The solutions to our energy problems are going to be multiple and complex. Are the solar companies best to invest in or is  it the wind companies that stand to profit the most. For those wanting to cover their bases, an ETF could be a solution. TAN is group of solar companies which covers that sector. A brand new stock out this week is FAN, which is a basket of wind companies.    Happy Stock Hunting

Thanks for the info.  I think you are right and the answers to our energy problems will be very complex but I do like the wind idea.  Have a good evening

thanks for the info

I agree - we need to rely on more natural resources like the sun and the wind which will always be there.  Knew about TAN, but not FAN - thanks for the info.

The great thing is....wind and solar can be harnest basically anywhere in the world, unlike hydro power.  I think eventually we'll see a step up in the wind and solar power arena.  And hopefully as this comes to fruition, we'll see prices for solar panels and such drop because they will be produced in larger quantities.

Thanks for the tip.

Take a look at BWEN, the wind is blowing over there, even on a hot day like today.

I hate to say, but I have been shorting TAN the last couple of days and have made a nice chunk of change on it.

Good move, nothing wrong with making money, a lot of good stocks are in the negative right now.

Wind and solar stocks will definitely fit into the big picture. They better.

The problem for an individual wanting to use wind and or solar, is that its cost effectiveness takes years to recoupe....Most home owners would not add such a system after the home is built...a new home builder just may opt for such an energy source.  I for one, would most likely not spend $40,000.00 on a new solar sytem to recover the expenses in 5 years or longer....

SHOTCALLER:

The solutions to our energy problems are going to be multiple and complex. Are the solar companies best to invest in or is  it the wind companies that stand to profit the most. For those wanting to cover their bases, an ETF could be a solution. TAN is group of solar companies which covers that sector. A brand new stock out this week is FAN, which is a basket of wind companies.    Happy Stock Hunting

Not that it totally fixes the problem (but consider corn ethanol), but the rebates offered in most states, and the income tax credits, and the good financing options make installing solar in a single-family home actually make some sense.  The energy companies aren't super excited in states like CO where they are required to net-meter at full retail value, but it helps them out in the mid-day when power shortages are most likely, so they don't mind too much.  Meanwhile, for the homeowner's part, think of it as a hedge against future cost increases -- you spend $40k (in your example) now, and you don't have a power bill for at least the next 20 years, even though it took you 5 years of that (again, in your example) to pay for it.  At the end of 20 years, I bet you'll come out way ahead.

I don't know how realistic your numbers are, but $40,000 to install solar power into your home sounds quite extreme to me, and I can tell you for sure that I pay less than $1,000 a YEAR for electric at my house!

However, we are looking into putting a wood burner in at our house, and it will probably pay for itself in the first year with the price of natural gas going up again.  We have lived in our house seven years, and the price of natural gas has nearly tripled in that time!  I used to pay about $500 a year, and now we pay close to $2,000 a year for natural gas.  Wish my wages went up that fast, I might have a chance of keeping up with these costs!!

Sounds extreme to me too. Don't think I'll be signing up.