Top 5 New Companies To Own In Right Now

It's been a bumpy ride for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) this morning, which is down 57 points at 11 a.m. EDT. Following another record close yesterday, the index has been fighting to stay close to those new heights after disappointing economic and international news generated concerns among investors. And with earnings season under way, new records are being set in the financial sector, but shareholders may be looking for quality over quantity.

Economic concerns abound
Retail sales fell 0.4% last month, disappointing analysts and investors, who had expected a flatline trend for March. On top of the weakened retail news, the University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index fell to a nine-month low, with many consumers feeling concerned about the economic recovery stalling. The index tumbled from 78.6 down to 72.3,�while analysts had expected a measly 0.1-point drop. While the question remains as to how consumer spending will ramp up in the future, the current news signals a slowing thanks to increased taxes and forced unpaid furloughs for government employees.

Top 5 New Companies To Own In Right Now: WaterFurnace Renewable Energy Inc (WFIFF)

WaterFurnace Renewable Energy, Inc. specializes in the design, manufacture and distribution of geothermal and water-source systems. It�� the United States subsidiary companies are WaterFurnace International, Inc. (WaterFurnace) and LoopMaster International, Inc. (LoopMaster). In December 2010, it incorporated two Australian subsidiaries: WaterFurnace International Asia Pacific Pty. Ltd. (WaterFurnace Asia Pacific) and Hyper WFI Pty. Ltd. (Hyper WFI). WaterFurnace designs, manufactures and distributes geothermal water source heating and cooling systems for residential, commercial and institutional buildings. LoopMaster installs geothermal loops for residential applications, does commercial conductivity testing and provides design and installation assistance. Hyper WFI designs, develops and builds devices that limit the inrush current, which electric motors draw upon start up. On January 21, 2011, the Company acquired inventory and fixed assets from Binary Engineering Pty. Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Konrad]

  Waterfurnace has appeared in my annual picks several times over the years because they are a pure-play leader in geothermal heat pumps, which the US EPA calls "the most efficient way to heat and cool a building."  Heat pumps have a high up-front cost, and so they benefit from low interest rates and a high price of heating alternatives, such as natural gas.  Recent low natural gas prices have been hurting Waterfurnace's business, which has recently driven the stock price down and brought the dividend yield up to a very attractive 6.74%.

Top 5 New Companies To Own In Right Now: SunPower Corp (SPWR)

SunPower Corporation, incorporated in April 1985, is a vertically integrated solar products and services company that designs, manufactures and delivers solar electric systems worldwide for residential, commercial, and utility-scale power plant customers. The Company operates in two business segments: the Utility and Power Plants (UPP) Segment and the Residential and Commercial (R&C) Segment. The UPP Segment refers to its solar products and systems business, which includes power plant project development and project sales, turn-key engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for power plant construction, and power plant operations and maintenance (O&M) services. UPP Segment also sells components, including huge volume of sales of solar panels and mounting systems to third parties, sometimes on a multi-year, firm commitment basis. The R&C Segment focuses on solar equipment sales into the residential and small commercial market through its third-party global dealer network, as well as direct sales and EPC and O&M services in the United States and Europe for rooftop and ground-mounted solar power systems for the new homes, commercial and public sectors. In May 2012, K Road Power Holdings, LLC (K Road) and SunPower Corp announced that K Road acquired the 25-megawatt (AC) McHenry Solar Project, which the Company designed. In January 2013, the Company MidAmerican Solar acquired the 579-megawatt Antelope Valley Solar Projects (AVSP), two co-located projects in Kern and Los Angeles Counties in Calif from SunPower.

In January 2012, the Company completed its acquisition of the wholly owned Total SA subsidiary Tenesol SA, a global solar provider. In September 2011, NRG Energy Inc. acquired 250 megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch (CVSR) project from SunPower. In June 2011, the Company introduced SunPower E20 Series Solar Panel (E20) series. The Company�� customers in its UPP Segment include investors, financial institutions, project developers, electric utilities, and independent po! wer producers in the United States, Europe, and Asia. In its R&C Segment, the Company primarily sells its products to commercial and governmental entities, production home builders, and its third-party global dealer network serving residential owners and small commercial building owners.

