Reserves of high-grade oil are in decline, says Byron King. Other hydrocarbons will be required to meet energy demand over the coming decades. But the cost of extracting and refining these resources is much higher than the current market price of crude. And that’s why cheap fuel is definitely not here to stay.

Oil is still one of the best bets for long-term gains says Greg Guenthner. In the midst of blind market panic, investors are forgetting that crude is a finite resource facing unquenchable demand. It will rise to record highs again. And when it does, oil stocks will soar.

Crude oil prices slipped below $60 a barrel yesterday, taking the black goo to a 20-month low. But that doesn’t change the fundamentals. Oil production is levelling out, and will soon begin to fall. Andrew Gordon expects crude to soar back toward $200 after a short pause. And Big Oil companies that are still investing in new projects will shine.

The Democrats are in a very strong position following Tuesday’s election. Andrew Snyder says oil majors like Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) and BP (NYSE:BP) will face higher taxes and stricter legislation. But offshore drilling experts with international exposure like Transocean (NYSE:RIG) remain an excellent long-term investment.

The plummeting price of oil could cause another source of capital to dry up: the Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) of the Persian Gulf. This could be another blow for global credit markets, says Irwin Greenstein. These oil-rich funds fueled with petrodollars invested trillions over the past few years, notably with high-profile infusions of billions in CitiGroup, Carlyle Group, Merrill Lynch and the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Crude oil prices have tumbled 55% since July. And oil stocks have been dragged down with them. But Eric Roseman says this is a great opportunity to buy into Big Oil at 2004 prices. These companies are flush with cash and pay out attractive dividends. And they are likely to recover over the next 12-18 months as commodity prices find a bottom.

Here at Money Morning over the past six months, we’ve talked a great deal about oil and gasoline prices. We’ve offered our predictions about how high those prices were going, and have detailed a number of investment opportunities – chosen as much for their margins of safety as for their profit potential.

The British government gave a huge boost to wind energy stocks this week, opening bidding for offers to build up to 25 gigawatts of offshore wind turbines by 2020 — triple the amount previously planned.

The European Union has set a target date of 2020 for 20% of its energy to come from renewable sources. The British Wind Energy Association said Britain will contribute 15%, meaning up to 40% of the country’s power will come from wind energy by the target date.

“The richest investment opportunities can be found in the fast-emerging alternative energy sector,” says Mike Burnick in The Offshore A-Letter.

There’s one thing you can almost always count on with the government: Coming late to the party.