North Carolina-based Duke Energy (DUK) continues to expand its renewable energy portfolio. Earlier this month, the company had declared its plan for building its second-largest renewable energy facility near Casper, Wyoming. The 200 MW Top of the World project, the company's fourth wind farm in Wyoming and ninth in the U.S., will generate enough electricity to power approximately 50-60 thousand households annually.   Duke expects to start the construction work of the project in late 2009 or early 2010, after receiving requisite approvals, and to commence commercial production by end of 2010. The company has signed a 20-year contract with PacifiCorp, which operates as Rocky Mountain Power in Wyoming, for selling the entire output and associated renewable energy credits of the plant.   Year to date, Duke has announced four new wind power projects, with a capacity totaling above 360 MW. Presently, Duke has over 500 MW of ...

Lessons From Japan’s Great Depression

by Alexander Green, Oxford Club Investment Director

Monday I wrote about investment lessons from the Great Depression. Chief among these is that if you bought stocks after the Dow declined 50% from its 1929 peak, you did very well in the decade ahead, even though stocks continued to fall for the next 18 months.

In the decade from January 1931 to January 1940 - amidst the worst economic stretch in our history - bonds, real estate, commodities and cash all lagged the long-term performance of the Dow with dividends reinvested.

That’s a surprise to most investors - and a head’s up to those wondering what the heck to do with their money now that the Dow has lost half of its value.

But what about the other Great Depression, the recent one in Japan? In 1989, the Nikkei 225 traded above 40,000.

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Traveling as much as I do, I get to meet a lot of very interesting people. Like Wayne Shipp.

Shipp’s on his third successful career and, at an age when most people have long since retired, he’s building another multimillion-dollar business with a neat little device called a STEMS Energy Management unit.

Always on the lookout for new investment opportunities, I asked him about what it does and how it helps his customers.

Shipp, the president of STEMS Energy Management, cut right to the chase: “My device helps commercial and industrial customers save big on their electrical bills without huge capital investments.”

Then he added, “I can also help residential customers save an average of $25 to $100 a month off their electrical bills and I can prove it.” Needless to say, after that, he had my undivided attention for the duration of the flight.

By way

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Trading on the NASDAQ Global Market, Comverge Inc. is a provider of clean energy solutions. They are a leading Demand Response and advanced metering company dedicated to providing the best technology and services to the electric utility industry. Headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey, Comverge has offices in Duluth, Georgia; Newark, California; and Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

Comverge Inc.’s solutions improve grid reliability and supply electric capacity cost effectively. They accomplish this by reducing base load and peak load energy consumption. Formed from the Utility Solutions Division of Lucent Technologies and the Control Systems Division of Scientific Atlanta, the company has over 25 years of experience creating innovative demand response solutions and more than 15 patents in the field.

Comverge has more than 500 utility clients in the United States and approximately 4.5 million devices installed. Their “Pay for Performance” gives enterprises capacity that can reduce emissions, eliminate line losses, increase reliability, and

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With over 275 offices worldwide and approximately 8,500 employees, Tetra Tech Inc. is a leading provider of consulting, engineering, and technical services. Founded in 1966, and listed on the NASDAQ, the company operates in three segments: Resource Management, Infrastructure Services, and Communications Services. Their corporate mission is to be the premier global consulting and engineering firm.

Headquartered in Pasadena, California, Tetra Tech began as a provider of engineering services related to waterways, harbors, and coastal areas. Today, they offer expanded services and their fiscal year 2007 revenues were $1.55 billion. Overall, the company provides environmental water/wastewater management, infrastructure services, communications support, systems support, security design, and outsourced technical services.

Their Resource Management division focuses on the management of water resources. They help support government programs for water quality improvement and environmental restoration. They also support the productive reuse of defense facilities as well as engage in strategic environmental resource planning. They

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