers are getting in on companies like First Wind now; First Wind already runs New England's largest operating wind farm in Stetson, Maine.

The broader market trough is giving way to a financing upswing and even delivering major gains to wind power ETF investors.

The First Trust Global Wind Energy ETF (NYSE:FAN) has international wind energy titans as its top holdings. Iberdrola Renovables (Spain), EDP Renovaveis (Portugal), and Vestas Wind Systems (Denmark) top the holding list, bringing utility-scale wind success stories into your portfolio in one easy trade.

FAN is trading at just below $15 per share, sitting on 31% upside in the past six months.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

P.S. Nick Hodge and I have stayed ahead of the market when it comes to the changes that are driving new renewable energy finance. Talking to bankers and developers from the U.S. and elsewhere, learning about new technologies, and traveling to emerging energy hot spots personally has brought Green Chip International readers the edge, and the advantage continues to bring in double-, even triple-, digit gains! To learn more, check out GCI today.

The Wind Energy Industry

I've heard all kinds of remarks since T. Boone put the brakes on one of the world's largest planned wind farms last week.

Hardly any of them have been good, most of them are even using this to signal the death of renewables.

The death of renewables? Phooey.

This is the death of T. Boone's grandiose wind plans. Nothing more.

He's still in the wind business per his own admission. He's still going to employ the $2 billion worth of GE wind turbines he's already purchased. He's just not using them all at one giant wind farm, mostly due to Texas' lagging in building out transmission.

Here's some data the media and the uninformed seem to be forgetting about.

Of Pickens, Babies & Bathwater

First of all, let us not forget that the turbines for Pickens's giant 4,000 MW wind farm weren't even scheduled to be delivered until 2011.

Let us also not forget that even though the large farm is being canceled (or delayed), Pickens is still going to use the 687 turbines he's already purchased by building "three or four smaller wind farms, at a cost of some $2 billion."

Lastly, let us not forget that we're in the middle of a capital calamity. Bear Stearns is gone. Merrill is gone. Chrysler is gone. So are countless other businesses, brands, pensions, and plans.

Is it that shocking that renewable energy plans are slowing as well?

Renewable energy is a lot of great things, but it's not recession-proof.

Was this bad press a psychological blow for cleantech? Absolutely.

Is it the end of the industry and its profit potential? Absolutely not.

In reality, this is simply Boone being Boone, pursuing business as usual. The recession put a bump in his road, and he's nimbly navigating around it.

According to the billionaire, "We're going to be active in the business. It's not that we've gotten out of the business or anything like that."

And according to the spokesperson for his BP Capital Management firm, "Boone still remains committed and focused on developing wind energy in the United States. The timing is not as aggressive as he originally outlined because of the collapse of the capital markets and because of the steep downturn of natural gas prices."

So, I have two questions:

Is there a major industry that hasn't been stymied by the drying up of easy capital?

How does adapting to the current business environment signal the end of an industry?

Let's just take this for what it is, fallout from the recession.

And by all means, let's not through the wind baby out with Pickens's bathwater.

Wind Blowing Strong

Indeed, it seems the Pickens event was enough to give naysayers a few last breaths in recent days.

I've even heard it put as bluntly as "Nobody gives a fu** about the climate right now."

I'll let the G8 comment on that. Just last week those leaders agreed "to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius and cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent."

Oh, and the House just passed massive climate legislation as well.

And while I'll concede that climate change has taken a partial backseat to economic turmoil, the energy problem certainly hasn't. It's often overlooked that we're pursuing, investing in, and trying to expand renewable energy — not renewable climate change mitigation techniques.

That said, wind energy is actually looking quite strong.

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Recent reports from major European turbine producers like Vestas, Gamesa, and Nordex all point to a second-half recovery for wind financing. Most have nearly signed enough contracts to meet their 2009 fiscal sales and revenue guidance, with July and August being typical months for large wind orders.

And after this recession, wind energy will emerge even stronger.

29 of our 50 states have passed and signed into law some form of a renewable portfolio standard. That means the increased use of renewables is being mandated by law. Some five other states have similar voluntary measures, the House has passed a national version, and the Senate is about to consider it.

There is no legislation on the table to mandate the use of any non-renewable fuel.

Also going unnoticed are the tools being used to combat this recession on a global scale. In the rush to pass stimuli, renewable energy has emerged as the frontrunning combatant.

Since late last year, hundreds of billions of international dollars have been pledged to boost the use of cleantech as a path to economic prosperity.

Taking those funds into consideration, the wind business has never looked stronger. In the U.S., wind energy capacity is now forecast to double by 2011 (with or without T. Boone) from 25,369 MW installed at the end of 2008 to nearly 56,000 MW. It will triple by 2013 and quadruple by 2015.

That's just in the U.S.

In China, a recent $15 billion initiative will double their use of wind energy in the next year from 12,000 MW to nearly 30,000 MW. This is part of a bigger Chinese cleantech program that will spend $290 billion by 2020.

When it comes to global totals, the use of wind energy will double by 2013 and triple by 2016.

No non-renewable energy source will see that type of growth in the coming years. Period.

To Infinity and Beyond

This last fact is also often overlooked or misused to decry renewables.

Yes, renewables currently only account for a fraction of global energy use. But this isn't a bad thing. It means there is plenty of room to grow.

Renewables are the ground floor. Fossil fuels are slowly vacating the penthouse.

This is why the growth numbers are so astounding. . . and the investment potential so high. When you start at 0.1% of the energy mix, it's easy to double, triple, quadruple, and more.

The upside is a century long.

It means renewables have everything to gain and traditional energy sources have everything to lose.

And losing they are, even if Pickens is the one making headlines.

You see, while one wind farm cancellation dominated headlines last week, it went largely unnoticed that the 100^th coal plant was canceled since 2002.

Not the first. . . the 100^th. It certainly seems worse for coal than wind.

Because while states are passing laws to increase the use of renewable energy, Los Angeles said last week that it will stop using coal-fired power altogether by 2020. What's more, according to Reuters, "No utility-scale coal power plants operate in California anymore, and the state has banned new contracts for imported coal power."

So, for a quick exercise in logic:

T. Boone still wants to build his wind farm and pursue wind energy, but a lack of financing and transmission capacity have forced him to alter (not cancel) his plans.

100 coal plants have been cancelled in the past 7 years. And there's a movement, led by California, to ban their future use altogether.

For which industry is this news worse? You decide.

Call it like you see it,

Nick

P.S. Better yet, let your portfolio decide. The Alternative Energy Speculator is proving cleantech is the real deal with each and every closed winner. We proved it 27 times in the first half of 2009. Click here to read about our latest profit play and join thousands of other savvy investors who know clean energy is here to stay.

