The Solar Energy Opportunity

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We are living in a time where technological advances are being achieved at an almost unbelievable rate of accomplishment. Drones delivering Mexican food to your door, driverless automobiles and taxis, along with other applications of Artificial Intelligence, are becoming the norm in our everyday lives. As these innovations in our present day become more efficient, the energy used to activate these innovations is evolving as well.

Batteries the size of your smartphone have enough power to start your car, the harnessing of wind and solar power has developed to a point where substantial amounts of energy can be generated from them. Solar energy and Wind can now be used to cool or heat your home as well as run all of your home's appliances.

As the world's technological abilities exponentially increase, I marvel at the advances and how rapidly they are improved upon. Computers that once took up the space of a bedroom can now be manufactured to sit neatly on my lap, or held in my hand.

These advances have also come to the generation of electrical energy from the sun and the wind. With the advancements in energy storage, it is becoming easier and cheaper to store energy for use when the sun and wind are not available.

Now that energy can be produced inexpensively from a never ending resource, the investment opportunity has opened as wide as the Grand Canyon!

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Once again a new innovation is being made available to the masses and there is a potential for great gains to be made. Although the questions still remain, how do you get involved, and which company will dominate this new technology?  Working out my investment strategy in renewable and independent energy sources, I am constantly reminded of the lessons from history. When it comes to inventions and innovations, neither the inventor nor the the innovator are the big winners. The people that control the manufacturing and the distribution of these innovations and inventions are the big winners.  

Let's put that theory to the test. Who benefitted most from the invention of the internal combustion engine? I'll even narrow the topic even further. Who benefited most from the four stroke internal combustion used in the Ford Model T?

It was quite an interesting exercise researching this question. When Henry Ford saw the 15 millionth Model T roll off his assembly line on May 26 1927, the answer was quite clear to me. In fact I could not even find any mention of who designed and invented that particular engine. I found some facts published by reference.com that I would like to share:

"The first internal combustion engine was invented by the French engineer J.J. Etienne Lenoir in 1859. It was a gasoline engine with an ignition system. The engine was able to run continuously.

In 1888, Nikolaus Otto built the first successful four-stroke engine. In that same year, Sir Dougald Clerk built the first two-stroke engine. In 1891, Joseph Day made changes to this engine invented by Sir Dougald Clerk, and it became commercially successful."

None of these names are associated with the production of Ford's Model T.

Something about the last line from this quote from reference gets my wheels spinning. John Day made changes to the design of the original 2 stroke engine and it became commercially successful. Hmmmmm!! And that's as close as I could get to finding out who invented and designed the engine used in the Ford Model T.

One more example, and then I'll make my point. When Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb, that's only part of the story.  I like to say it this way - when Lewis Howard Latimer perfected the electric light bulb, who benefitted most from his innovation and invention?

Light bulb by Lewis Latimer, 1883

Lewis Howard Latimer received a patent in January 1881 for the "Process of Manufacturing Carbons", an improved method for the production of carbon filaments used in lightbulbs.

The Edison Electric Light Company in New York City hired Latimer in 1884, as a draftsman and an expert witness in patent litigation on electric lights. Latimer is credited with an improved process for creating a carbon filament at this time, which was an improvement on Thomas Edison's original paper filament, which would burn out quickly.When that company was combined in 1892 with the Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric, he continued to work in the legal department. In 1911 he became a patent consultant to law firms…... Wikipedia

After I did my research, I found that the banker J P Morgan became Thomas Edison's best friend quick, fast, and in a hurry, meaning the banker entered into a relationship that would make him a major force in Energy production from that day forward. When the lightbulb came on the scene it became very clear to J P Morgan, that not only was the lightbulb a great investment, but selling the energy to light up the bulb was even more lucrative. Just as the fuel needed to run an internal combustion engine, the heart of a car, was another investment with enormous potential of wealth for those with the vision to see it.

Throughout the history of inventions and innovations, there is an entity that seeks to control these inventions and innovations and perpetually profit from them. If you like a little Hollywood drama to help you visualize how downright dirty this acquisition of innovation and invention can get, watch the film 'A Flash Of Genius,' and you can see what the Ford Motor Company put Robert Kearns through for sharing his innovation, the intermittent windshield wiper system. Asa G. Candler, practically owned Coca Cola solely, how could he have been convinced to sell the bottling rights for only 1 US Dollar to Benjamin Thomas, Joseph Whitehead and John Lupton? When it comes to the possibility of making billions over lifetimes things can get a little 'Gangsta' real fast.

This scenario will play out in the production of energy from solar power and the storage of energy. The people profiting from energy production now are not happy about their fortunes, yet to be pumped out of the ground, becoming worthless. And they will use all their resources to control solar power and energy storage.

We as investors need to be vigilant as we monitor this part of the energy sector to see who will prevail, and who will dominate solar energy production and energy storage.

 Here are some firms that are at the leading edge of Solar energy production with public stock that can be purchased.

First Solar Inc. (FSLR)

JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. ADR (JASO)

8point3 Energy Partners LP (CAFD)

NRG Yield Inc. (NYLD)

The battle is still being waged to see who will emerge victorious and dominate the solar energy sector. The aspect I'm going to key in on is who is buying out the small guys and creating the giant in that industry.