Solar Cells

The A-300 solar cell is a silicon solar cell with a specified power value of 3.1 watts and a conversion efficiency averaging between 20.0% and 21.5%. The Company�� A-330 solar cell delivers 3.3 watts with a conversion efficiency of up to 22.7%.

Solar Panels

The Company�� SunPower solar panel series include solutions, such as SunPower E18 Series Solar Panel (E18), SunPower E19 Series Solar Panel (E19), and SunPower E20 Series Solar Panel (E20). Available in a 72-cell configuration, the E18 series panel uses its A300 all back-contact solar cells and delivers a total panel conversion of 18.1% to 18.5%. Available in a 72, 96, and 128-cell configuration, the E19 series panel uses its A300 all back-contact solar cells and delivers total panel conversion of 19.3% to 19.7%. Available in a 96-cell configuration, the E20 series panel uses its A-330 all back-contact solar cells and delivers total panel conversion of up to 20.1%.

Inverters

The Company sells a line of SunPower branded inverters. The inverters are manufactured by third parties.

Roof Mounted Products

The roof mounted products include SunPower T-5 Solar Roof Tile System (T-5), SunPower T-10 Commercial Solar Roof Tiles (T-10), PowerGuard Roof System (PowerGuard) and SunTile Roof Integrated System (SunTile). Tilted at a 5-degree angle, the T-5 roof tile is a non-penetrating photovoltaic rooftop product that combines solar panel, frame, and mounting system. The T-5 solar roof tile systems are primarily sold through its R&C Segment.

Tilted at a 10-degree angle, the T-10 commercial solar roof tiles is a non-penetrating panel interlock system! . Dependi! ng on geographical location and local climate conditions, this can allow for the generation of up to 10% more annual energy output than traditional flat roof-mounted systems. The T-10 commercial solar roof tile is primarily sold through its R&C Segment.

PowerGuard is a non-penetrating roof-mounted solar panel that delivers electricity while insulating and protecting the roof membrane from ultraviolet rays and thermal degradation. The PowerGuard roof system is primarily sold through its R&C Segment. SunTile solar shingles are designed to replace multiple types of roof panels, including the common concrete flat, low and high profile S tile and composition shingles. The SunTile roof system is also sold through its R&C Segment.

Ground Mounted Products

The ground mounted products include SunPower T-0 Tracker (T-0) & SunPower T-20 Tracker (T-20), SunPower Oasis Power Plant (SunPower Oasis), SunPower C-7 Tracker (C-7), and Fixed Tilt and SunPower Tracker Systems for Parking Structures. The T-0 and T-20 trackers are single-axis tracking systems that automatically pivot solar panels to track the sun's movement throughout the day. This tracking feature increases the amount of sunlight that is captured and converted into energy by up to 30% over flat or fixed-tilt systems, depending on geographic location and local climate conditions. A single motor and drive mechanism can control 10 to 20 rows, or more than 200 kilo watts of solar panels. The T-0 and T-20 trackers have been installed in a range of geographical markets principally in the United States, Germany, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, and Spain. The T-0 and T-20 trackers are sold through both its UPP and R&C Segments.

The Oasis is a solar power block that scales from 1 mega watts distributed installations to central station power plants. Oasis provides a way to deploy utility-scale solar power systems, streaming the development and construction process while optimizing the use of available land. The SunPow! er Oasis ! is sold through its UPP Segment. The C-7 combines a horizontal single-axis tracker with rows of parabolic mirrors, reflecting light onto linear arrays of its solar cells. The C-7 tracker is sold through its UPP Segment. SunPower has developed designs for solar power systems for parking structures in multiple configurations. These dual-use systems typically incorporate solar panels into the roof of a carport or similar structure to deliver onsite solar power while providing shade and protection. They are suited for parking lots adjacent to facilities. Fixed Tilt and SunPower Tracker Systems for parking structures are sold through both its UPP and R&C Segments.

Other System Offerings

SunPower�� metal roof system is designed for sloped-metal roof buildings, which are used in some winery and warehouse applications. This solar power system is designed for rapid installation. It also offers other architectural products, such as day lighting with translucent solar panels.

Balance of System Components

Balance of system components are components of a solar power system other than the solar panels. It includes SunPower branded inverters, mounting structures, charge controllers, grid interconnection equipment, and other devices depending on the specific requirements of a particular system and project.