Investing in Wind Power

You should absolutely love wind energy.

If you live in the U.S., you should love it even more.

Worldwide installed wind capacity is expected to grow 63% by 2012, from 144,486 MW to 235,120 MW. Here's the chart provided by GlobalData:

But in the U.S., it's expected to grow 124% — nearly double the expected global growth — from just under 32,000 MW to nearly 72,000 MW. . . in just three short years.

By 2020, wind capacity in the United States will have grown 360%, all the way up to 147,500 MW.

At that point, the U.S. will account for at least a quarter of global wind capacity.

It's a growth market if I've ever seen one. But trouble still remains in the credit and capital markets. In order to successfully invest in the wind sector, investors need to be familiar not only with the flow of capital to the cleantech markets, but also with national and state renewable energy laws, current and future transmission corridors, government funding, planned projects, and relevant companies.

Seems like a lot to stay on top of, I know. But I'm here to help you wade through it.

Wind Grows Faster than Coal, Nuclear

Over the past year, energy production from wind has grown faster than coal, nuclear, and even natural gas.

In fact, the use of coal shrank 14.8% while wind surged nearly 40%. . . so you can imagine what the related stocks are doing.

I've found three wind stocks that will double as this trend continues. You can get access to them today.

Doubling U.S. Wind Capacity

I was fortunate enough to be in the audience at the Renewable Energy Finance Forum-Wall Street a few weeks ago to catch a presentation from David Berry, Director of Finance for EDP Renewables North America.

Through EDP's acquisition of U.S.-based Horizon Wind Energy, the company has installed over 2,200 MW of wind capacity in the States. They've installed over 5 GW globally. Needless to say, I was interested in this man's perspective on investing in wind energy.

And he summed it up nicely with this graphic:

Basically, Mr. Berry is hinting at a perfect storm for investing in wind energy wherein the recession has driven down commodity prices and forced some players out of the game, resulting in declining construction costs and decreased competition.

Falling interest rates for project finance and government support via the stimulus and production tax credit make up the other two frames of this window for wind investment.

What's more, Berry (and his company) believe doubling U.S. wind capacity will require $50 billion of new capital. That won't all end up in the public market, but Green Chip will do its best to find out how much it does and when, then pass that info along to you.

But before the billions can flow and U.S. wind capacity can double, a few things need to be accomplished at the regulatory level.

Transmitting Wind Profits

At the top of Berry's list of what needs to be done to facilitate wind growth were the following two bullets:

Create a federal siting authority for cross-state transmission projects
Figure out a national transmission market structure

In addition to putting a price on carbon and adopting a national renewable energy standard, it's not hard to see that transmission is the main hurdle for wind expansion. (The other two aren't hurdles per se, but rather expediting factors.)

One look at this chart makes it crystal clear. The places with the most abundant wind resources use the least energy, so the key is being able to deliver rural wind power to urban areas.

Energy is only profitable if it has an end market. So, developers are looking for sites that already have access to transmission or have plans for its imminent arrival.

If you're looking to invest in wind development companies, access to transmission should be high on your list of diligence items. Of course, transmission isn't a necessary requirement for turbine producers.

My colleague, Jeff Siegel, will have a new report on a future stalwart wind developer as early as tomorrow. This one company already has transmission deals in place in one of the largest wind markets in the country, so keep an eye out for it.

When it comes to turbine producers, the dominant players so far have been foreign. Even though GE has significant turbine market share, it's not a big enough chunk of their overall revenue stream to consider it a pure wind play.

Other big players like Vestas (COP: VWS), Gamesa (MCE: GAM), and Suzlon (SUZLON.NS) can only be bought individually through a commission-based broker or via an often thinly-traded Pink Sheets version.

If you want to hold a group of wind companies at once, you may want to check out a wind ETF like the First Trust Global Wind (NYSE: FAN). It should prove to be a good buy-and-hold as global wind capacity surges forward.

Call it like you see it,

Nick

Wind Power Investing

On Wednesday, the vice-president of the Chinese Wind Energy Association announced that China is planning to set up seven wind power bases - with a minimum capacity of 10 GW each - by 2020.

That means each wind power base will generate more than double the power that's expected to be generated at T. Boone Pickens' wind farm in Texas. That's huge!

Certainly for those who invest in turbine manufacturers, this kind of continued support for wind energy in China could prove to be quite lucrative. But this opportunity is not limited to only the Middle Kingdom.

As it stands, the U.S. surpassed Germany as the country with the largest amount of installed wind power capacity in 2008. This, after more than 8,500 megawatts of new wind power increased the nation's cumulative total to more than 25,300 megawatts - representing a growth of about 50 percent.

Based on this growth rate, and assuming long-term policy support (which is now in place), this puts the U.S. on a trajectory to generate 20 percent of our electricity from wind energy by 2030.

This is a massive jump, based on the 1.25 percent that was generated by installed wind projects at the end of 2008 - and a massive opportunity for investors.

Of course, the real catalyst here is Washington.

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has been very vocal about his support for wind energy development, saying that he believes wind energy is one of our most promising renewable energy sources.

Not surprisingly, the wind energy industry picked up $93 million from the stimulus to further develop wind energy in the U.S.

We also believe that much of the new investment in transmission and infrastructure is being made to facilitate the continued growth of wind in the U.S. After all, the DOE didn't announce that wind energy could produce 20 percent of our electricity by 2030 without taking into account infrastructure development.

The writing is on the wall, my friend. And unless you hate money, there's absolutely no reason you shouldn't be properly positioned in the wind energy market.

Wind Energy Investing: What the Stimulus Holds

When we talk about investing in wind energy, most focus on turbine manufacturers. It's a common and logical connection.

Today, GE (NYSE:GE), Vestas (CPH:VWS), Siemens (NYSE:SI), Suzlon (NSE:SUZLON) and Gamesa (MCE:GAM) are the main suppliers of wind turbines in the U.S.

Here's What Every Wealthy Energy Investor Already Knows...

The U.S. Department of Energy has indicated that enough electric power for the entire country can be generated by covering about 9% of Nevada with solar power systems. This is a plot of land roughly 92 miles by 92 miles.
According to M.I.T., there are over 100 million quads of accessible geothermal energy worldwide. The world only consumes about 400 quads.
The Institute for the Analysis of Global Security has stated that if all cars on the road were hybrids, and half were Plug-In Hybrids by 2025 -- U.S. imports would be reduced by 8 million barrels per day. That's about 80% of our daily consumption!

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And they are likely to remain the major players too.

In fact, Vestas is now in the process of constructing two new manufacturing facilities in Colorado. Both are expected to be operational in 2010.

