INTRO Here's my semi-annual exercise to see if I remember why I own the stocks I own, and so I can check back and see if their stories have changed. I post in case it helps others too.

Real Goods Solar
RSOL (market cap $0.055B)
Real Goods Solar is a spin-off from Gaiam (GAIA), which bought Real Goods Trading Company (RGTC). Now Real Goods installs solar power systems in a few states (CA, CO?) that subsidize solar energy. Until recently they also sold DIY alternative energy components and systems, but they decided to discontinue the snail mail catalog and currently the online site is down during revision.

While it looks high-tech, Real Goods is essentially a construction firm with an online retail DIY presence. I think they are well positioned and could grow substantially, especially if they leveraged their name, online presence, and heritage to enable global electricity de-centralization; a field that may be about to grow enormously.

Their financials are good. They are profitable, though I don't know how the profit would survive a lack of subsidies. There are competitors, but I believe the market is potentially larger than all of them, hence my interest in the DIY market. Of course, reliable and cheap cold fusion could radically undermine them, but every power-related company will be affected by the extensive and impressive work being pursued in a variety of alternative energies.

DISCLOSURE LTBH by style but have only held shares since the mid-2008 IPO. I might buy more if I had sufficient discretionary funds or decide to rebalance my portfolio - and have bought more recently.
(I've also collected links to the other discussion boards and my other stocks over on my blog trimbathcreative.wordpress.com)