The Company competes with Canadian Solar Inc., JA Solar Holdings Co., Kyocera Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Q-Cells AG, Sanyo Corporation, Sharp Corporation, SolarCity Corporation, SolarWorld AG, Sungevity, Inc., SunRun, Inc., Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd., Trina Solar Ltd., Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd., Abengoa Solar S.A., Acconia Energia S.A., AES Solar Energy Ltd., Chevron Energy Solutions, EDF Energy plc, First Solar Inc., NextEra Energy, Inc., OPDE Group, NRG Energy, Inc., Recurrent Energy, Sempra Energy, Skyline Solar, Inc., Solargen Energy, Inc., Solaria Corporation, SolFocus, Inc., SunEdison and Tenaska, Inc.

Top Income Stocks To Buy Right Now: Alterra Power Corp (MGMXF.PK)

Alterra Power Corp., formerly Magma Energy Corp., is a global renewable power company. It operates six power plants totaling 570 megawatt of capacity, including two geothermal facilities in Iceland, a geothermal plant in Nevada, British Columbia�� run of river hydro facilities and the province�� wind farm. As of June 30, 2011, its share of this production capacity was 315 megawatt. The Company also has a portfolio of exploration and development projects. The Company owns two geothermal power generation plants (the Svartsengi and Reykjanes Plants) and two geothermal exploration projects in Iceland (Eldvorp and Krysuvik) through its interest in HS Orka. In addition, it owns one geothermal power generation plant in Nevada (the Soda Lake Operation). In May 2011, it acquired Plutonic Power Corp. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011 (fiscal 2011), it sold a 25% interest in HS Orka to Jardvarmi slhf (Jardvarmi), which is a company-owned by a group of Icelandic pension f unds.

Top 5 New Companies To Own In Right Now: WaterFurnace Renewable Energy Inc (WFIFF.PK)

WaterFurnace Renewable Energy, Inc. specializes in the design, manufacture and distribution of geothermal and water-source systems. It�� the United States subsidiary companies are WaterFurnace International, Inc. (WaterFurnace) and LoopMaster International, Inc. (LoopMaster). In December 2010, it incorporated two Australian subsidiaries: WaterFurnace International Asia Pacific Pty. Ltd. (WaterFurnace Asia Pacific) and Hyper WFI Pty. Ltd. (Hyper WFI). WaterFurnace designs, manufactures and distributes geothermal water source heating and cooling systems for residential, commercial and institutional buildings. LoopMaster installs geothermal loops for residential applications, does commercial conductivity testing and provides design and installation assistance. Hyper WFI designs, develops and builds devices that limit the inrush current, which electric motors draw upon start up. On January 21, 2011, the Company acquired inventory and fixed assets from Binary Engineering Pty. Ltd.

Top 5 New Companies To Own In Right Now: Alterra Power Corp (MGMXF)

Alterra Power Corp., formerly Magma Energy Corp., is a global renewable power company. It operates six power plants totaling 570 megawatt of capacity, including two geothermal facilities in Iceland, a geothermal plant in Nevada, British Columbia�� run of river hydro facilities and the province�� wind farm. As of June 30, 2011, its share of this production capacity was 315 megawatt. The Company also has a portfolio of exploration and development projects. The Company owns two geothermal power generation plants (the Svartsengi and Reykjanes Plants) and two geothermal exploration projects in Iceland (Eldvorp and Krysuvik) through its interest in HS Orka. In addition, it owns one geothermal power generation plant in Nevada (the Soda Lake Operation). In May 2011, it acquired Plutonic Power Corp. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011 (fiscal 2011), it sold a 25% interest in HS Orka to Jardvarmi slhf (Jardvarmi), which is a company-owned by a group of Icelandic pension funds. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Konrad]

  Alterra is another hold-over from 2012, which I also expected to remove from the list until the stock unexpectedly declined over the last few weeks.  Alterra owns a portfolio of run-of-river hydroelectric and Wind projects in Western Canada, as well as geothermal projects in the Western US, Iceland, and Chile.  With its diverse and growing portfolio of operating renewable energy projects, Alterra is one of the most stable of the small renewable energy developers, but not yet so big that its assets are fully valued.  

  A recent agreement with Philippine utility EDC could easily lead to significant price appreciation if the companies jointly develop Alterra's projects in Peru and Chile as envisioned in the agreement.