Gamesa has built four new wind turbine production facilities in the U.S. over the past two years, and Siemens is expected to begin construction on its newest turbine production facility next month in Hutchinson, Kansas. This comes just two years after the company built a rotor blade manufacturing facility in Fort Madison, IA.

Now a couple of years ago, turbine prices were exorbitant...and the down time between the initial order and receipt of the turbines was anywhere between two to four years.

Today, however, thanks to the recession - prices for wind turbines have fallen 18 percent globally. This is primarily because of declining demand and a decrease in the cost of raw materials.

Perhaps this hasn't made turbine manufacturers do cartwheels, but it has allowed some wind farm developers to get better pricing. At least the ones that have the financing to continue their expansion projects.

That being said, once a lot of that stimulus money finally gets funneled through the system later this year, we'll definitely see a lot of those wind farm developments that have been on hold for the past year or so, get back on track. As a result, turbine orders will pick up.

Now some have suggested that it's too risky to count on that stimulus money. But the fact is, that money's already been set aside and is currently being distributed. Granted, the distribution of that money may be too slow for some. But I'd prefer a slower distribution to a bunch of blank checks being thrown around wildly - something Washington is famous for.

In the meantime, we continue to believe the near-term opportunities here will be found primarily in the wind farm developers that are either currently developing new projects, or at least have the necessary financing to begin development in Q3 and Q4, 2009.

In 2010, we'll likely see turbine orders pick up enough to at least start to make a difference when earnings come out.

Of course, everyone has a different take on the timing. But the bottom line is that the world's largest wind turbine manufacturers have already begun building out their manufacturing right here in the U.S. They wouldn't be doing that if there wasn't real opportunity here.

Again...the writing is on the wall.

And whether you believe it's the right thing or not, the government is facilitating the wind energy industry's early growth, not only by offering direct support for research, testing and development. . .but also by building out our nation's electric infrastructure to enable the transmission of new wind power generation.

This is all going down right now.

Even as the climate change and energy debates continue on the Hill - the wind energy industry is continuing to grow and develop at a rapid pace. And in no time at all, wind will go from being considered an alternative form of power generation to simply another form of power generation.

Now as I already mentioned, we see wind developers representing the best near-term opportunities for investors. Particularly those with operations in California. And next week, I'll get into more detail on why that is. I'll also clue you in on a publicly-traded wind energy developer that could easily be one of our biggest winners for 2009.

To a new way of life, and a new generation of wealth...

Jeff

Wind Energy Investing

The American Wind Energy Association released its annual industry report yesterday.

According to the report, in 2008, the U.S. surpassed Germany as the country with the largest amount of installed wind power capacity. This, after more than 8,500 megawatts of new wind power increased the nation's cumulative total to more than 25,300 MW - representing a growth of about 50 percent.

Based on this growth rate, and assuming long-term policy support, this puts the U.S. on a trajectory to generate 20 percent of our electricity from wind energy by 2030. This is a massive jump, based on the 1.25 percent that was generated by installed wind projects at the end of 2008 - and a massive opportunity for investors.

This latest report shows GE continuing to run the turbine show, boasting 43 percent of newly installed capacity in 2008. Vestas (CO:VWS) came in second, Siemens (NYSE:SI) in third, and Suzlon (NSE:SUZLON) and Gamesa (MCE:GAM) rounding out fourth and fifth.

As far as developers are concerned, NextEra Energy (which used to be FPL Energy) owns the most wind energy assets, boasting a total of 6,290 MW - or about 25 percent of all installed capacity.

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Growing In The Wind

Wind energy growth has also accelerated job creation in manufacturing across many parts of the country. Over the past two years, wind turbine and turbine component manufactures added or expanded to over 70 facilities - with 55 in 2008 alone. And once fully online, these new manufacturing facilities will represent a total of 13,000 new direct jobs and almost $2 billion in investment.

Now it should be noted that the recent economic downturn has forced some of these manufacturers to announce some layoffs recently. But as the market rebounds, especially with so much government support expected to flow into the sector later in the year - many of these workers will be rehired.

In total, the wind industry added 35,000 jobs in 2008, bringing us up to about 85,000 people employed in the wind industry. In 2007, that number was around 50,000. These include everything from manufacturing, construction, maintenance, legal, marketing and project development.

Incidentally, the wind energy industry in the U.S. offers so much potential at this point, that five foreign manufacturers - Vestas, Gamesa, Suzlon, Siemens, and Acciona - all have U.S. manufacturing presence now. And Nordex will soon become number six.

Now the truth is, the wind power industry does owe much of its growth to a new, and encouraging renewable energy policy here in the U.S. Let's recap...

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes a 3-year extension of the production tax credit (PTC), as well as a new program that allows wind developers the option of bypassing the PTC, and securing a Treasury Department grant in the amount of a 30 percent investment tax credit (ITC)
The recovery bill also eliminated the $4,000 cap on the small wind ITC, so that now investors can claim a full 30 percent on small wind development.
An additional $1.6 billion of new renewable energy bonds will also be distributed to tribal governments, public power providers, and electric cooperatives in an effort to help finance new renewable energy projects - including wind.
$3.25 billion has also been set aside for additional borrowing authority for the Bonneville Power Administration and the Western Area Power Administration. This is for transmission lines constructed after February 17, 2009 that will move renewable power.

The next order of business will be the new national renewable electricity standard, as well as legislation that will support the construction of what has been called the Green Power Superhighways - which is basically transmission that will be used to enable continued renewable energy development.

All the pieces of the renewable energy puzzle are coming together. Between new energy policies that strongly favor the full scale development of renewable energy to the basic fundamentals of supply and demand - we truly are witnessing the dawn of what will soon prove to be one of the greatest investment opportunities of the 21^st century.

To a new way of life, and a new generation of wealth...

Jeff

China Wind Energy

China's wind energy market is still doubling even though the country's GDP growth is being halved.

That's because Beijing officials are using the global slowdown as a chance to recast the Chinese export market. It will be cleaner and higher up the value chain.

The World Bank just lowered its 2009 economic growth prediction for China to 6.5%— a dizzying drop from rates that nudged upwards of 12% in recent boom years.

But China's wind power capacity is still set for nearly 400% growth by 2013...

From a total capacity of 24 GW in 2008, turbines across China will churn out 117 GW in the next half-decade. That's a huge chunk of the worldwide tripling in wind energy capacity that the Global Wind Energy Council foresees.

Weak global consumer demand, especially in the U.S., has hit China's manufacturing base hard. But shuttered factories actually present Chinese energy planners and business leaders with an opportunity to strengthen wind energy's role across the economy.

