5 Stocks For Earth Day (AMSC, ENS, FCEL, FSLR, WM)

April 22 is Earth Day, the annual celebration of Mother Earth in all her natural glory. Earth Day promotes clean technologies and alternative energies which help fight green house gasses and carbon emissions. The following five stocks try to ease the burden on Mother Nature in their products and services that they offer.

American Superconductor

American Superconductor AMSC does a lot to help the environment. Its wind turbine designs ends up creating clean, renewable energy to power homes and businesses, and takes away from the use of fossil fuels. AMSC also offers smart grid technologies, which could save between $46-$117 billion dollars over the next twenty years, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

American Superconductor provides wind turbine designs and electrical control systems primarily in North America, Europe, and the Asian-Pacific region. The company also offers a host of smart grid technologies, including superconductor power cable systems, grid-level surge protectors, and power electronics-based voltage stabilization systems for power grid operators.

EnerSys

EnerSys ENS makes industrial batteries, which offer the storage of any energy created. ENS provides a way to store electricity that is created and allows it to be transferred to many different applications. Less energy is wasted when electricity can be stored in a battery.

EnerSys engages in the manufacture and sale of industrial batteries. It also offers related direct current power products, including chargers, electronic power equipment, and various battery accessories. The company’s products include reserve power products that are used primarily for backup power applications. Its reserve power batteries are also used for telecommunications systems, uninterruptible power systems, specialty power, and switchgear and electrical control systems applications, as well as commercial and military aircraft, submarines, ships, and tactical vehicles applications.

FuelCell Energy

Over the past few decades, when oil was cheap and in great supply, there was no market for alternative energy, but as the price of oil rises, fuel cells become more competitive. Fuel cells can provide electricity and heat for buildings and power for transportation. Fuel cells definitely lessen the burden on Mother Nature.

FuelCell Energy FCEL engages in the development and manufacture of fuel cell power plants for electric power generation primarily in the United States, Canada, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. Its core carbonate fuel cell products include Direct FuelCell or DFC Power Plants for stationary power generation applications. The company also develops carbonate fuel cell and planar solid oxide fuel cell technology.

First Solar

Solar energy offers the most efficient energy when utility rates are at their highest. Solar energy also produces at-home, on-site energy, which reduces the mess of building transmission lines or other sorts of towers. Solar energy is clean and quiet and can be placed almost anywhere the sun shines. Also, solar energy uses little water, if any, in the production of zero-emission energy. Other facts can be found here.

First Solar FSLR manufactures and sells solar modules using a thin-film semiconductor technology. It also designs, constructs, and sells photovoltaic solar power systems. The company’s solar modules employ a thin layer of semiconductor material to convert sunlight into electricity. Its integrated solar power systems activities include the project development; engineering, procurement, and construction services; operating and maintenance services; and project finance.

Waste Management

As North America’s largest recycler, Waste Management WM managed more than 7 million tons of recyclable commodities in 2009. By the year 2020, it expects to increase the amount of material managed to more than 20 million tons per year, helping the environment. Waste Management uses waste to create enough energy to power more than 1 million homes every year. By 2020, it expects to double that output, creating enough energy to power more than 2 million homes. More facts about Waste Management can be found here.

Waste Management provides integrated waste management services in North America. The company offers collection, transfer, recycling, disposal, and waste-to-energy services. Its recycling operations include collection and materials processing, plastics materials recycling, and commodities recycling. Waste Management also provides recycling brokerage and electronic recycling services, including the collection, sorting, and disassembling of electronics to reuse or recycle various collected materials.