.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Dear Mr. Berko:

Dear B.W.:

The following issues are publicly traded pure-play solar energy stocks: Evergreen Solar Inc. (ESLR-$9.59), LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (LDK-$44.16), Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (YGE-$31.60), JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (JASO-$51), Solarfun Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (SOLF-$13.85), Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (STP-$42.51), and SunPower Corp. (SPWR-$93.47).

Oh, there are dozens and dozens of Pink Sheet or Bulletin Board issues trading between a penny and a buck a share. Some firms make big money selling “Lincolns” to suckers who think they can score with penny stocks.

Frankly, every one of the seven issues above is egregiously overpriced and reminiscent of the high-tech mania of a few years back. Smart investors were selling worthless shares at higher prices to dumb investors who were selling the same shares to dumber investors at even higher prices hoping they would not be the last man standing.

I don’t consider any of these seven issues to be investment quality. Except for possible short-term trading profits, you gotta be dumber than a turkey in November to buy any of them at their current prices.

Evergreen Solar of Marlboro, Mass., uses a proprietary “string ribbon” technology to make crystalline wafers, which are the primary content of photovoltaic cells. The most recent revenues were $99 million, but ESLR managed to lose $25 million in the process. The stock traded at $17 a bit over a year ago and hasn’t earned a profit in 23 years.

LDK Solar manufacturers and sells multicrystalline solar wafers between 180 and 240 microns in thickness and is based in Xinyu City, China. LDK had 2006 revenues of $180 million and actually earned $1.24 a share. But those are Chinese numbers and they’re Greek to me.

Yingli Green Energy is also a Chinese company that makes and sells the same products as LDK but last year had $335 million in revenues generated from Spain, the United States, Germany and, of course, China. Home ported in Baoding, China, YGE earned 12 cents a share last year.

JA Solar also makes multicrystalline solar cells and is based in Ningjin, China. JASO sold $185 million of solar stuff to customers in Europe and the United States.

Solarfun Power is located in Qidong, China, with $80 million in revenues last year and profits of 26 cents per share from selling the same solar energy products.

Suntech Power Holding in Wuxi, China, with nearly $1 billion in revenues, earned 80 cents a share and sells its products to residential, commercial and public utility users, plus value-added resellers.

SunPower Corp. designs, manufactures and sells various roof and ground solar power tracking systems. Located in San Jose, Calif., this $450 million revenue company, a spin-off of Cypress Semiconductor, earned 23 cents per share last year.

That’s the list, and I wouldn’t own a single one of them at their current prices.

Solar power is an exciting industry with enormous potential and enormous expectations. Of course, seven years ago the tech stocks were equally as exciting: EMC, now $22, was trading at $140; Oracle, now $22, was a $90 stock; Advanced Micro Devices, now $14, was selling at $95 and the list goes on. I promise you that the prices of these seven issues will be significantly lower in a few years. So hold your horses.

Please address your financial questions to Malcolm Berko, P.O. Box 1416, Boca Raton, Fla. 33429 or e-mail him at malber@adelphia.net.© Copley News Service