The great returns provided by solar module manufacturers such as First Solar and Suntech Power caused me to ask myself: “Self, who is installing all of these solar modules and can I invest there?” I started to look for publicly traded companies that are in the business of solar system installation. What I found was pretty slim. I believe most of the bigger solar projects are being installed by existing commercial construction companies or homebuilders on new homes. I did find four companies that make installing solar systems at least a significant portion of their business. These companies give quite a range of possibilities for the investor:
- Akeena Solar is a pure play solar installation company. They are an authorized dealer for several solar manufacturers and have locations in California, New York, and New Jersey. The company stock trades on the NASDAQ under the symbol AKNS. Though not yet profitable the stock price has done pretty well.
- Solar Integrated manufactures and installs proprietary solar roof systems. The company has recently won several U.S. government contracts to install their photovoltaic roofing systems. Unfortunately for U.S. investors the stock of Solar Integrated only trades in London.
- Hoku Scientific is a Hawaii based company that is into fuel cell design and manufacturing, polysilicon production, and solar system installation. The company is really a start up in all these areas with very little revenue even though it has a 5 year stock chart. The stock trades NASDAQ with the symbol HOKU.
- Gaiam Inc. is an online/catalog marketer of many things green. A subsidiary of Gaiam is Gaiam Real Goods, which is in the solar system installation business. Real Goods offers solar systems in California and Colorado. They have been selling solar panels for 30 years. Gaiam trades on the NASDAQ, symbol GAIA.
Finally the +1, SunPower Corporation is a $12 billion market cap solar manufacturer, but I was surprised to learn they develop and build many of the world’s largest solar power plants. So if you are looking for a solar company that does not just manufacture solar modules, check out SPWR.
Article is for information purposes only, not advise to buy or sell any security.
