A pretty rough description of investing into renewable energy in 2008 but after the run up in the summer, the fall off the cliff was just as dramatic on the downside. Most renewables lost 60-80% and nobody was spared the pain in renewables. I beleive 2009 will start off from the bottom and dependent on oil pricing , will move up given the Obama push to renewables . I do not like solars going forward given the drop off in prices and the margins being affected by cancelled contracts flooding the solar panel market inventory. I beleive geothermals and biomass will be the true winners of 2009 along with some selected wind stocks continuing to shine into 2009. Vestas, Iberdrola, American Superconductor (AMSC), and APWR are my four horsemen for 2009 into renewable wind power. Of course a lot of luck , a better global economy, and a rising oil price are all needed for 2009 to reward wind investors. I copied the Motley Fool article on investing into renewables for a chuckle below, the comment about one congressman short of a bailout is pretty funny also.

If, after 2008, you’re still looking at the stock market as a way to fund your retirement, most people probably consider you a few congressmen short of a bailout. (Zing!) It’s probably progressed far beyond the point of people refusing to make eye contact with you. In all likelihood, your dog is, too.

Yes, it’s tough proclaiming yourself a bull after a year in which every bull became a steer.
(I sing a little HIGHER in the shower after 2008 renewable singing lessons)

A-Power Energy Generation Systems (APWR:Nasdaq, $4.90, 1,900 shares, 5.71%): A-Power is an under-the-radar name in the alternative energy space. The company designs, builds and installs distributed energy facilities in China and Southeast Asia, providing power generation capabilities separate from national power grids. Shares of A-Power remained volatile this week, initially trading higher on the announcement of the public inauguration of its first wind turbine plant before pulling back as investors’ concerns returned to the weak global economy. We added to our position in late December after the company warned that results for the current quarter will be worse than anticipated. Although we’re disappointed that the company’s growth plans have been delayed by the macroeconomic weakness, we expect to see huge upside in the stock if management is able to successfully begin turbine production and benefit from China’s need to invest in clean energy sources. The stock will likely remain volatile until economic conditions improve, but any announcement of new contracts for turbines or distributed energy projects could send shares sharply higher over the next few months. At current levels, the stock remains a risky but attractive play that could yield big gains.

T Boone Pickens and FedEx have been swapping blogging spit in the debate on which fuel and which renewable option would be better for the universe and the USA. Just google the debate by typing in T Boone Pickens and Fed Ex. My opinion after reading the blogs is that Fed Ex is correct and Boone is just pushing what makes Boone money. The real issue involves natural gas in vehicles (pushed by Boone Pickens) or Diesel Hybrids demonstrated by Fed EX in real life with 80,000 hybrid diesels in the USA. Using natural gas in vehicles would be clean but the USA has no way to build refueling stations for natural gas unless hundreds of billions is spent by the US government. Boone Pickens Clean Energy company (CLNE) is in the business of building natural gas refueling stations (ie, Boone would benefit as more stations are built) and Fed Ex points out that hybrids are here and working for Fed Ex right now.

I have been a supporter of T Boone Pickens in the past but the more I read, the more I see that the only thing Boone backs is what Boone makes money on or off of and the 60 minutes TV interview where he said””its NOT about the money”’ in building wind turbine farms but yet when oil prices crashed and when Boone could not get financing (or so he says), he postponed/cancelled his plans on building wind farms. Well, this debate will go on forever but I agree with Fed Ex and their proven technology that is working as we type versus the “”"Talker of Texas”’ who talks big wind but does he deliver when the chips dont fall his way????