Wind energy investment is not just a politically expedient jobs machine. We know that because wind capacity has been doubling even in years when the rest of the Chinese manufacturing economy was at its most robust.

Coal-fired power plants give China's electricity customers 80% of their juice, and the development of a Green GDP since 2005 tells us the costs of that soot actually knock a few percentage points off China's GDP growth totals.

China can afford to lose 3% of its 6.5% growth even less now than it could when it enjoyed double-digit yearly economic expansion.

China has to grow smart.

Secret COP-15 Meeting Sparks Trillion Dollar Shift

According to billionaire venture capitalist John Doerr, COP-15 signifies. . .

"Nothing less than the reindustrialization of the whole planet."

There's $45 trillion at stake as that happens. Click here to learn what's going on and how smart investors are already profiting.

Wind Power: China's Top Post-Recession Export?

The GWEC says Beijing's government-led investment has created 100% capacity growth in each of the past four years.

Of course, we can't expect exponential growth to continue forever— even from an economy as dynamic as China's.

What we can expect, though, is the Middle Kingdom's half-trillion dollar stimulus package to go into smart growth that creates jobs. Wind energy fits the bill perfectly.

Moreover, the low-cost items that poured from Guangdong factories into big-box U.S. retailers like Wal-Mart and target will yield more and more to durable goods like wind turbines.

A combination of "soft diplomacy" and capitalist price competition could put Chinese wind turbines in an increasing number of African, Asian, South American, and other developing nations where China has made its mark in padding margins for plastic and textile companies.

Chinese officials say that a full 25% of the country's emissions come from export-oriented industries. What if China's exports turned the corner towards creating products that actually reduced net emissions at home and provided new clean energy sources for customers abroad?

We're in a worldwide lull that could last awhile. But it won't last forever. Now is the time for the few countries with massive cash reserves to use it in ways that will make recovery come more quickly and vigorously.

Clean energy exports from China will add to domestic capacity and make China the world's #1 wind energy producer by 2020, changing the shape of Chinese economic growth for good.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

P.S. - Green Chip International readers have access to a network of Chinese stocks with global reach. They're active in the local market, of course, but their range is as wide-ranging as their vision. Along with wind, we have cleantech, solar, and even grid connection players that put it all together with household and business customers. It's not just the government making moves... We've sifted through dozens of public companies to find the ones that will win out and spearhead China's push toward smart growth. You can read the full report we've prepared about China's clean energy imperative right here: http://www.angelnexus.com/o/web/11322

Wind Power Stocks

There is much going on, and much you need to know. So let's get to it.

In case you didn't know, there is an historic election taking place today.

And at this point, I think it's fair to say that the victor will be the candidate who will have a more positive impact on the renewable energy markets, Barack Obama.

We've seen it the past two days, in the 48 hours leading to the election. The Dow closed down a few points yesterday, but most solar stocks surged 10%, others grew much more.

And the entire sector was higher again today, as we headed to the polls.

The election of someone who is a proponent of clean energy and progressive energy legislation is adding value to green chip stocks, if only for the fact that a changing of the guard brings with it a more conducive business climate.

The arrival of a favorable business climate for renewable energy brings with it the opportunity for profit. Some of us have been waiting months for this day.

Most notably, there is a striking opportunity in the area of wind power stocks. I want to spend a few minutes on that today, while devoting some time to an upcoming International Energy Agency (IEA) report.

Then I'll tell you how to get a crack at 3 wind power stocks that are an absolute must-own.

Wind Power Stocks: The Rising

Most of the pertinent data supporting a decision to invest in wind stocks has been printed in these pages before. I'll try to round some of it up in the next few lines so you can see just how strong the industry is.

The global wind industry grew 482% over the past seven years
It'll grow another 215% in the next five
Wind-generated revenues will exceed $30 billion in 2008
By 2018, yearly wind revenues will reach $90

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Those are remarkable numbers. Numbers you can't find in any other industry. Anywhere.

We're talking about an annual growth rate of about 25.8% every year. . .for the next five years.

But that's just the beginning of the story.

In Europe, over one third of all new electrical generating capacity will come from wind for the next 10 years. After that, wind's share will grow to 46% of all new generation capacity.

And Europe has a target of getting up to 14% of their electricity from wind by 2020.

Here in the states, the Department of Energy has said that we could get 20% of our electricity from wind by 2030.

Of course, this massive increase in the amount of wind energy being used is going to require significant investment.

Billions of dollars will be poured into wind turbine manufacturing and wind farm construction. Not to mention all the investment that will be needed to improve the electrical grid and transmission lines so they can handle all the wind power.

Investing early in the companies providing the wind technology of tomorrow will surely be boon to your portfolio.

But you have to know which ones to by.

3 Must-Own Wind Power Stocks

Since our friends across the pond were first to adopt the widescale use of wind energy, most of the big pure play wind companies are in Europe.

I'm talking about companies like Vestas, Gamesa, Suzlon and Nordex.

Here in the U.S., the largest wind turbine manufacturers are not pure plays, namely GE (NYSE: GE) and Siemens (NYSE: SI).

But there are some great wind investments to be had. You just have to do a little work to find them. And I've already done it for you.

I've discovered three wind power stocks that you absolutely must own before the IEA releases its World Energy Outlook report on November 12^th.

Thanks to a leaked draft of that report, I've discovered it contains information that could send wind stocks absolutely soaring, most notably an expected decline in natural gas and uranium production, coupled with an increase in U.S. coal exports.

Best part is, the three stocks I want to share with you give you access to every facet of the wind energy market.

I've found a domestic wind turbine and transmission cable producer whose technology rivals GE but whose stock trades for a fraction of the price.

I've also found a Canadian wind farm developer with projects up north and in Ireland.

And there's a wind infrastructure play that not only builds wind farms, but also specializes in grid upgrades and transmission capacity upgrades, both here and in Europe.

I've written a full report about these three stocks, and how you get can get in early to make great profits.

Click here to read the full report.

Things are really starting to coalesce for the wind industry: the election, the IEA report, growing electricity demand, etc. The sooner you get your share of these wind companies, the sooner you get your share of the wind profits.

Call it like you see it,

Nick

Wind Energy Companies

Editor's Note: The article below provides an excellent snapshot of the global wind industry from a bird's-eye view. For a more detailed and updated look at the sector, check out Jeff Siegel's piece on top wind energy companies.

I've discussed wind energy in these pages many times before, but the conversation seems to have always turned to a discussion of wind turbine stocks.

Today, I want to take a step back, look at the industry as a whole, and focus more broadly on wind energy companies.

The Wind Energy Industry

First, let's get a quick rundown of the growth of the domestic and international wind markets out of the way.

