A Solar Energy Secret Uncovered: Real Goods Solar

Photo of Paul Ausick
By Paul Ausick Updated Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

Solar rooftop installation
Thinkstock
Last Friday shares of Real Goods Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: RSOL) virtually doubled. Shares are up another 50% so far today and have been trading around $6 a share after posting a new 52-week high of $6.43 earlier. That’s still about 30% below the solar PV installer’s 2008 IPO price of $9.25, but after languishing below $2 a share for more than a year, no one’s complaining.

Another pure-play solar energy installer, SolarCity Corp. (NASDAQ: SCTY) has also posted a new 52-week high this morning. Like Real Goods, SolarCity put up quarterly results that included a larger net loss than in the same quarter a year ago. SolarCity managed to snag more revenue than it did a year ago, but that mark eluded Real Goods, which saw an 8% drop in year-over-year revenues.

Real Goods has signed a deal with homebuilder Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) to install solar PV at some of the homebuilder’s new communities in California, with a potential to expand to other areas of the country.

Both Real Goods and SolarCity operate exclusively in the U.S., so neither is taking advantage of the expanding solar market in Japan. SolarCity and Real Goods both offer solar PV systems that have no upfront cost for home and business owners willing to sign a 20-year power purchase agreement.

Other than the fact that Real Goods has remained in the background since is IPO 10 years ago this month, there’s really not an awful lot of news or data to warrant such a steep, quick jump in the share price. But installation of solar energy is where the profits will be for the near term. SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR), First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), and MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (NYSE: WFR) all have installation operations as well, so there is stiff competition from large firms to say nothing of local installers. But it’s where the money is right now, and with stabilizing prices for solar modules, margins and profits could be about to get better.

Photo of Paul Ausick
About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for a673b.bigscoots-temp.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618