Solar Stocks: Nine That Will Shine in a Bull Market

As the market rebounds, investors continue to reward the large cap growth leaders, and alternative energy led by solar has been one of the prime beneficiaries.<!--more--> The need for alternative energy continues to be a main focus for all governments as oil continues it's climb to over $110 a barrel. Solar stocks are getting the most headlines because they are farther along the commercialization continuum and they are more prevalent than their wind and alternative fuel counterparts.

Any discussion about solar companies must start with First Solar (FSLR). Clearly, the leader in the sector according to Wall Street based on its thin film technology, First Solar's stock price has resumed its climb to near record levels as investors await its Q1 earnings report.

Suntech (STP) and SunPower (SPWR) are the next two leading players based on market cap, but they primarily use silicon-based technology for their products. SunPower just released strong first quarter 2008 numbers but some analysts had some concerns about slowing sales growth for the next quarter based on a single comment during its conference call.