Here's the chart for wind power capacity growth by year:

As you can see, global installed capacity for wind energy has grown 482% over the last seven years, from 14,604 MW in 2000 to 84,934 MW in 2007.

Broken down further, the international wind industry has a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR or year-over-year) of 28.6%, which is impressive, to say the least.

But the past performance of the wind energy stocks is going to do little to help the future performance of your portfolio, apart from establishing an historic trend and highlighting what you've been missing.

So here's the global wind energy installed capacity forecast, going out to 2012:

This data reveals that the industry will grow 215% between 2007 and 2012, from 84,934 MW to 267,837 MW. That's a CAGR of 25.8%

Now this is information that can give your portfolio a boost. In an industry that's doubling in size every four years or less, there are surely more than a few companies worthy of investment operating within it.

The only thing left to do is to actively seek out the best ones.

To start the search, it's probably worth taking a look at the countries currently boasting the highest year-over-year growth in the wind industry. So here they are, along with their respective annual growth rates, as provided by GlobalData:

Turkey, 95.4%
Mexico, 84.7%
Brazil, 61%
China, 54%
Poland, 50.9%

Of course, those are the fastest growing markets. According to GlobalData, the largest markets by megawatt capacity are:

China, 51,200 MW
U.S, 45,454 MW
Spain, 36,715 MW
Germany, 35,829 MW
India, 25,935 MW

The only thing left to do is single out the largest operators in those areas, invest, and reap the profits.

Wind Energy Companies

Let's begin with China since that's the only country to appear in both the largest market and fastest grower categories. Per GlobalData, here are the largest wind companies operating in China that each installed more than 100 MW in 2007:

Goldwind Science and Technology (SZ: 002202)
Sinovel Windtec Co.
Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica (MCE: GAM)
Vestas Wind Systems (CPH: VWS)
Dongfang Electric Corporation (HKSE: 1072)
GE Energy (NYSE: GE)
Suzlon Energy Limited (NSE: SUZLON)

Most of those companies trade on foreign exchanges. If you dabble in those markets, my money is on Vestas and Gamesa, with Suzlon in third. But the companies that trade in China could see significant growth as the industry continues to mature.

Vestas, for example, is getting $1,628 per kW for their turbines. The average price is $1,008 per kW.

In the U.S., which is the market most of you are probably interested in, the dynamic shifts dramatically.

Here are the largest companies operating in our domestic wind market:

GE Energy (NYSE: GE)
Vestas Wind Systems (CPH: VWS)
Siemens AG (NYSE: SI)
Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica (MCE: GAM)
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (TYO: 7011)
Suzlon Energy Limited (NSE: SUZLON)
Clipper Windpower (LSE: CWP)
Nordex (FRANKFURT: NDX1)

Of course, my first two picks of Vestas and Gamesa still stand, and now you can see it's because of their intense presence across multiple markets. My sleeper pick here is Nordex.

The other side of the coin is to look at the largest wind farms being erected to identify the companies involved. Here are the companies that come up when discussing the largest planned wind farms in the U.S., and around the world:

Clipper Windpower (LSE: CWP)
British Petroleum (NYSE: BP)
Naikun Wind (TSX.V: NKW)
Vattenfall AB
SUEZ (PARIS: SZE)
RWE Group (XETRA: RWE)

Naikun probably offers the lowest share price in relation to potential for that group.

A Windy Future

So that's a snapshot of the global wind industry. I think some clear winners are definitely emerging.

But there is much more to come. And some tiny companies will certainly make their mark before all is said and done.

This is because the big boys alone can't satiate the surging demand for wind energy and related products and services.

For example, through 2020 in Europe, wind is expected to account for 34% of new generating capacity. It'll account for 46% from 2020-2030.

And the goal of attaining 12-14% of Europe's power from wind by 2020 is well within reach.

Here in the U.S., an Energy Department study found that wind energy could generate 20% of U.S. electricity by 2030, as compared to today's one percent.

So there's still a lot of work and investment to come.

The companies discussed so far will certainly play a vital role in wind's growth. But a handful of companies are providing specialty parts and service that are also crucial to the industry, like transmission cables, installation services, gearboxes, and, increasingly, turbines.

As I said, this is snapshot of the industry—a very dynamic industry that's constantly changing.

While it's possible to base investment decisions on stationary data like this, it's probably wise to have constant updates and recommendations to really stay on top of things, especially since they change everyday.

With that in mind, the Alternative Energy Speculator has designed a way for you to cash in on the booming wind energy market.

I've compiled a full report that analyzes the wind industry, telling you exactly how much it's going to grow, and releasing the names of three companies you must own if you want to reap lucrative wind profits.

You can't afford to miss this opportunity or the chance to get in today on the wind energy giants of tomorrow.

Read the report today!

Call it like you see it,

Nick

Wind Turbine Stocks

Editor's Note: Renewable energy expert Jeff Siegel has just published a new report— Investing in Wind Energy — that puts the growth of the wind sector in full perspective.

You see, The American Wind Energy Association just released its annual industry report... and the results are nothing short of amazing. That's because the U.S. is now on a trajectory to generate a full 20 percent of our electricity from wind energy by 2030.

In Jeff's new report, he reveals the next order of business... and where individual investors will find the biggest profits. You can read his complete Investing in Wind Energy report here.

Blackstone, one of the largest U.S. private equity firms, recently announced it's lobbing over $1.5 billion at a German offshore wind farm.

And they're not doing it because they feel all warm and fuzzy inside. They're doing it to turn a profit. And you should be heeding their advice.

But the wind farm, which would supply power to more that half a million homes, will need to overcome supply and labor bottlenecks in order to be a success.

You see, renewable energy is in such high demand that it is sometimes difficult to procure labor and materials. And if you've been following oil prices, you know exactly what happens when demand is high and supply is low: prices rise.

That's precisely what's happening in the wind industry. Materials like turbines and gears are in short supply, requiring long lead times, but the offshore wind industry is forecast to grow at 50% annually for at least the next five years.

And the onshore wind industry is forecast to grow just as quickly. Europe has a goal of attaining 12-14% of its power from wind by 2020. On this side of the pond, the DoE has said that getting 20% of our power from wind by 2030 is also within reach—but it will take trillions of investment dollars, considering we currently get less than one percent of our electricity from wind.

Backlogs are growing quickly, while the orders keep pouring in. It's shaping up to be giant bull market for wind turbine stocks.

The Largest Wind Turbine Companies

First, let me clarify that the turbines used for offshore wind are of different quality and cost than those used onshore. Right now, General Electric (NYSE: GE) and Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) are the two most viable candidates in the offshore business. But a few analysts have claimed that Siemens is the only company currently capable of accepting large new orders for offshore turbines—another indication of a looming, if not present, wind turbine supply crunch.

