Over the past few months, as election rhetoric heated up and the economy has cooled, one of Barack Obama's recurring themes has been that the secret to America's future will be the development of an alternative-energy economy. To a populace that has grown increasingly weary of the lackadaisical government approach to economic disaster, this has been particularly galvanizing, and was undoubtedly a major influence on the election. Now that Obama has won, however, the next question is how he will transform those exciting New Deal-esque words into concrete action.

John Podesta, co-chairman of the Obama/Biden transition team, may provide a useful insight into this question. In his day job, Podesta is president of the Center for American Progress (CAP), a liberal think tank that is based in Washington D.C. CAP has already drafted a green-energy stimulus plan; with several programs that are ready to go, it would create 2 million jobs, and would cost a relatively meager $50 billion. While there is no guarantee that CAP's plan will be adopted, given Podesta's proximity to the presidency, it seems likely that at least part of it will become reality within the next year. For a savvy investor, this could be a blueprint for industries that are, potentially, poised to explode with a massive influx of new funds.

Green Autos: Obama has made it very clear that he intends to directly tie any automotive bailout to the development of green technologies. CAP's plan calls for a 4% per year increase in fuel-efficiency standards, as well as investment in new battery technology for plug-in hybrids. With this in mind, it's worth seriously considering which automakers are best poised to go forth with more fuel-efficient models. Furthermore, programs like CAP's "Cash for Clunkers" could be a major boon for companies that process or deal in recycled metals.

One of Obama's top priorities is making our nation energy independent with alternative energy. A barrel of oil trades in the $60s and has been coming down for awhile. But over time, energy will probably rise. If our country can build energy independence, it creates jobs, helps our national security and stops the dramatic wealth transfer to potential enemies of our country.

If Obama does what he promises, there will be more investments in the alternative energy field. Instead of trying to pick the best stocks and learn all about these companies, you can own one stock, an ETF (exchange traded fund) that is a basket of the top companies in this sector.

The Market Vectors Global Alternative Energy ETF (NYSE: GEX) is a low cost way to play alternative energy. GEX is built around an index developed by Ardour Global which includes companies that generate power through eco friendly and non-traditional sources. It started the year at $60.45 and has corrected down to $23.27 today.

"Our hope is that the new administration decides to fund 'the future'," says Sean Broderick. In Money and Markets he looks to some favored exchange traded funds offering long-term investors exposure to alternative energy, wind power, electric cars and the rebuilding of our nation's infrastructure.

"We need an efficient power grid that can carry renewable energy -- solar from the Mojave Desert and wind from the Great Plains -- to the population centers of the U.S. Too bad our power grid is 100 years old and falling apart at the seams. And demand is growing every year.

"In addition, we need more railroads for an energy independent America. Building those lines is a good bottom-up way to boost the economy. And we need an electric car program.

"I'm talking about developing mass-market battery-powered cars (hybrid or plug-in) that achieve at least 100 mpg of gasoline on new fleets by the year 2015.

"These three programs have one thing in common: Good American jobs that can't be shipped overseas. If you want to jump-start the economy, that's a 1-2-3 that might work.

Over 32 years, the portfolio in The Oberweis Report has returned an average gain of 21.2% a year vs. 7.9% for the S&P 500. Here, money manager and newsletter advisor Jim Oberweis, Jr. looks at Suntech Power Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: STP).

"Long-term results notwithstanding, 2008 has been humbling, to say the least. No other year in our history has been as challenging.

"But in our experience, the most favorable buying opportunities tend to fall after a period in which the market has not performed well.

"Although year-by-year results can be volatile, disciplined investors who remain fully invested in a portfolio of high-growth equities selected using our methodology have historically achieved an exceptional average rate of return over long periods of time.

"Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd is one of the leading solar energy companies in the world as measured by production output of photovoltaic, or PV, cells, with leading positions in key solar markets such as Germany and Spain.

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"An Obama presidency would likely mean more to the alternative energy industry than any other factor to date; to benefit from an Obama victory, we would buy Market Vectors Global Alternative Energy (NYSE: GEX)," says Paul Tracy, editor of The Street Authority Market Advisor.

