With just a little more then an hour left in todays trading session four of our technology stocks (RZ, ICLK, LBAS and IMCI) are all in the green and are continuing to push even higher. Each one of these companies has found a specific niche in their sector giving them the edge among thier peers. Today lets take a look at IMCI and ICLK charts and where we see these two companies are headed.

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Is today finally the time for Raser Technologies (NYSE:RZ) to begin its rise in price? From the looks of it RZ is without any doubt pushing full force ahead providing the investment community with some phenominal information and news that has a major driving force in todays stock price. The company recently showcased its 100-MPG Electric Hummer at Plug in 2009 Conference in Long Beach, CA. Even more recently the company annonced that it will be presenting at this upcoming Investor Conferences on September 10 and 11 in NYC and Toronto Ontario. (more…)

Raser Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:RZ) operates as a geothermal power development and technology licensing company in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Power Systems, and Transportation and Industrial. The Power Systems segment develops renewable geothermal electric power plants, and bottom-cycling operations. It has eight geothermal projects under development. The Transportation and Industrial segment focuses on commercializing its Symetron family of technologies that enhance electric motors and related components. It provides electromagnetic machine and power electronic drive technologies for applications in AC induction, permanent-magnet synchronous, and hybrid reluctance electric motors; generators and power electronic drives; automotive alternators; and integrated starter alternators for use in industrial and transportation applications, hybrid-electric and electric vehicle propulsion systems, and other applications where the performance of electricity-to-motion or motion-to-electricity power conversions can be enhanced. The company has a strategic relationship with UTC Power to manufacture the principal components of a geothermal power plant; and a collaboration agreement with Hummer to produce the hybrid H3. Raser Technologies, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is based in Provo, Utah.

Experts agree on a few things about geothermal energy.

Pros:

1. Geothermal is a very clean energy, with zero emissions and zero waste.

2. Because it is from the earth’s own energy, the resource is stable, indefinite and regenerating.

3. Resources can produce abundantly amounts of energy

Cons:

1. Geothermal is expensive. Both locating viable resources and building geothermal plants is incredibly front heavy – capital-wise.

2. Because the temperature of a geothermal resource must be very high, it could be considered a limited resource.

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Capstone energy analyst Adam Adleman thinks so according to his statement in an upcoming BusinessWeek article entitled “Raser, a play in geothermal juice”, scheduled to hit the presses on February 9. The article, which appeared in BusinessWeek’s online edition last night, highlights the fact the geothermal energy remains overlooked as an optimal source of alternative energy despite being extremely competitive on a cost basis and identifies Raser as a “pure play” on the sector.

Raser, A Play in Geothermal Juice:

Inside Wall Street Article/ Video

As the economy stutters, monetizing the largest American geothermal energy find in 25 years is not a bad way to wrap up ’08, if you ask me. (more…)

I just love technology and what better technology is there than green technology? Well, I do believe that over the past few years, as a nation, we have become more environmentally aware and because of that inventors and companies are finding ways to capitalize on this emerging market.

Today, I am going to take a look at two projects that I feel are noteworthy in hopes that our readers find them interesting yet important to our environment. Let’s begin with the nation’s first offshore wind turbine farm that was announced back in mid- July with an estimated ticket price of $1.6 billion.

Delaware Utility and Bluewater Wind are collaborating on this project which will be situated about 12 miles off the coast of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware bringing power to approximately 50,000 homes a year. The remainder of the power will be sold to customers with in the area and the project is expected to begin generating power by 2012. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that our government doesn’t get in the way of this one.

In contrast to the clean power that we can generate from wind, let’s take a look at what the city of San Antonio plans on doing with their sewage. Back on September 11, San Antonio Water System announced it would sell captured methane gas generated from the utility’s treatment center to Ameresco Inc. a Framingham, Massachusetts based energy Service Company.

The city of San Antonio expects to generate $250,000 a year by providing the company with 900,000 cubic feet of natural gas daily and will continue to convert the remainder of the bio-solids into compost that it sells to use in gardens and yards. Although projects such as these are far and few between, our government needs to do a better job of promoting and giving benefits to those companies and citizens who partake in them.

I was searching online for an interesting topic to write about this morning and low and behold; didn’t I come across a local San Diego-based company with a very unique and environmentally friendly solution to the ever-growing global fuel crisis.

Sapphire Energy (private) has developed the world’s first-ever clean crude oil that harnesses both sunlight and CO2. In this day and age, companies such as Sapphire offer a very attractive value proposition to consumers and fuel producers worldwide: Fuel from waste and immensely available and renewable natural resources.

