Jim Cramer has been talking about wind power a lot lately. In a July 17 video for TheStreet.com TV, he said: "Wind is going to be, because it's so cheap, a major focus." It's going to be a 2009 story, he said, "so I think every time it goes down, you buy it."

In terms of green energy plays, Cramer said in a July 23 video, solar energy is expensive. "That is not the case with wind," he said. "Wind is really cheap."

On July 28, in a post to his RealMoney blog, Cramer said that the "wind story is a 2009 story in terms of earnings, but it is a takeover and consolidation story right now. Very exciting."

In an Aug. 6 blog post, Cramer called wind power "clean and efficient and able to be integrated to the grid much more easily than the critics say."

During the May 28 and July 15 episodes of "Mad Money" on CNBC, Jim Cramer focused on wind power, which he deemed the cheapest form of renewable energy. Announced during that May 28 show, Cramer's "Mad Money" Wind-ex of wind-power plays includes the following 10 stocks: Trinity Industries (TRN), Thomas & Betts (TNB), Owens Corning (OC), Clipper Windpower (CRPWF), Kaydon (KDEN), Broadwind Energy (BWEN), Woodward Governor (WGOV), MasTec (MTZ), Vestas Wind Systems (VWDRY) and Otter Tail (OTTR).

On July 15, Cramer added Quanta Services (PWR) to the list.

We've combed through his recent RealMoney blog posts, TheStreet.com TV videos, "Mad Money" TV show episodes and "Stop Trading!" segments and compiled the highlights of what he's been saying about how to play wind power.

Quanta Services (PWR): Cramer owns this stock for his Action Alerts PLUS charitable trust. On July 15 on "Mad Money," he said that Quanta, which builds and maintains energy infrastructure, was poised to benefit from a wind-power boom. He called it a Buy at under $29. On CNBC's July 17 "Stop Trading!" segment, Cramer called Quanta the best way to play wind power. "As long as oil is above $100," he said, "wind stocks will work."

In a July 23 video called "Quanta Is a Wind-Win," Cramer again highlighted the stock. "The Department of Energy has said that 30% of our energy can come from wind," Cramer said. He attributed wind's rise to one man, T. Boone Pickens, who he said "has invested a tremendous amount of money." Cramer said that, according to Pickens, the issue with wind is the overhaul of the grid. "When you think of overhaul, when you think of where wind is, you need to be thinking of Quanta," Cramer said.

In a July 28 post to his RealMoney blog, Cramer said that Quanta "is another profitable wind play with billions of orders to build wind farms coming its way. This one's an obvious one."

On more than one occasion, Cramer has said that Quanta will get the "lion's share" of the wind-power boom.

Otter Tail (OTTR): On July 21's "Mad Money" Lightning Round, Cramer answered a viewer's call about Otter Tail: "This is a wind power stock, and I'm bullish on wind power," Cramer said. "But this one has gone up huge, and I think we need to take our profits now."

In a July 28 post to his RealMoney blog, Cramer said that he sensed that the wind power division of Otter Tail could be vulnerable to a takeover.

Owens Corning (OC): This company makes the composites for windmill blades. In a "Stop Trading!" segment on July 17, Cramer said that Owens Corning "is doing a lot of things right" and would benefit from a rise in the wind energy sector. On July 30's "Stop Trading!" segment, Cramer said: "I love these guys! I like the kind of story they are telling."

On his July 31 episode of "Mad Money," Cramer reiterated a buy on the stock and called for four more years of strength in green stocks.

Trinity Industries (TRN): This diversied industrial company is another stock Cramer currently holds in his charitable trust. On July 23, in a video for TheStreet.com TV, Cramer said that Trinity is a train-car play but that it is also a play on wind power. In a July 17 video, he said that if Trinity were to split its wind and rail car segments, "it would be huge!"

Earlier, in a July 9 post to his RealMoney blog, Cramer mentioned a series of pro-windmill ads from T. Boone Pickens. "Obviously it is lost on people, but those will most likely be using Trinity castings," Cramer said.

In a July 28 post to his blog, Cramer said: "I own Trinity because I believe that inside of Trinity is a dynamic wind business with a huge wind backlog." He reiterated his Buy on the stock on "Mad Money" on July 31 and called it his favorite wind-power stock. He said he expects wind to overtake Trinity's flagship railcar business in a few years.

Woodward Governor (WGOV): In a July 28 RealMoney blog post, Cramer said that Woodward Governor "has a solid wind business, but it isn't highlighted or even known." On a July 28 video for TheStreet.com TV, he said that though the conference call didn't mention it, Woodward Governor's press release "made it clear that the wind backlog is very good."

Timken (TKR): In a July 23 TheStreet.com TV video, Cramer said that Timken is largely perceived as an auto play, "but I know that their Timken ball bearings are pouring into windmills." On July 28, in a RealMoney blog post, he called Timken "another upside surpriser last week" and said it has a "ton of ball-bearing-related wind business."

Xantrex (XTX.TO): In a July 28 post to his blog, Cramer addressed the bid by France's Schneider Electric for this Canadian wind play. "The deal is small, $500 million," Cramer said, "but it is significant because the wind plays that matter are being snapped up left and right. Plus, the 55% premium is HUGE!"

On a July 28 video for TheStreet.com TV called "Xantrex Will Blow You Away," Cramer again addressed the acquisition.

Thomas & Betts (TNB): On July 28 on his RealMoney blog, Cramer said that like Timken, Thomas & Betts has a lot of ball-bearing-related wind business, "but nobody's talking about it."

Broadwind Energy (BWEN): During a TheStreet.com TV video on July 17, Cramer called Broadwind one of the few "pure" play on wind power. "But that went up so much that we said, 'Listen, you have to take a little profit.'" A couple of weeks later, in a July 28 blog post, he said that Broadwind could be vulnerable to a takeover.

(Editor's note: At the time of publication and/or original publication of his posts and shows, Cramer owned Quanta and Trinity for his Action Alerts PLUS charitable trust.)

A note from James Altucher:

Every weekend I send an email to Jim Cramer and several hedge fund managers about the most interesting portfolios posted on Stockpickr that week. Usually those portfolios not only list stocks according to a theme but also offer significant analysis as to why the stocks are cheap.

Here are some examples:

Stocks related to drilling the Marcellus Shale

MLPS with yields above 7%

Microcaps trading for less than tangible book

Stocks that do well after Hurricanes

Here's the challenge: Build a portfolio at Stockpickr.com with great analysis, and send me the link. Each great portfolio (with analysis) will get posted on TheStreet.com with your byline (as a "Stockpickr Guest Columnist") and will be included in my email I send to Jim and the other
hedge fund managers on my list.


Posted on Aug. 11, 2008