"Obama's 'New Energy for America' plan will aim to put 1 million plug-in hybrid cars on the roads by 2015, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 and ensure 25% of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2025.

"Obviously, to enact such a bold plan would take a massive investment and mean billions for companies involved in the still-fledgling alternative energy field.

"And while investors can certainly pick and choose between individual companies with exposure to the sector, several ETFs have popped up that offer broad exposure to the industry. In particular, I like Market Vectors Global Alternative Energy.

"With this ETF, shareholders have a healthy stake in hydroelectric power generators, solar cells, as well as some exposure to gasoline alternatives such as ethanol and fuel cells.

"GEX shies away from micro-cap companies with unproven business models and loads up on larger, more-established players -- more than half of its assets are invested in companies with market caps of $6 billion or greater.

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"John McCain has said that nuclear power must be part of a plan to address climate change and reduce our dependence on foreign oil; to benefit from this plan, buy Shaw Group (NYSE: SGR), which constructs and maintains nuclear power plants," says Paul Tracy in his Street Authority Market Advisor.

"Today, nearly half of U.S. electricity is created via conventional coal-fired plants. This made sense for us for decades -- coal is so cheap and plentiful here that the United States is often referred to as the Saudi Arabia of coal.

"However, in the past few years, the tide of public sentiment has shifted against the energy source. Primarily this is due to the emissions created by burning coal for electricity.

"In addition to the well known release of carbon dioxide, coal emissions also contain traces of mercury. On top of that, the rise of China and other emerging markets has led to higher costs for coal.

"So with a public that is increasingly interested in alternative sources of electricity and a president who is committed to increasing nuclear power usage, the companies that build and maintain nuclear plants sit in the perfect position to benefit.

"In particular, I think Louisiana-based Shaw Group is a stock to watch. SGR's largest end market is the construction and maintenance of power plants, including both plants fired by fossil fuels and nuclear facilities.

"The company also owns a 20% stake in Westinghouse Electric, one of the world's leading designers and builders of nuclear power plants.

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"If McCain is elected, we would suggest USEC (NYSE: USU); after slumbering for over 20 years, nuclear power is quickly emerging from hibernation and will be satisfying a much larger percentage of the nation's energy-hungry appetite during McCain administration," says value investor Nathan Slaughter, editor of Half-Priced Stocks.

"Currently, there are 104 nuclear plants in operation nationwide, which combined, account for 20% of the country's electricity. But both of those totals are set to rise markedly. Current forecasts suggest nuclear facilities could double their share and ultimately account for 40% of power in the U.S.

"There are several factors underpinning this resurgence in nuclear energy, not the least of which is $100 per barrel oil and elevated prices for natural gas and coal.

"Believe it or not, one kilogram of uranium-235 has the stored energy equivalent of 1,500 tons of coal. And while up-front construction expenses can be high, ongoing operating costs for nuclear reactors are running just $15-20 per megawatt hour, far cheaper than traditional plants.

"John McCain is an outspoken champion for the nuclear power movement, outlining ambitious plans to commit $315 billion towards the construction of 45 new reactors over the next two decades.

"Beyond that, he has a clear goal of achieving energy independence by building '100 new plants to power the homes and factories and cities of America.'

"All of this spells plenty of opportunity for USEC, owner of the nation's only uranium enrichment facility. The company is in the business of supplying fuel for commercial reactors around the world -- and competition is sparse.

"The firm also benefits from a longstanding nuclear non-proliferation treaty with Russia. Specifically, USEC participates in the salvaging of old Soviet nuclear warheads under the 'Megatons to Megawatts' program.

"The company has carved out a dominant market share and now supplies about half of the nation's enriched uranium (most of the rest comes from Russia).

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"My pick for an Obama victory would be Cosan (NYSE: CZZ), a major Brazilian maker of ethylene from sugar; the company should benefit as the U.S. expands its use of alternative fuels," says Vivian Lewis, editor of Global Investing.

"Cosan will benefit from growing world demand for sugar. But it is also an alternative energy play because Brazil leads the world in production and distribution of ethylene, a policy undertaken after the first oil price shock of 1974.