Sapphire Energy has been soliciting funds from private investors over the past several months and got word recently that Bill Gate’s Investment Firm - Cascades Investments LLC – will join their already elite group of investors.

The company has been able to raise more than $100 million in funds to date, providing them with the necessary financial resources to move forward with plans to construct a 10,000-barrel-a-day algae-derived oil facility. Sapphire Energy is eager to get under way and is confident that they have the solution for tomorrow, today. The company has already proven its ability to produce a “green crude oil” made directly from CO2 using the natural process of photosynthesis.

On a very positive note, the byproduct from Sapphire’s process is ASTM compliant and does not require the use of food crops or agriculture land, which will ultimately help prevent food prices from soaring globally. Lastly, the renewable green fuel is carbon neutral and can potentially eliminate our country’s dependence on foreign fuel. Sounds like a winner to me!

Although Sapphire Energy is not publicly traded, the company has a lot to offer to Americans as we continue to persevere though increasingly tough times and hunt for an environmental friendly solution to our growing fuel problem.

According to the Solar Generation V Report recently published by Greenpeace and the European Photovoltaic Association [EPIA], “Solar electricity can contribute largely to the energy needs of two-thirds of the world’s population – including those in remote areas – by 2030.”

The report also estimates that more than 1800 gigawatts of photovoltaic systems will be installed worldwide by 2030. That’s enough power to meet approximately 14% of global electricity demand and supply energy to more than 4 billion people.

Not only is solar power beneficial to the environment, it’s also quite positive for the economy.

The new Solar Generation report also reveals that the global population of “green collar” workers responsible for the sale, installation and maintenance of photovoltaic solar systems is expected to balloon from 120,000 currently to more than 20 million in 2020 and nearly 10 million by 2030.

These jobs are created locally and therefore promote the economic advancement of local economies in virtually every corner of the globe. Increased dependence on solar power should also hopefully move us closer to more sustainable communities.

Currently, grants and tax breaks are helping facilitate the growth of the solar industry. Hopefully, by 2015 to 2020 the solar field will be cost-competitive with conventional energy sources. One of the main solar companies out there is LDK Solar Co., for more information click here.

With the sluggish summer months just about behind us, things are beginning to heat up with our portfolio companies. Electric Moto Corporation (OTCPK: EMOT) has fulfilled its search for a qualified new CEO. Union Dental Holdings Inc. (OTCBB: UDHI) recently notched its second consecutive quarter of profitability, and Legacy Holding (OTCPK: LGYH) has made its fully audited 2007 financial results available to the public and announced a year-over-year revenue increase of 537% over 2006.

In the world of larger stocks, one of my recent favorites, Sequenom (NASDAQ: SQNM) continues to garner attention after running from $5 back in April to nearly $21 recently on news that its non-invasive Down Syndrome test could soon become standard protocol in a $6-$8 billion global market.

New CEO Hits the Ground Running at Electric Moto

EMOT announced last week that early-stage investor Abbie Zands has taken the helm as Chief Executive Officer. The move was designed to allow former CEO, Ely Schless to accept the newly created position of Chief Technology Consultant (CTC) and focus on his strengths in the area of electric vehicle development. Don’t forget; Mr. Schless is the principal designer of the world record holder for the most number of miles completed by an electric car (the GM battery-swap proof of concept car). He has also developed prototype electric vehicles for the likes of Honda and Volkswagen.

With Ely now free to concentrate solely on technology development and Mr. Zands focussed on day-to-day operations, the company should be better positioned for growth going forward than it was previously with tech-minded Schless running the show. As Blade XT demo units begin shipping to both North American and European distributors employing a more business-minded CEO should be positive for the company as it transitions from R&D to production mode. For those of you not overly familiar with the company and its landmark product the Blade XT, here’s what Forbes Magazine writer Patrick Cooke had to say about EMOT’s Blade XTZ model in a 9/17/07 article:

“. . .an astonishingly quick, battery-powered motorbike called the Blade XTZ that equals or outperforms every gas-powered bike in its weight class (200cc–250cc). Best of all, it does so without making a sound”. . . “No high-pitched engine whine, no choking blue smoke, no teeth-grinding vibration. And at 178 pounds, it’s 25 to 50 pounds lighter and creates more torque (250 pounds) than most of its competition.”

The company also plans to soon add electric scooters to its product mix. A move that I believe could help out the financial situation immensely. In my opinion the next 6 months are “make or break” time for Electric Moto Corp.