Nonetheless, each of those companies is a leader in the overarching wind turbine business. And there are other companies worth paying attention to. So let's dissect the wind turbine business, one company at a time.

The race to become the world's largest manufacturer of wind turbines is highly contentious, with a handful of companies vying for the top spot.

By nearly all estimates, Danish wind company Vestas (CPH: VWS) (Pink: VWDRY) holds the largest market share with about 23%. In fact, the company produced enough turbines in 2007 to power about 4.5 million homes, and has already made deliveries of wind turbines capable of producing 4.5 GW of power to 28 countries.

Spain's Gamesa (MCE: GAM) (Pink: GCTAF) is next in line, with a 16% global market share. Gamesa also perfectly illustrates the current backlog of wind turbines worldwide. In 2007, for example, the company sold enough contracts to to max out its production capacity. . . for the next two and a half years!

The wind turbine business is so hot that Gamesa—once a diversified renewable energy company—recently sold off its solar segment to devote more time and energy to its wind business.

Just in the past 18 months, Gamesa has built four wind turbine production facilities in the U.S., three in China, and two in Spain. So you can see how manufacturers are racing just to keep pace with demand.

The third largest wind turbine manufacturer is India's Suzlon Energy Limited (Bombay: 532667), with a 14% global market share, depending on the source.

Suzlon has been highly successful since 2005, with its revenues and profits growing by an average 100% each year. Interesting to note is that the percentage increase in profits has been greater than the increase in revenues, illustrating the company's ability to lower costs and increase margins.

General Electric comes in fourth on the list of wind turbine companies by market share, with about 15.5%. In the first quarter of 2008, GE sold $1.8 billion worth of wind turbines, which is 40% higher than the previous quarter.

What's more, the company's backlog of wind turbines has grown to $12 billion, up from $11 billion in the fourth quarter of 2007, and more than double the backlog in the first quarter of 2007.

If you're still counting, Siemens comes in fifth, with an 8-9% market share.

But enough about companies, what we're really interested in is. . .

The Wind Turbine Stocks To Invest In

Without divulging all the secrets of Green Chip International and the Alternative Energy Speculator, the two no-brainer wind turbine investments right now are Vestas and Gamesa.

Vestas has been able to boost its earnings at a terrific pace, rising from 201 million euros in 2006 to 443 million euros in 2007—a 120% increase!

And in its fiscal year 2007 earnings announcement, the group said it anticipates international wind power capacity to increase by 20% to 25% each year for the next decade.

To be honest, the company reported lower than expected first quarter 2008 results, and the share price has reflected that of late.

Vestas's second quarter earnings come out on August 12, 2008. Estimates are claiming the company will report 1.1 billion euro in revenue and .42 eurocents per share profit.

While I'm certainly bullish on this company, I (and Piper Jaffray) think they'll miss the estimates slightly to the downside. Best advise: wait for the earnings to come out. If they miss, and I think they will, you'll be able to pick up shares on the cheap after it takes a hit.

The third and fourth quarter numbers will be stellar.

Gamesa, for its part, is an utterly undervalued stock play. The company recently announced first half (H1) earnings of nearly 1.9 billion euros, about 9% higher than analyst estimates.

As a result, many analysts have upped their estimates for for full year revenue and earnings. Most agree that the second half will much more impressive than the first—as is the case with Vestas.

Plus, the fact that Gamesa has an orderbook that extends through 2011 means that investors have clear earnings visibility. And the company recently secured its first order in China since 2006.

I think this wind turbine stock could reveal a 25% upside by the end of the year.

Green Chip International

Much of the information in the latter half of this article is the type of information we normally reserve for our paid subscribers.

But this is an unusual time.

You see, we've recently launched our newest service, Alternative Energy Speculator.

As avid readers of the Green Chip Review, I wanted to give you a first-hand account of the level of analysis provided in that service.

So if you liked the analysis of the wind turbine companies above, or if you want a piece of the $114 billion international renewable energy market, then the Alternative Energy Speculator is just for you.

What's more, I've written a new report that outlines three must-own wind stocks that could make you a fortune.

If you want to get an early crack at one of the biggest renewable energy segments, click here.

Call it like you see it,

Nick

Green Energy Investments

So the markets are in the pits. Earlier this week, patrons were lining up for hours—predawn hours—to withdraw money from their failing banks. And the Dow recently hit it's lowest point since July. . . of 2006.

At this point, many portfolios are in a holding pattern. The so-called credit crunch, and the resultant housing collapse and severe stock market downturn, has led to the shrinking of savings and the defaulting of millions of mortgages.

And yet, there's no point in selling—houses or stocks. Why sell a long-term investment for less than you paid for it, especially if it's likely that the price will rise again in the next few years?

The same holds true for green energy investments. Some stocks that you've picked up so far may be showing red returns at the present time. But as long as you're willing to hold out, they'll rise again once market conditions begin to improve and policies are put forward that actually deal with our energy and environmental problems instead of just implementing laws du jour aimed only at swaying public opinion or cushioning constituents' bottom lines.

In the meantime, it's still possible to make money on the bull side of things, but it's going to take more than a promising press release. To make money in this market, you have to know the ins and outs of green energy investment and how it's developing.

What's more, if you can get past the guttural reaction to simply watch from the sidelines, there are some good buys to be had in this down market. Ones that are off their recent highs, but will return to those levels or higher as the market rebounds.

With that in mind let's take a look at the current state of the renewable industry from a purely monetary standpoint, in an effort to identify which areas are ripe to buy in troubled waters.

Green Energy Investments: Growing, Growing

First and foremost, green energy investing has been, and will continue to be, a runaway train scenario. Check out the total annual green investment data for the past few years:

2004, $33.4 billion
2005, $58.7 billion, 76% growth
2006, $92.6 billion, 58% growth
2007, $148.4 billion, 60% growth

In that time, total public market transactions have also skyrocketed. The following data includes IPOs, secondary offerings, and convertible bond issues:

2004, $800 million
2005, $5.6 billion
2006, $12.6 billion
2007, $27 billion

Take a look at just one more set of data. These are total green venture capital and private equity numbers from early stage through over the counter listings:

2004, $2.4 billion
2005, $6.4 billion
2006, $9.3 billion
2007, $13.5 billion

These numbers are impressive, showing not only the strong growth of the renewables industry, but also indicating—via the 2007 venture capital data—that the industry is far from saturated and that billions are still being wagered on the future success of young companies and new ideas.

But the effects of the credit crisis began to rear their ugly heads early in 2008, resulting in few new IPOs and downward pressure on most stocks. This tightening of the markets spawned increased merger and acquisition activity, as it generally tends to do.