"Obama is not happy with U.S. dependence on OPEC oil imports; and, obviously, the Brazilians are much less of a threat to our values, with the country now a democracy with free elections and a rather liberal economic policy.

"The U.S. ethylene market currently remains closed to Brazilian exports as we try to making the stuff from corn. But some of that nonsense may not survive.

"If the U.S. is serious about alternative fuels, then these alternative fuels should be as easy to import to the U.S. as crude oil, if not easier. After all, Brazil does not finance terrorists.

"While many have been focused on the falling price of oil, I forecast that the price drop will soon reverse.

"Meanwhile, the London-based International Sugar Organization says regardless of what happens to the world economy, demand for sugar will exceed supplies this year for the first time since 2006.

"Brazil is the world's top sugar producer, and it will use 56% of its production to make ethanol. Cosan management says they plan to increase production and expect the strengthening dollar to give an extra boost to earnings.

"In my view, Cosan is cheap. The stock was recently trading at half its 12-month high. It already ships its ethylene and sugar diesel fuel to European markets, which are more sensible about encouraging alternatives than is our current government in Washington."

Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers a daily look at the latest market commentary and favorite stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"An Obama administration is likely to be very aggressive in subsidizing and promoting alternatives, including a windfall tax on oil firms to support development of alternative energy; SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) is our pick to play an Obama victory," says Elliott Gue in The Energy Strategist.

"Obama's energy plan calls for generating 10% of electricity from renewable sources by 2012 and 25% by 2025, an aggressive goal when you consider that less than 3% of America's power comes from non-hydropower renewables today.

"Obama has also proposed a windfall tax on oil companies that would be used to support the development of alternatives like solar and wind power.

"SunPower manufactures and sells photovoltaic (PV) solar panels for the residential, commercial and utility-scale markets.

"Residential and commercial solar systems are solar panels installed on the roofs of homes and businesses, designed to supplement power supply from the electric grid.

"And SunPower recently won a contract with Florida-based utility FPL to build the largest photovoltaic plant in North America, a 25 megawatt utility-scale plant in DeSoto County, Florida.

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"If Barack Obama wins, look to AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV), a company involved in both unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and alternative energy solutions," says tech and science expert Gregg Early, editor of The Real Nanotech Investor.

"For Baby Boomers or aviation fans, the founders of the company were the people that brought us the Gossamer Albatross in the 1970s, a human powered plane that flew over the English Channel.

"The company that formed from Dr. Paul MacCready's fascination of manned flight eventually transitioned into a business that focused on unmanned flight, more precisely unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

"This work on UAVs made the company a long-time partner with NASA in developing the concept of unmanned aviation.

"When 9/11 came, and we set off to war and birthed the Department of Homeland Security -- the largest agency built by the government since the Department of War -- UAVs became one of the hottest sectors in the armed force and homeland security.

"AeroVironment started getting a lot of those orders. What's more, the company has two other divisions.

"One focuses on 'architectural wind' power for urban settings. The other focuses on industrial/consumer electric vehicle charging systems as well as solar pump controllers that use solar power to pump water, run water purification, etc. in remote areas.

"Between next-generation defense products and alternative energy solutions, this company will doubly benefit from a president focused on technology and innovation to secure the U.S. competitive position in the world again."

Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers a daily look at the latest market commentary and favorite stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

"The positive side to any correction is that it brings valuations down to earth for stocks you may have thought were out of your reach," says Genia Turanova.

The contributing editor to Stephen Leeb's The Complete Investor explains, the "Along with the energy sell-off, unregulated utilities have declined even more-to bargain levels." Here's a look at Florida-based FPL Energy (NYSE: FPL).

"FPL is one of our favorite alternative energy holdings. And with the recent selloff, its yield once again qualify the stock as a legitimate full-fledged income plays.

"And as its quarterly results indicate, the unregulated utility is relatively immune to the nation's slowdown, making them among the surest growers in the marketplace today.

"The skies over the Sunshine State have been quite dark because of the housing sector's woes and the subsequent credit crunch. As a result, the Florida-based company's adjusted earnings per share increased 'only' 8% on a year-over-year basis.

