Posted: August 29, 2007

As much as green energy investor Tom Konrad looks for small companies with potentially game-changing technologies, he knows that some of the best green investments he’s likely to make are in giant diversified corporations. He also knows that for more conservative investors, these blue-chip giants probably represent a safer option when it comes to green energy.

And so, in this final installment of Konrad’s pure-green stock picks, we look at the giant firms Konrad says green investors should think about owning in addition to the smaller pure-play stocks he has already highlighted.

Actually, a few of these diversified giants were named in previous stories in this series, such as Johnson Controls for its advanced battery business, Archer-Daniels-Midland for its biofuel production, Phillips for its energy-efficient lighting products, and ABB for its electric transmission business.

They are among the companies that Konrad puts on a list he calls his “blue chip alternative energy stocks.”

Konrad, who is an analyst with the respected website AltEnergyStocks.com, includes on this list General Electric Co., whose work in efficient lighting, wind power and a host of other green businesses is well known. The independent investment adviser also includes DuPont Co., which is big in biofuels and other green businesses.

Another firm on the list is Deere & Co., on the grounds that Deere makes the equipment that harvests the crops used to make biofuel. Other blue-chips in Konrad’s opinion are Spanish utility Iberdrola S.A., which is heavy into alternative energy development; and Sharp Corp., which is big in solar electric development. Still another is Spain’s Acciona Group, which has a major renewable electricity generation business.