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Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) and solar technology company SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWRA) teamed up today with an agreement for Wells to finance up to $100 million in new solar energy systems. SunPower will create agreements with end power users and handle operational issues, and Wells will finance and retain ownership of the systems, according to a pair of press releases from the two companies.

The Business Insider says that a research note from FBR Capital says this amount will allow SunPower to add about 20-25 MW of capacity, and that pricing for the solar power will be at competitive rates of under $0.15/kwh. The overall effect on earnings is expected to be immaterial. The average estimate for EPS for the 2009 fiscal year is $1.07, but with a wide range of $0.03 to $1.48. EPS last year was $2.28.

"Investors have given up on the water industry -- the sector has fallen 60% -- but the best firms have hardly missed a beat," says utility sector specialist Roger Conrad.

In Personal Finance, the advisor reviews the outlook for the sector and two of his favorite stocks -- American Water Works (NYSE: AWK) and Aqua America (NYSE: WTR).

"The EPA stimates the US will have to spend $335 billion over the next decade to keep the taps turned on, given aging infrastructure and supply degradation.

What's the next bubble? Perhaps it's the global spending on infrastructure.

No doubt, there will be some big-time winners, especially large engineering companies. One example: Siemens AG (NYSE: SI), which is the largest engineering operator in Europe.

Interestingly enough, the company said that – over the next three years – it will win about $21 billion in projects from the stimulus bonanza. Something else, roughly 40% of the projects will involve environmental technologies.

We're still in the early stages of this trend, but it's pretty clear that the green energy sector is fast becoming a venture capital darling. Today, for example, five deals were announced in one publication alone (three VC, two acquisitions). The three investments account for $47.4 million in VC investment. And only yesterday, Solazyme picked up another $57 million in its Series C round.

In what remains a capital-constrained market, the cash is still flowing. In the private equity space, investments in clean technologies have remained steady from 2007 to 2008, despite broader economic calamity. Such commitment this early in the game may hint at what the next bubble will be.

When Charles Dickens wrote, "Bring in the bottled lightning, a clean tumbler and a corkscrew," it's safe to say the great English novelist wasn't referring to energy technology. But in the 21st century we know that a whole lot of bottled lightning can be uncorked using a variety of sophisticated devices -- and one of the most interesting types is fuel cells.

Today we got lightning news from one of the best companies in the fuel cell space, the aptly named FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ: FCEL). Although the company reported lower product sales and revenues for fiscal Q2 of $19.3 million compared to $26.4 million in fiscal Q2 a year ago, it did say that the prior year product sales and revenues were unusually high due to timing.

Venture capital firms Braemar Energy Ventures and Lightspeed Venture partners led the Series C round for Solazyme, Inc., putting $57 million in fresh capital into the company. This brings total outside financing to above $76 million for the algae-derived biofuels company ... and shows yet another sign of life for private investment in green technology.

Solazyme uses microalgae biotechnology for the production of clean fuels, green chemicals, edible oils, and wellness products. The company seeks to "answer the increasing global demand for clean and renewable sources of oil" through sustainable and scalable technologies. The company's renewable oil production process relies on industrial fermentation, in which the algae consume nonfood biomass and industrial byproducts, which the algae converts to oil. End products include renewable diesel, biodiesel, and jet fuel.

"Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI), which is involved in the build-out of smart grids -- has been our radar screen for awhile," says growth stock expert Toby Smith.

In his ChangeWave Investing, he suggests, "As the top supplier of smart meters and meter infrastructure for the electricity industry, Itron is by far the best-positioned company for the smart grid build-out."

"The build-out of smart grids employs technologies that deployed across an energy grid which allow greater efficiency and flexibility during energy distribution and transmission.

"The cool thing about smart grids is that they are capable of isolating and better managing power outages and disruptions, integrating local power generating equipment, and avoiding electricity congestion or bottlenecks.

Investments in clean energy projects and companies reached $155 billion last year, surpassing fossil fuel investments. According to a United Nations report, $13.5 billion in new private investment was directed to companies that are developing new technologies, with almost half that (according to Private Equity Intelligence, Ltd.) coming from clean technology-focused private equity funds.