Initial Blade XT units are hitting the market and the company is now run by both a highly esteemed technological mind and a long-time investor with optimizing shareholder value first on his list of priorities. Now it’s a matter of how well the offering is received by consumers. I’ll be watching closely over the coming weeks for sales related news. If it surfaces, I suggest contemplating taking an ownership position in the stock. If it doesn’t, there are plenty of other electric vehicle plays out there for you. One that I have come across recently and will speak about more in the future is Zero Air Pollution (OTCBB: ZAAP).

UDHI Reports Second Quarter Profit

Union Dental Holdings turned its second consecutive quarterly profit on revenues of $652,709 during Q2. The Company plans to grow significantly over the next 12-24 months by transitioning from itself from middle man to full service dental provider. I’ve been watching UDHI rather closely for the past few years and am quite intrigued by their business model and the fact that its CEO has consistently purchased shares on the open market since I first began researching the company

If you’re unfamiliar with the Company, here’s their business plan in a nutshell: UDHI aspires to become the premier dental service provider to America’s 15,000,000 plus labor union workers and their families. Recently surpassing the milestone of 1,9000 dental providers in its network, Union Dental has already made inroads with some of the nation’s larger labor unions including: (1) The Communications Workers of America (CWA) – (700,000 members); (2) The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) – (750,000 members); (3) The United Association of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters (UA) – (300,000 members); and (4) The Association of Flight Attendants – Communications Workers of America (AFA-CWA) – (55,000 members).

With more than 20 years worth of experience and a member base now possessing $192,000,000 in annual purchasing power, UDHI is taking a major step in the right direction with its decision to open a full service dental facility in Coral Springs, FL. The new building is slated to open by the beginning of October and will perform all aspects of dentistry. Deeply rooted in the dental community and founded by a well-respected dentist, UDHI has publicly stated its ability to save patients between 20% – 30% on Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns which typically range in price from roughly $600 to $900, as well as other prosthetics. Since union workers typically receive only $1,500 in annual allowable dental expenditures – that type of discount should be a major selling point for the company going forward.

All in all, I’m pleased to see Doc Green’s master growth plan coming to fruition. Now priced under a penny with about 100 million shares out, the stock is surely worth a second look as the company prepares to embark on a new stage of growth.

Legacy Reports Annual Results

Legacy Holding Inc. (OTCPK: LGYH) made its operating results for the 12 months ended 12/31/07 available to the public last week and they were pretty promising in my opinion. The emerging provider of green cleaning solutions for the semiconductor, solar cell, flat panel display and LED markets logged net income of $101,846 on revenues of nearly $1.1 million.

In addition, Legacy unveiled plans to acquire a synergistic manufacturing company and begin introducing its process technology to tier-one customers including Intel, Texas Instruments, and Samsung. With their cleaning equipment already gaining traction in the semiconductor space through repeat installs with Tyco, licensing of Legacy’s process technology should provide a nice additional revenue stream going forward.

Zevotek is Still on Our Radar Screen

Although we haven’t heard much out of the company in over a month, Zevotek Inc. (OTCBB: ZVTK) is still on our radar screen. The company’s landmark Ionic Bulb product generated nearly $350,000 in revenues during its first ever quarter of sales ended 3/31/08 and holds a great deal of potential for the future if properly marketed. The bulb has been stocked by the likes of Walgreen’s and Amazon.com over the past 6 – 10 months and has sold quite well given the fact that is has been marketed pretty lightly to date. In effort to increase consumer awareness for the product, Zevotek recently completed filming of a promotional infomercial that should be hitting the airwaves soon, one would think.

More on the product: In addition to being 4X more energy efficient, lasting up to 10X longer, and using 50% to 80% less energy than regular incandescent light bulbs, the Ionic Bulb comes equipped with a patented air purifying microchip ion emitter that is powered by the bulb’s own energy. The bulb silently emits negative ions that help clear the air of smoke, dust, pet dander, and odors. In all honesty, I’ve seen it work in person and it is impressive.

Now all management needs to do is ramp up sales and advertising efforts to get some legs behind its product. The infomercial is complete, which is a big part of the battle. Next comes disseminating the spot. In my opinion, we are in for a very interesting fall and holiday season here if Zevotek begins airing the piece and driving consumers into their local Walgreen’s and online to see what all of the buzz is about. Only time will tell, but I’ll be watching closely here over the next few weeks.

In Closing:

Unfortunately for all of our stress levels but hopefully fortunately for our trading accounts, the slow summer months appear to be just about behind us. As news from our portfolio companies picks up, so will our coverage on the small-cap world. Until next time, I suggest delving a bit deeper into the business models of the companies mentioned above.