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Renewable Investments

Keith Kohl

Written By Keith Kohl

Posted October 5, 2012

Put your money where your mouth is.

When it comes to investing, it’s always interesting to find out who’s willing to back up their words with cold, hard cash…

In the case of natural gas, for example, T. Boone Pickens is one of few drivers on the road filling up his tank for about $1 a gallon. Pickens has millions tied to the future success — or failure — of the natural gas industry.

But all too often, even the most avid proponents of a sector avoid having skin in the game…

Al Gore is a classic example. When it comes to renewable investments, there’s barely a green thumbprint in his company’s public investments.

Perhaps Gore’s lack of faith in green stocks is a testament to where he feels the sector is heading?

Or maybe Gore knows something we don’t…

If you were one of the nearly 60 million people who tuned in for the presidential debate on Wednesday night, you might have caught the particular sound bite that should have resonated with investors.

(It will also gives us a clue as to why Big Green Al isn’t willing to pony up his personal fortune for the renewable cause.)

Former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney told President Obama: “You put $90 billion — like 50 years worth of tax breaks — into solar and wind, to Solyndra and Fisker and Tesla and Ener1. I had a friend who said: ‘You don’t just pick the winners and losers; you pick the losers.’”

Okay, so the billion-dollar sound bite isn’t entirely accurate (then again, nobody should be surprised to hear a politician present only partial or skewed facts), but we can see what has given Mr. Gore cold feet when it comes to investing in renewables…

Nick vs. Obama: The Difference Between Profit and Loss

You see, there was a lot more money lost than just Obama’s taxpayer bet in these failed green companies.

And it’s unfortunate that so many investors were caught up in the premature rush to develop renewable energy. They ended up squandering their cash by falling in step with Obama’s green gamble… and were blindsided when the sh#* hit the fan.

The resulting losses were both unfortunate and unnecessary.

Anyone following the coverage on these green flops knows how bad things have been for shareholders over the last 12 months:

obama bets green and loses

The losses above are just three examples.

Among them, billions of dollars were given out in loan guarantees by the Department of Energy.

Even more disturbing: this list of government-backed failures goes on and on…

Typically, poor repeat performances would keep anyone from putting money in a sector.

It doesn’t matter how strongly you believe in a cause; no matter how good it is, a bad investment will always be a bad investment.

But can we really going to ignore the entire renewable energy sector because our government keeps striking out?

Absolutely not — and here’s why: If any sector of the energy industry has room to move, it’s renewables.

Renewable sources make up only about 13% of U.S. electricity generation. Break that down even further, and we can pinpoint where some serious growth will take place…

Take a look at the following chart:

renewable growth 10-5

As you can see, hydroelectric power makes up 63% of the electricity generated by renewable energy.

Wind comes in second place at 23% (we covered some of the difficulties associated with it last week).

Solar, however, accounts for less than 1% of the total.

This should give you an idea of the kind of growth potential investors are betting on. It was certainly enough for Obama to spend billions of dollars of taxpayer money.

After seeing how the government’s date with solar fared, I can understand your hesitancy to join in the losses…

But my colleague Nick Hodge has proven that a solar company doesn’t need billions of dollars of public cash to be a solid investment.

In fact, his latest solar pick has literally doubled his readers’ money over the last six months:

Nick's play

When it comes to solar investments, Nick isn’t relying on what the White House deems a flop or a winner…

While most shareholders were left holding the bag on Solyndra, Nick was busy doing his due diligence on the company developing a technology that directly addresses solar’s major issues — namely, how to bring down the cost.

Not only can this company’s technology cut costs in half, but it can also double the power output.

So far, this investment has paid of in spades for Nick and his readers…

Take a minute now to learn about this unique “solar” stock — and how you can join them in profits.

Until next time,

Keith Kohl Signature

Keith Kohl

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A true insider in the technology and energy markets, Keith’s research has helped everyday investors capitalize from the rapid adoption of new technology trends and energy transitions. Keith connects with hundreds of thousands of readers as the Managing Editor of Energy & Capital, as well as the investment director of Angel Publishing’s Energy Investor and Technology and Opportunity.

For nearly two decades, Keith has been providing in-depth coverage of the hottest investment trends before they go mainstream — from the shale oil and gas boom in the United States to the red-hot EV revolution currently underway. Keith and his readers have banked hundreds of winning trades on the 5G rollout and on key advancements in robotics and AI technology.

Keith’s keen trading acumen and investment research also extend all the way into the complex biotech sector, where he and his readers take advantage of the newest and most groundbreaking medical therapies being developed by nearly 1,000 biotech companies. His network includes hundreds of experts, from M.D.s and Ph.D.s to lab scientists grinding out the latest medical technology and treatments. You can join his vast investment community and target the most profitable biotech stocks in Keith’s Topline Trader advisory newsletter.

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