Public Service Enterprise (PEG) is expanding its utility solar base. Its subsidiary Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) received approval from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities for an additional $143 million for its ongoing solar loan program. This will help the company finance the installation of an additional 51MW of solar energy systems in homes, businesses and municipal buildings throughout its electric service area New Jersey.  PSE&G is a regulated public utility company primarily engaged in the transmission and distribution of electricity and gas in New Jersey. It serves approximately 2.1 million electricity customers and 1.7 million gas customers in the region.  Since the utility's initial Solar Loan Program was approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities in April 2008, customers have applied for loans totaling $105 million that would result in 30MW of installed solar capacity. In addition to the ...

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) is expanding its utility solar base. Its subsidiary Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) received approval from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities for an additional $143 million for its ongoing solar loan program. This will help the company finance the installation of an additional 51MW of solar energy systems in homes, businesses and municipal buildings throughout its electric service area New Jersey.  PSE&G is a regulated public utility company primarily engaged in the transmission and distribution of electricity and gas in New Jersey. It serves approximately 2.1 million electricity customers and 1.7 million gas customers in the region.  Since the utility's initial Solar Loan Program was approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities in April 2008, customers have applied for loans totaling $105 million that would result in 30MW of installed solar capacity. In addition to the ...

A subsidiary of Sempra Energy (SRE) recently became an equal partner of a BP Plc. (BP) unit for developing a 200MW Fowler Ridge II Wind Farm in Benton County, Indiana. 

The Fowler Ridge joint venture is currently under construction on a 17,000-acre site, about 90 miles northwest of Indianapolis and is expected to be operational in the first quarter of fiscal 2010. The 200MW facility will produce enough electricity for nearly 60,000 homes.

The project's entire power output has already been sold under four, long-term 50-MW contracts. Three of these deals were signed with units of American Electric Power (AEP) and one with Vectren Energy Delivery (VVC) of Indiana for 20-year terms each. The project will use 133 wind turbines, each with the ability to generate 1.5 MW.

The Fowler Ridge II development is an expansion of Fowler Ridge I, a 400-MW wind farm that commenced operations

...

Sep. 10, 2009 (Business Wire) — GWS Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:GWSC), an alternative energy company developing and marketing solar and wind-powered renewable energy products and solutions, today commented on the September 2, 2009 ruling by the Maricopa County Superior Court affirming that the Arizona Corporation Commission has the authority to set renewable energy standards and allow utilities to collect tariffs to meet them.

The Court ruled that the Commission has the authority to set the standards as part of its ratemaking and policy authority granted by the state’s constitution. The Commission instituted the standards in 2006 requiring all utilities that it oversees to provide 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2025. In order to do that, many of the utilities raised funds through special tariffs associated with renewable energy.

“This ruling is widely seen as a big win for Arizona’s solar industry and will provide incentives to promote

...

DAVIS, CA — (Marketwire) — 08/20/09 — Octus Energy (OTCBB: OCTI) today announced its affiliation with two University of California, Davis energy efficiency research centers, the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) and the Western Cooling Efficiency Center (WCEC). As an affiliate member, Octus will collaborate with CLTC and WCEC to develop and deploy the Octus Smart Energy Platform (OctusSEP), focused on commercializing innovative and highly efficient lighting and cooling products and systems.

“Smart energy is a dynamic, vibrant, high-growth industry, and CLTC and WCEC are the premier centers of excellence propelling the energy efficiency industry,” said Chris Soderquist, Octus CEO. “Their hands-on, creative, inclusive approach to moving cutting-edge technologies from the lab to the marketplace amplifies Octus’ commercialization activities. With their assistance, we will expedite and optimize the development of OctusSEP, while forging relationships with utilities, regulators, manufacturers and key customers.”

The OctusSEP is a comprehensive energy management system combining

...

Wal-Mart has reached a strategic cooperation agreement with the Chinese offline payment provider Lakala to provide financial services to people in 80 cities across China. With the cooperation agreement, Wal-Mart will be able to provide its customers with one-stop daily payment services, including credit card repayment, payment of public utilities, and mobile phone recharging. Ruan Mingjiang, Wal-Mart's [...]

Sector 10, Inc., the emergency response systems company focused on pre-deployment of life-saving resources for building occupants and emergency responders, has made a point of recruiting senior level people with national and international experience in emergency response and preparedness. The approach clearly represents a long-term strategy of building a strong link to key organizations and decision makers around the world, creating an unparalleled foundation for the company’s future growth.

Sector 10’s commitment to this policy was reflected by their recent announcement that Hugh Neville Cholmondeley, a form senior level UN official with 28 years of international experience in disaster preparation and relief, will join the company’s Business Advisory Board. He will also serve as advisor for Sector 10’s worldwide deployment of their Mobile Response Units (MRUs) for humanitarian and relief operations. MRUs are the company’s mobile emergency material supply stations that

...

Equity income is a good choice for conservative investors who need to rely upon their portfolio to provide income to support their lifestyle.

Equity income investing tends to involve a trade-off between capital gains potential and current cash flow to the investor.  In a depressed market such as the one we are in now, equity income in “safe” companies offers more potential for capital gains than usual, making dividend investing all the more attractive to the conservative investor.

What About Bonds?

Bonds are good for income too, but the income does not increase (with the possible exception of inflation protected bonds and perhaps some variable rate bonds).  Bonds have a definite capital preservation and volatility reduction role in portfolios — and a tax reduction role in the case of municipal bonds.  Dividends from successful companies, however, tend to increase over time, helping the portfolio maintain the purchasing power of its cash income stream.

Contribution

...

Bluegrass Energy Inc., an oil and gas development and exploration company, is focused on growing through internally generated and developed prospects, participation with industry partners in oil and gas exploration, and in targeted joint ventures. The company’s objective is to identify and then develop oil and gas properties that have low geological risk.

The strategy used by Bluegrass is built around securing assets within known producing areas that offer opportunities to use historical results as a guideline, but allow the leveraging of today’s science and technology to optimize reserve recovery. The company’s initial acreage purchase will allow it to secure over 500,000 Bbls of oil and 1.5 Bcf of natural gas in proven reserves.

The company has begun securing leases in Breathitt and Magoffin Counties in Kentucky. Historically, both counties have had solid production histories. The acreage held by Bluegrass in Breathitt County lies on the Eastern edge of the largest producing

...

This small-capital member of the Electronic Instrumentation & Controls Industry from Houston, TX is simply remarkable. The early-September 2008 stock price is a good 30% above the 52-week low of $31.68. The market capitalization is now over $460 million, and the Price to Earnings Ratio is 23.10. What is special about this?

The industry has been a poor performer. It has lost 20% of its collective market capitalization. You cannot get away by blaming the troubled U.S. economy because this industry does not even match the S&P 500 index trend. U.S. corporations in the business of instrumentation and controls suffer the fate of their peers from the world of automobiles in Detroit; rapid decline in the face of international competition.

Business management skills have helped this executive team stand firm and tall in the midst of a crisis in its industry environment. Experience must have something to do with such extraordinary performance,

...