Kenneth Reid, editor of Spear's Security Industry Analyst, recommends First Solar for the "disruptive innovation" potential of its solar cell films. "Not only is the patented process fast, it uses only about 1% of the expensive semiconductor material required to produce crystalline silicon solar modules. The cadmium is recycled from zinc smelting waste, another plus, and the modules themselves can be recycled."

SunPower, a publicly traded subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor, produces some of the world's most efficient solar cells, says Kenneth Reid of Spear's Security Industry Analyst. He expects production at SunPower to double each year of this decade. Analysts expect 88% growth in earnings per share for 2007, and the company has a history of beating estimates.

David Redstone, editor of Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Investor, follows several fuel cell stocks, but the only one he likes is Medis Technologies, a company that develops direct liquid fuel cell products for portable electronic devices. Redstone offers several reasons for being so bullish on Medis. Among them: Development of Medis' portable cellphone charger is now complete, and the product is listed by Underwriters Laboratories. He also likes the company's $80 million in cash and no debt, and the fact that half of the float is sold short--shorts that he believes will be forced to cover in droves "when orders from big-name customers are announced."

Stephen Leeb, editor of the Complete Investor, has a China-flavored alternative-energy play with Suntech Power, a Chinese producer of photovoltaic (PV) cells that integrate directly into building materials. The company has a commitment to be the "lowest cost per watt" PV cells in the industry, says Leeb, and Suntech will be supplying solar power to Beijing's Bird Nest Stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics. This Jiangsu-based company is also expected to be the biggest winner if the government's plan to build the world's largest solar power station goes through.

Curtis Hesler, editor of Professional Timing Service, has an "old-is-new" alternative energy idea: coal, which can be converted into fuel for transportation and is already a reliable source of power plant fuel. He recommends Fording Canadian Coal Trust, a Canadian income trust that currently yields more than 14%. The stock fell after the Canadian government announced on Oct. 31 that it would begin taxing trust income in 2011. "Meanwhile, Fording, which is an open-ended mutual fund really, keeps making money," says Hesler. "Coal is the most practical answer there is to picking up the slack between a dwindling supply of crude oil and increasing global demand for energy and fuel.