Yet for all the recession talk and bear banter, overall investment in green technology during the first half of 2008 has actually been above the levels seen during the first half of 2007.

And, according to Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2008:

Although asset finance is down somewhat, venture capital and private equity invesment, public market capital raising and stock prices are all healthy, indicating that the finance community still sees strong fundamentals underlying the sector and is increasingly looking to take part in its future growth.

Investment between now and 2030 is expected to reach $450 billion a year by 2012, rising to more than $600 billion a year from 2020. The sector's performance during 2007 sets it on track to achieve these levels, with the current credit crunch testing the market's resolve, but not dislodging it.

In many ways, our current sentiment as retail investors is out of line with the rest of our financial brethren. The problem is not a lack of investment—indeed, investment flows have continued to grow—but rather the broadening of the sector and the diversification of green investment options, which now run the full gamut, from primary energy production in the form of electricity and transportation fuels to demand-side management solutions for the end user, including smart grid technologies.

So yes, it's becoming more difficult to find a good green investment because of all the options. But it's certainly not impossible.

And it's Green Chip's role, along with our other publications, to help you do that.

Where's the Green Investment Money Going Now?

Despite the limelight shone on the solar industry, the wind industry has and continues to attract the most investment—$50.2 billion in 2007.

Although, solar's limelight isn't entirely undeserved, $28.6 billion of new investment flowed into that sector in 2007. Investment in solar has grown at a 254% clip since 2004.

Not surprisingly, most of that money traded hands in Europe, with the U.S. in second place. But China, India and Brazil are attracting a growing amount of capital as their share of asset investment has doubled since 2004.

A large portion of green investment ($84.5 billion) in 2007 went toward building new sustainable energy assets. This is a result not only of factory and capacity expansions, but also of massive installations of solar systems and wind farms.

When put together, wind, solar and biofuels accounted for about 85% of new investment in 2007. Here's the chart of total green investment in 2007:

But the chart for just public market green investment looks strikingly different:

Public markets are dominated by wind and solar alone, to the tune of 81%. This is obviously where our money should be as well.

A good place to start is probably with Iberdrola Renovables (MCE: IBR), whose $7.2 billion IPO last December accounted for over half the money raised in 2007 via initial public offerings.

That's an installation play, and a good one. For a turbine play, try the company with which Iberdrola recently inked the biggest wind transaction ever, Gamesa (MCE: GAM). Of course a wind ETF like First Trust Global Wind Energy (NYSE: FAN) or Powershare's Global Wind Energy (NASDAQ: PWND) could also do the trick.

On the solar side of things, production is still very much key. You should be looking for mid-size companies with extensive growth and expansion plans that have a steady supply of raw materials.

Solarfun (NASDAQ: SOLF) is one such company. Members of the Alternative Energy Speculator have already seen gains in excess of 60% on that stock. And there's probably more upside to be had.

Installers of both traditional solar and concentrating solar will also begin to receive increased attention.

We'll continue to cover broad topics like this again in my next issue of the Green Chip Review. Instead of focusing on which sectors are getting the public and asset money, we'll focus on the up-and-comers claiming victory in green venture capital and private equity.

In the meantime, don't miss another day's worth of profits by sitting on the sidelines.

Green Chip International is quickly growing a portfolio filled with green juggernauts located outside North American borders in parts of the world receiving not only more investment, but better policy as well.

And Alternative Energy Speculator is picking up the growth opportunities here in the U.S. and Canada. That portfolio is currently boasting six double-digit winners with 3 over 60%

Call it like you see it,

Nick

Renewable Energy in Europe

MARSEILLE, FRANCE: As beautiful as the South of France is, landscapes alone don't make the future look promising. The economies of Portugal, Spain, and southern France are feeling the pinch of the global recession more than many developed countries.

Yet all across southern Europe, from the westernmost spot in Portugal at Sintra (which is also the farthest-flung spot on the Continent) to the remarkable blue French Mediterranean coast, renewable energy is right on the horizon.

Below you see the Moorish fortress at Sintra, where the Atlantic seems to tell you there just has to be something beyond the sea. While I took in this view, it immediately made sense to me why the small Portuguese nation had such a great appetite for exploration in times past and in the present, too.

And, as reported in this article on Portuguese renewable energy, Energias de Portugal (LISBON: EDP) and Spain's Iberdrola (MCE: IBE) both launching new renewable energy divisions point towards a reinvigorated desire to move to new frontiers.

(If you look closely in the photo below, you can see wind energy turbines churning just before the continent's end at Roca...)

Renewable Energy in Europe

But the discussions I've had in Lisbon, Madrid, and Marseilles direct my attention to new local reasons for the rise of renewables.

It's got a lot to do with unemployment and the quality of life here in southern France... home to ports that date back to Roman times and more recent factory-based industries that leave kids asthmatic and groundwater poisoned.

Add to that the large numbers of immigrants from North Africa and former French colonies around the world who come to France (continuing a theme seen in Portugal and Spain), and there are major social challenges that locals have to confront.

Marseilles is a multi-ethnic, working-class city known as the "melting pot of France," where smells of couscous and kosher meats blend with baguettes and West African delicacies, and on a clear day some say you can see all the way across the Mediterranean.

But local flavors are one thing, and money is quite another.

Median income in Portugal dropped by 2.6% in the latest numbers released by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, the last in the "rich countries' club." Spain's not much better off, with a drop of .7%, and though France logged a .9% rise, that barely treads water against price inflation and doesn't account for disparate regional economies like Marseille's.

There are also cuts in benefits coming under the center-right President Nicolas Sarkozy, which means getting back to work is a must, no matter what the pay...

And renewable energy installations that are subsidized by the government would be a shot in the arm to energy demands and employment shortfalls at the same time.

French Renewable Energy

So we're looking at Areva, a French nuclear energy provider that is now going in the same direction as our Spanish and Portuguese favorites EDP and Iberdrola. Areva's wind energy division taps the company's considerable coffers and grid connection capabilities to take French renewables to the next level.

There's also EDF/Gaz de France, the national utility which has been at the center of a years-long European controversy that asks the question: Just how free should cross-border energy cooperation be?

Some consider EDF, Italian energy companies like Enel, and even the Iberian powerhouses I've mentioned before, to be "national champions," and therefore companies that should stay in the hands of native executives and operate only at home.

But today's energy economy demands solutions, and so do the people. Workers are increasingly mobile, not just as migrants taking ferries back and forth from here to Algeria, but also people like me who can work from anywhere with the help of the internet.

