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Is There a Reliable Source for Renewable Energy Information?

By Scott Sklar
May 22, 2007 | 8 Comments

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As a non-professional investor, I want legitimate and honest up-to-date info on today's renewable energy world. There are many companies making claims just to get your attention; it's so hard to find honest sites for legitimate information. What do you suggest? --Thomas F., NY, NY

Unfortunately there is no magic website or font of information -- but rather collecting information from a varied set of organizations, media and sources and filtering that information as carefully as possible is the only way to go. RenewableEnergyAccess.com is one of the best to give you the 'lay of the land'. I would also go to the websites of the particular national trade association and to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. If the company belongs to a national trade group, receives R&D awards from the federal or state government, and gets in the energy trade press, it shows they are paying dues, meeting government funding requirements and have some media outreach. Obviously annual sales figures and company's with products that meet technical certifications such as 'UL' or 'SRCC' -- are both important indicators as well. You might want to engage a clean energy investment group, since they carry out due diligence on companies for their investors. The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. and Clean Edge, Inc. have launched the NASDAQ Clean Edge U.S. Index; NASDAQ began disseminating the index on May 18. The Distributed Energy Financial Group (DEFG), LLC, launched the Distributed Energy Stock Index (DESI) in July 2005. The DEFG releases the publication of the DESI Quarterly Reports. For more information, you can also see related trade press on http://www.industrywatch.com.

Additional Information

Bioenergy, Geothermal Energy, Green Power, Hydropower, Hydrogen - Fuel Cells, Ocean Energy, Other, Solar Energy, Wind Power

The information and views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of RenewableEnergyWorld.com or the companies that advertise on its Web site and other publications.

8 Reader Comments

Comment
1 of 8

barry-diamond-65837

May 23, 2007

You are correct that there are very few companies that can actually deliver what they say they can. Some are quietly changing the world of Bio Fuels. One such company is Alliance Consulting LLC. A vertually unknown company that holds the world's largest contract of Bio Mass material (25 million tons of Bio Mass) If you are looking for a patented 25 year old proven system of Renewable Energy from common Bio Mass with 25 years of operational hard data & a newly patented Algae growing Bio Diesel go to www.tree-corp.com for information.

Comment
2 of 8

cheri-olf-64300

May 23, 2007

The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) is focused on accelerating the adoption of renewable energy technologies into the mainstream of American society through work in convening, information publishing and communications.

With a focus on trade, finance and policy, ACORE promotes ALL renewable energy options for the production of electricity, hydrogen, fuels and end-use energy. Over 500 members make up 8 Membership Circles:

End Users: transportation, utility, industry, commercial, and residential
Renewable Energy Industries: components, systems, and services
Associations: trade, labor and consumer groups
Professional Services: law, consulting, architecture and engineering
Financial Institutions and services: lending, investment, and insurance
Nonprofit Sector: foundations, nonprofit and religious groups
Education: Accredited colleges and universities
Government: federal, state and local.

Comment
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eugene-lucas-60935

May 23, 2007

I would be very cautious about investing in solar right now. Three breakthroughs have been announced on this web site in the last month alone - breakthroughs which may well obsolete present PV technology. The 40+% efficient solar cell, the dye enhanced titanium oxide solar cell, and the 6% (soon to be 8%) plastic solar cell portend major changes in solar-electric generation, which may have major impacts on the market.

Comment
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franck-prissert-48399

May 23, 2007

At Capital Max, we have been providing advice on the subject for years, the objective being to invest in Clean Energy while avoiding Pump and Dump waves.

We are leary of ETFs or "pure play" products. Look at each individual stock to get an idea of performance dispersion.

There is no reliable conflict of interest free sell side. Renewable Energy is an emerging industry which requires substantial funding. This means a high level of risk and salivating bankers. Add Julia Roberts and Willie Nelson, you get Earth Biofuels. In the pure play space, 80% of the companies are suspects, 20% are prospects.

From a pragmatic standpoint, there are lots of ways to take an acceptable level of risk. The "food chain" goes from Utilities to the "bleeding edge" companies. In it you will find Industrials, Basic Materials, Information Technology and even Consumer Goods companies. And you must, of course, include Nuclear.

Comment
5 of 8

paul-hales-59835

May 23, 2007

The Hales Energy Group, an informal internet based R&D group interested in renewables and energy saving are compiling a list of known Tidal Turbine design and their contact address for anyone interested in this area.
the list is approx 80 designs world wide and growing, email info@halesenergy.co.uk for a free copy.
Paul Hales.

Comment
6 of 8

Nightrider

May 24, 2007

Scott:

I manage the Renewable Energy Fund, a small private investment fund that is the only "pure play" green energy fund I know about. Our investors have positions through the Fund in wind energy, geothermal, solar power, biodiesel, corn ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, and tidal pwer companies. I research alternative energy stocks every day and do the detective work for our investors. As a private fund registed with the SEC under Regulation D, we are unable to advertise or have a website open to the public, but I send our investors a Weekly Update about industry trends, company news, and govermental activities. If you would like to receive a prospectus, send me your contact information.

Roy Wasson

Comment
7 of 8

virginia-sonntag-obrien-59479

May 24, 2007

REN21 Renewables Global Status Report gives authoritative information
on the current status of RE. Careful research and concise format make the annual report a highly recognised and readable information source. REN21's multi-stakeholder Steering Committee, with representatives of government, business and civil society, ensures objectivity and credibility. http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport
UNEP's Sustainable Energy Finance Initiative - SEFI provides financiers with the tools, support and global network needed to manage investments in the complex RE marketplace http://www.sefi.unep.org Together with the specialist analysis provider New Energy Finance (a must for anyone investing in renewable energy, http://www.newenergyfinance.com), and endorsed by REN21, SEFI is releasing a report on Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2007, to serve as strategic tool to help financiers and policymakers understand the status of the sector's development and weigh their commitments.

Comment
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don-pickard-66685

May 29, 2007

I agree with checking out the CLEN Index. All the listed companies can be found here: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/cp?s=%5ECLEN

For a list of Solar specific companies which includes a few not on the CLEN Index you can go here:
http://www.americansolareconomy.com/MarketDataMain.aspx

It's interesting times these days. The Chinese are making a huge move into the Stock Market. The risk I see is that American companies are going to have real trouble competing on price; I'm hoping we can compete on technology and tech-based efficiency. There are some good looking American Companies, though, and I think we can count on a few more good ones coming out of the woodwork within the next two years.

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Scott Sklar

About: Scott, founder and president of The Stella Group, Ltd., in Washington, DC, is the Chair of the Steering Committee of the Sustainable Energy Coalition and serves... more »