The large hedge fund run by Texas energy king T. Boone Pickens has lost $1 billion this year. He bet that oil would go up. Instead, it went down. That makes his push for wind power and the use of natural gas to run cars look a little silly.

According to The Wall Street Journal," the downturn in energy has blindsided the industry veteran, leaving one of his hedge funds that focuses on energy stocks down almost 30% through August." Pickens says that oil will move back up unless the global economy goes into a very deep recession.

The loss make Pickens look like a fool. He has been lobbying both in Congress and in public that high oil prices are killing the U.S. economy. The U.S., he says, needs to move its energy consumption to natural gas and wind energy. His big push is to cut America's dependence on foreign oil.

His plan relies on converting the auto industry's manufacturing process to one that builds cars that use natural gas. The industry is moving toward electric power. He also wants to set up windmill farms all over the U.S. How these will connect into the current electricity power grid still has to be worked out. In other words, it may not work at all.

If oil prices keep going down, oil may still be the least expensive way to power cars and industry. The huge cost of turning the nation's infrastructure to operating on other energy sources is simply too great. And Pickens is losing his credibility as an energy expert if he can't even forecast the price of crude.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

There are times when you need an archive of information and evidence to make an argument.

Then there are times when one simple fact or incident makes the case by itself. (Which, incidentally, may very well be the genesis of the adage "A picture says a thousand words.")

Evidence item of consequence: a lunch that global trade consultant Edward Goldberg, a colleague of New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, had with a Russian trade attaché.

The Russian trade attaché, Friedman relates, years ago was delighted to hear from Goldberg that the Bush administration wanted to drill for oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The reason? The amount of oil derived would be negligible in terms of the U.S.'s needs, and it signaled that the Bush Administration was not planning to do anything to establish an alternative energy program, "which of course would threaten the economic growth of Russia."

"We've looked at several ways to play anticipated growth in wind energy; we've also considered titanium makers for that industry's ties to the production of lightweight, modern aircraft," notes Bill Martin.

In his BullMarket.com, he explains, "While the two trends might not appear to have much in common at first glance, Hexcel Corp. (NYSE: HXL) offers a way to play both the aircraft and wind markets.

"The connection is the lightweight, composite materials Hexcel makes that are used by producers in both sectors. Hexcel develops and manufactures advanced structural materials.

"It is the largest U.S. producer of carbon fiber; the world's largest weaver of reinforcement fabrics; and the number-one producer of composite materials.

"Its product was initially developed for the aerospace industry, but is now used in a wide range of applications -- from golf clubs to satellite arrays, and from the rotor blades of wind turbines to life-saving monocoques for Formula 1 race cars.

"It's been a rollercoaster ride for Hexcel's stock in the past 12 months. The shares hit their one-year peak of $27.19 in December 2007; by January 22nd they had plummeted to $17.. The shares rebounded through May, only to fade again. Year to date, HXL is off about 15%.

"Around the globe, wind-generating capacity has been expanding at a rapid 30% clip in recent years," notes value investor Nathan Slaughter, who adds, "And 2008 is already shaping up to be even better."

The editor of Half-Priced Stocks looks at industrial product firm Trinity Industries (NYSE: TRN), explaining, "The company's most promising division is involved in the production of structural wind towers." Here's the advisor's of the latest addition to his "deep-discount' model portfolio.

"Led by states such as Texas and California, wind farms around the country will generate almost 50 billion kilowatt hours of electricity this year. Of course, the U.S. is still playing catch-up with many other regions.

"In fact, countries such as Spain, Portugal and Denmark all rely on wind farms for as much as one-quarter of their total power needs. Across Europe, wind turbines will account for roughly one-third of all new generating capacity installed over the next few years and could provide electricity for 90 million people by 2010.

"The outlook is even brighter in many booming, energy-hungry Asian markets. In China, installed wind power capacity surged +130% last year and will reportedly supply a great deal of the electricity needed for the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

"Thanks to the great strides in engineering, wind turbine output has increased by a factor of ten (or higher in some cases) over the past decade.