Nicolas Sarkozy is promoting the idea of a Mediterranean Union that would include North African and Middle Eastern countries, and the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation coalition is already hard at work promoting knowledge-sharing and grid connections across the region.

International Millionaires Go Green

Power, ideas, and progress don't know any bounds these days.

Often, politicians take a while to catch up...

Actually we'd say that's almost always the case. Remember just a few months ago when corn ethanol was the hot topic on Capitol Hill? We steered you away from it, and now a justified backlash has Americans turning to better solutions.

And it looks like we're ahead of the curve in European renewable energy too, at least from the standpoint of most American investors.

The Economist magazine recently published the results of a study that found half of the world's high net-worth individuals invest in green investments for high return potential.

In the United States, only about 5% of those who have over a million in non-real estate assets are greening their portfolios, and among that number most said their motivation was environmental.

It's an astounding statistic but one that we think exemplifies why our Green Chip International service is extremely important to people who really want to make money in a burgeoning industry the rest of the world's wealthy have already woken up to.

I'll fill you in next week with more on Europe's renewable energy progress and the companies that are tapping surging worldwide investment in clean energy opportunities.

In the meantime, take a look at Green Chip International and see why it makes sense to go green globally.

Vive le Vert,

Sam Hopkins

Portuguese Renewable Energy

It's no accident that I'm overseas on America's Independence Day. And maybe it's no surprise either that the first tones of Portugal I've taken in on this trip are ones of energy freedom.

"New enterprise, generated by nature..."

So far my Brazilian-accented Portuguese has drawn some strange looks from police officers and shopkeepers as I ask for directions or coffee, but when I read this sign for the national power company's new renewables division this morning, I only had to kick it around in my own noggin to understand.

The new slogan for Energias de Portugal, which trades over the counter in the U.S. as EDPFY, not only exemplifies the transitional energy economy moving Europe from fossil fuels to clean power sources...

It also represents a fresh Age of Exploration in a country that was once one of the most powerful and adventurous empires in the world.

Along with Spain, Portugal is part of a 21st-century Iberian revival that mixes European Union green energy goals with the desire to stand out as individual national economies.

We're seeing that phenomenon kick into high gear in Denmark, Germany, Norway, Scotland, and here in warmer climes too.

Spain's Iberdrola Energy (MADRID:IBE) launched its own Iberdrola Renovables (Renewables) as a separate listing on the Madrid Stock Exchange in 2007. Most of Iberdrola's renewable might comes from the stiff Spanish breeze. Tiny towns and big cities in Europe's southwestern reaches are now getting electricity from wind turbines, and selling their surplus to the grid.

Now EDP is using its own country's strength in wind, hydroelectric power, and the world's largest wave energy array, Pelamis, to chart its course forward.

But here's the interesting thing...

Energias de Portugal Renovables will be based in Spain, because Chairman Antonio Mexia knows the larger Iberian market can be cooperative and competitive at the same time, building a critical mass of companies and generation capacity that will benefit everyone.

After all, EDP has nearly 500 megawatts worth of new capacity in Spain planned for construction in the near term, helping it towards the goal of 10,500 MW worldwide just four years from now.

And you can tap that momentum with EDP Renewables' forthcoming stock listing here in Lisbon, which we anticipate will be highly successful.

Rest assured, we'll keep you up to date on EDP and the entire Iberian clean energy scene with Green Chip Review and Green Chip International.

Happy Fourth,

Sam Hopkins

Shell's Wind Energy Project Shelved

"I think instead of taxing income and profits," said my colleague and Profit from the Peak co-author Chris Nelder this week on the Fox Business channel, "We ought to be looking at ways to incentivize the fuels of the future."

In a three-way interview with host Neil Cavuto, Chris and environmental analyst Yusef Robb gave their take on what to do with petroleum profits that Robb called "obscene."

Over in England this week, oil giant Shell scuttled its stake in a model project where oil company profits feed renewable progress, as it pulled out of a scheme to power thousands of London homes with wind energy.

If you haven't seen the Fox Business interview yet, check it out on YouTube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-UdewQcAhQI

As one of the minds behind Profit from the Peak, Chris is more concerned with building up than tearing down. He's really got the Peak Oil scenario covered from every angle, and the overlap with Green Chip Stocks is clear when it comes to the transitional energy economy.

Cavuto clearly had issues with Robb in the TV clip, and probably would've preferred more insights from Chris. Why?

Because his observations and suggestions are pure logic. Logic might also explain why Europe is beating America to the punch in moving things forward.

Oil companies like Norwegian operator StatoilHydro (NYSE:STO) and Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A) have been probing North Sea fields for decades, and now those hydrocarbon traps are in irreversible decline since a 1999 peak.

When I ventured to the North Sea coast of Scotland in 2006, I was there to check out transitional energy opportunities being exploited by Canadian firm Talisman Energy (NYSE:TLM).

Beatrice, as the pilot project just outside Edinburgh is known, is a team effort that combines old and new energy ideas and experts.

With the help of Norwegian rig engineering legend Gunnar Foss, Talisman hooked up an aging oil rig to wind turbines anchored in deep water, piloting a wind farm project with huge job and energy-creating potential.

Not only did project bosses I spoke to see the potential for wind energy to augment oil infrastructure, they knew that deepwater wind had to have the big-time financing and experience of companies like Talisman and brains like Foss to move forward.

That's the kind of resource allocation Chris Nelder's talking about, stimulating new energy from the relics of the old.

But as you probably know, energy progress can be undone. We're seeing that right now in one major U.K. project...

Shell Wind Energy Out... E.ON Still In

We were disappointed to read in the British press that Shell is pulling out of the London Array wind power project in England, which would supply household power for a quarter of Greater London homes when it is completed.

Shell wants to unload its 33% stake, but Germany's E.ON (OTC:EONGY) is sticking with it.

That angers British politicians like Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, who called Shell's withdrawal "very disappointing."

Oh and guess what? Shell, the biggest European energy company in market cap terms, crushed analyst estimates for first-quarter earnings by about a billion dollars...

Even though production only increased by 1 percent!

Those who think oil, or ethanol, or wind, is the only answer to our energy woes... should think again.

We are already seeing a combination of competitive technology and some interesting pairings—like oil companies and wind projects—to create lasting solutions.

And though Shell may have set Greater London renewables back a bit, E.ON is in for the long haul and we could very well see another company come in to fill Shell's space.

Focusing on a proper mix of forward-looking energy supply, government direction and market forces will combine to keep us away from catastrophe. Shell, BP, and smaller companies like Talisman will ensure their long term health by using windfall oil profits to pad against major supply drops.

And investors who play renewable stocks while keeping an eye on forward-thinking oil companies will remain in the green.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins
Green Chip International