Sunny skies are here for Ausra, the solar thermal company backed by Kleiner Perkins and Khosla Ventures. The company is looking for a buyer, and it's already talking to three, according to a report by Reuters. Everything is up for grabs, from a majority stake in the company to 100% of it, and the back-and-forth going on is at a "very aggressive level."

The businesses looking to pick up Ausra are said to be global power generation conglomerates but haven't been named yet. So, the clean energy company would be a way for one of them to diversify.

Continue reading Three buyers vying for solar thermal company Ausra

Three buyers vying for solar thermal company Ausra originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple just bailed on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, citing the business organization's view on climate change. The Chamber of Commerce doesn't accept the notion that people are the force behind global warming and has called for public hearings to question the evidence that many accept. But, this has led several companies to leave the group, with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) only the latest.

The technology company stated through Catherine Novelli, a vice president of government affairs, that it would "prefer that the chamber take a more progressive stance on this critical issue and play a constructive role in addressing the climate crisis." Apple resigned its membership "effective immediately."

Continue reading Migration from Chamber of Commerce over climate change

Migration from Chamber of Commerce over climate change originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The more questions you have these days about the investment world, and the more concerned you are about economy over the next few years, the more you should have some of your assets in electric utilities. Regardless if our nation makes a push toward nuclear, solar, or wind power or does nothing at all, electric utilities will remain the big players. Year in and year out they have a stable customer base, pay a higher dividend yield and have a much higher level of predictability than almost any other investment class.

Another factor that is likely to contribute to the growth of electric utilities is the push toward electric "plug-in" cars. I have not done any analysis as to how this will affect global warming, the price of gas, the quality of air, or total national energy consumption, but those issues aside, if we change even 25% of the nation's automobiles to all-electric over the next ten years, that is a lot of growth.

Historically, the Dow Jones Utilities Average has beaten the pants off the Dow Jones Industrial Average for total return. There are short periods of time when the Industrials jump past the Utilities, but over the long haul, investors have done much better with what seems like the less attention-grabbing, boring old utilities. Choosing boring stocks remind you of anyone? Yes, "My Pal Warren" has been buying these boring stocks over the last decade (adding to his others in chocolate, underwear, ice cream and insurance) and you can see the results in the five-year chart comparing the two Dow indices.

Continue reading Serious Money: Electric utilities are the place to be

Serious Money: Electric utilities are the place to be originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• PG&E, San Francisco's utility. Worth $13 billion, this company is seen as a solid local utility that successfully weathered the energy crisis of the last several years. The stock is up $1.29 today to $40.75 on the rumors.
  
• Mercury General Corp., Los Angeles-based automotive insurer. Worth $3 billion, the company has a 16% ROE and a low debt balance. Warren Buffett loves his insurance companies, and the company's stock is up $2.35 to $57.90 in intraday trading on the speculation.
  
• Les Schwab Tires, a Prineville, Oregon-based tire store chain. Founder Les Schwab has retreated following the recent death of his daughter, and the company fits into Buffett's love for innovative and well-run companies.

What will Buffet buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 May 2006 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.