Investopedia: Maxwell Offers Energy Tech With A Real Model

Energy tech is a perennially exciting market, even as the attention shifts from year to year among fuel cells, solar panels, wind power, batteries and so on. What makes Maxwell Technologies (Nasdaq:MXWL) unusual, though, is that it's a company with real revenue, real products and actually just a bit of profitability. While there is still very much a "build it and they will come" aspect to the company's targeted markets, Maxwell looks like a better play on the future of power alternatives.

Rare Profitability
A lot of energy tech has been divvied up between unprofitable speculative companies with little more than patents and prototypes and giant industrial/technology concerns. That makes Maxwell's profitability rather uncommon.

Read more here:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Maxwell-Offers-Energy-Tech-With-A-Real-Model-MXWL-JCI-PC-ZOLT0315.aspx

Investopedia: Can Zoltek Keep The Wind At Its Back?

Here's a little secret for investors looking to take big swings at potential multi-baggers: seek out small, poorly-followed, heavily-shorted stocks in out-of-favor industries. Pick the right one at the right time and the gains can be tremendous. That was shown yet again last week as carbon fiber producer Zoltek (Nasdaq:ZOLT) obliterated analyst expectations and reignited hopes that wind power and green power stocks may have a better 2012 in store.

Great Results Across the Board 

Zoltek is followed by just three analysts, and we're not exactly talking about Morgan Stanley or Barclays here, so "beating expectations" has to be taken with a grain of salt. Still, Zoltek reported that revenue rose 43% from last year and blew away the revenue estimate by 30% as the company saw a 33% jump in shipment volume.

To read the full article, click the link:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Can-Zoltek-Keep-The-Wind-At-Its-Back-ZOLT-AMSC-HXL-GE0208.aspx

Investopedia: American Superconductor Flickering

The bad news just keeps coming for alternative energy company American Superconductor (Nasdaq:AMSC). Although the company thought it had made a major step forward when it diversified into wind turbine components, that plan has run off the rails recently. It remains to be seen whether the company can repair its relationship with a major customer and/or find a new and more stable business plan to grow the company. 


The Latest Setbacks
American Superconductor reported a double-whammy related to ongoing issues with its biggest customer Sinovel. The company announced that not only will revenue be "materially less" than $355 million for the quarter (which itself was a big step down from prior hopes), but the company would need an extension to file its 10-K due to the probable need to reverse already recognized revenue.

Sinovel is the second-largest wind turbine maker in the world (and the largest in China) and has been a huge customer for AMSC's turbine components business, making up close to three-quarters of sales. Unfortunately, the company decided a few months ago to stop accepting any deliveries of components for 1.5MW and 3MW turbines and hasn't fully paid for prior accepted shipments. (For related reading, see What Does It Mean To Be Green?)



The full article can be read at Investopedia:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2011/American-Superconductor-Flickering-AMSC-GE-SI-ZOLT-VWDRY-GCTAY0603.aspx.