Clean energy sources account for the majority of energy investments last year, with $105 billion spent on developing 40GW of wind, solar, small hydro, biomass and geothermal energy generation capabilities. Large hydro (25GW) accounted for another $35 billion in investments.

Totaling $140 billion, this accounts for 56% of investments in power last year. The aggregate 65GW, however, represents only 41% of new capacity developed in 2008. Renewable energy dominated the clean technology space, 75% of the total at $117 billion.

Investments in clean energy technology grew 5% from 2007 to 2008, leading to a second consecutive record-setting year. Emerging markets made the difference last year – particularly China and Brazil. China has become the second largest wind market in the worlds (as measured by new capacity) and the world's top photovoltaic manufacturer.

Geothermal appears to be on the horizon for several countries, including Australia and Kenya. Nonetheless, the ongoing financial crisis has put the squeeze on the clean energy space. U.S. investments fell 2%, and growth slowed considerably in Europe.

"Asia is booming again, and one industry that is growing like wildfire is 'green' tech in China," says Mark Skousen. In The Turnaround Alert, he eyes China Green Agriculture (AMEX: CGA)."

"Urban population and demand for energy is exploding, causing pollution and a reduction in per capita arable land to feed 1.4 billion Chinese.

"One way to profit is to buy China Green Agriculture, one of the fastest-growing agricultural technology companies in China.

"Over the past year, ITC Holdings (NYSE: ITC) has been focused on identifying ways to integrate wind and other renewable resources into the power grid," notes growth stock expert Alexander Green.

In The Oxford Club Communique, he explains, "This young company -- that despite being in the midst of the biggest economic slowdown in more than 70 years -- is taking in more than $600 million in annual revenue, enjoying 46% operating margins and experiencing 72% quarterly profit growth.

Brendan Coffey is a specialist on "green" investing; in his The Cabot Green Investor, he looks to alternative energy firm American Superconductor (NASDAQ: AMSC).

Here's his review of the company, which is a player both in wind power and energy efficient wiring that can play a role in improved power grid systems.

"Long an R&D company, focusing on highly conductive wiring, American Superconductor made a game-changing purchase of an Austrian wind company, Windtec, in early 2007.

Ed Begley, Jr. will soon have more options should he be in need of a new electric car. Daimler AG has announced the acquisition of an equity stake of nearly 10% in Tesla Motors (not to be confused with these guys -- five man electrical band, indeed).

The German-based automaker is teaming up with the California company to work on making electric cars "a reality." Tesla is a visionary on the electric-car front; its Roadster, which runs on battery power, is the only electric vehicle approved for highway use in both Europe and North America. (Of course, it also comes with a price tag of $101,500 -- you'd have to save a lot on gas to make up for not buying a Taurus).

Using photovoltaic arrays made of polysilicon isn't the only, or even the most efficient, way to turn the power of the sun into electricity. A rising form of heliocentric electrical generation is called Concentrated Solar Power (CSP).

The basic concept is simple. Use mirrors to focus heat from the Sun's rays on a small area that contains water or some other liquid. The heat is transferred to the liquid, which then turns a generator and creates electricity. Sort of like cooking a hot dog over one of those backyard solar oven kits but writ very, very large.

"Who will gain from the ongoing troubles at the Big-3 automakers in the US?" asks growth stock specialist Brandon Clay.

In his Invest with an Edge, the growth stock advisors takes a look at Tata Motors Ltd. (NYSE: TTM) which is expected to launch the world's cheapest car. Here's the advisor's review.

"Tata Motors is part of one of the largest manufacturing entities on the planet, will soon release the world's cheapest automobile in the United States.

"Debuting at $2000, the Tata Nano is set for a July 2009 delivery. Tata already has 1 million reservations for their mini-car. If they could deliver, it would easily become the best-selling car this year.

"Zero greenhouse gas emissions, 90% average availability as a power source, minimal land requirements and competitive costs: those are just a few of the advantages of geothermal power," explains Roger Conrad.

In his leading-edge New World advisory, he looks at one favorite play on the sector: Ormat Technologies (NYSE: ORA), which operates a dozen geothermal plants worldwide.

"Geothermal's chief disadvantage is geographical limitations to large-scale applications. Geothermal plants are mainly economic in areas of subsurface or volcanic activity.