Remember the blackout that crippled New York in 2003? Byron King says this could be a common occurrence across the US within five years. He says the power industry is “paralyzed by the uncertainty of lopsided risks”. Soon costs are going to rise, and reliability will fall. Byron says investors in new power companies should make big profits.

It’s too early to tell whether Democrats or Republicans will make history in November. But no matter who gets elected, the next president will be good news for alternative energy stocks, says Taipan Daily editor Justice Litle.

If Obama wins, greens will have a powerful upper hand.

If McCain wins, his administration will be on a war footing with Russia from day one. This will push up the price of oil and gas  – and favor alternative energy sources. Justice says the “fear premium” under a President McCain would push crude oil back up to $150 a barrel.

Byron King says energy is the single most important topic for the incoming U.S. president to deal with. Capital costs for energy projects are soaring, and the future of fossil fuels is uncertain given the ongoing climate change debate. Meanwhile, renewable energy is fast growing, but incapable of coming close to meeting demand in the foreseeable future. Byron says America has some tough decisions ahead, and if they get it wrong, nothing else will matter…

Dan Denning in The Daily Reckoning Australia says the world is facing a global oil crunch. And new ’solutions’ like Canada’s tar sands and Colorado’s shale oil are actually hugely wasteful of energy. We need an real advance in solar technology, says Dan…

Editor’s note: What are shale fields, and how easy is it to suck oil out of them? That depends, says Matt Badiali. As companies like Schlumberger (SLB), Halliburton (HAL) and Baker Hughes (BHI) are finding out, if it’s a permeable reservoir then it’s all systems go. If it’s an impermeable reservoir, then it will take time, effort and horizontal drilling.

This piece is taken from The Growth Stock Wire. It’s in the form of a questions and answers session. But it’s well worth the read if you’re interested in the ins and outs of shale oil.