| Jesse Pichel of Jefferies & Co. rises from runner-up to third place. The near-term prospects for alternative energy and sustainable technologies depend on policy support — which will be influenced over the next couple years by the outcomes of by national elections in Germany and the U.S., as well as new leadership in China — and the economic cycle, “given the need for credit and underlying energy demand,” Pichel says. Looking ahead, he favors the electric-vehicles subsector, specifically Tesla Motors of Palo Alto, California, which he considers one of the few alternative energy companies “with a sustainable brand and intellectual property barriers, and a war chest of valuable patents and trade secrets.” Pichel also thinks that energy-efficient lighting is “at an inflection point, offering customers a quicker payback versus renewable generation technologies.” One supporter applauds the analyst, who left the firm in late August, for his “good independent checks and good industry contacts.” RUNNER(S)-UP Christopher Blansett Satya Kumar |
