Months after South Africa government subsidies connected poor communities to the national power grid, the real problems began. Unfortunately, after connecting two-thirds of South Africa's 42 million people access to electricity, doubling 1994 levels, supply and demand issues became clear.

Blackouts became common.

It wasn't until the government declared a national electricity emergency that Eskom, which produces 95% of South Africa's electricity began its pre-emptive load shedding program. These are scheduled power cuts that affect different neighborhoods and different times.

But the move won't quell the uproar.

Power cuts have wreaked havoc from everything from manufacturing to mining. There were even reports of mid-air Cape Town cable car halts. For retailers, it means dead credit card readers, security tags, and the absence of camera use.

So it comes as no surprise that Gold Fields Ltd just cut its gold output forecast for 2008 by 15%, thanks to power shortages.

The company now only expects to produce 3.6 million ounces of gold, as compared to an earlier forecast of 4.25 million ounces. "We're probably going to miss (the target) by about half a million ounces," Gold Fields CE Nick Holland told Reuters. "I suspect we're going to be 3.6 ... something like that."

While the worst of the power shortage has passed, said Holland, the coming winter will be a "big test for the system."

That said investors may want to remain on the sidelines before buying Gold Fields. If the power grid is affected again in winter months, mine closures could hurt production further, in our opinion.

"No doubt, shareholders are looking for us to increase our margin because of higher prices ... but if you have prices going up and then the input price is following the same curve, nobody makes any more money," said Holland, according to Reuters.

There is good news for the company, though. It could double reserves at its Cerro Cerona mine in Peru, which could begin production by the end of July with an estimated mine life of about 16 years.

With oil over $115 per barrel, many alternative energy technologies are becoming cost-competitive with traditional fuels. Tack on the rising cost of emissions, and some novel energy technologies become even cheaper than their fossil counterparts. It's no secret that companies and governments the world over are looking to secure their energy supply while reducing pollution. The Alternative Energy Speculator has found a company that is helping them do just that--while turning a tidy profit in the process.

Click here to read the report

Speaking of Energy Shortages...

Here's How to Bank Gains when the Lights Go Out in the United States.

California's energy consumption efforts have done little to prevent blackouts. From 1979 to 1999, California residents jumped from 23 million to 33 million. Today, there are 38 million and expectations for 45 million residents.

In the long, hot, sticky days of summer, there will be blackouts. Greater electrical dependency from a larger population makes it difficult to say everything will be fine.

The California Independent System Operator has already warned that the "likelihood of going to a Stage 3 power emergency is 10 percent compared to 3 percent last year." Stage 3 allows the state to cut power to certain customers to prevent power system failure.

San Diego Gas and Electric saw record electricity demand in 2006. That record was then broken in 2007. And while the company has taken measures to reduce 2008 blackouts, the only way to prevent blackouts is voluntary conservation and "on-call interruptible loads."

And when the power grid can't take the pressure this year, we'll see widespread power failures.

How many people will voluntarily shut down power on a blistering hot day?

Fortunately, there's one stock that'll run, like it has with other power failures. And we're looking to bank at least 50% every time it happens.

On August 14, 2003, a power failure in the northeastern USA and central Canada hit 50 million people. One stock popped from 25 cents to $1.25.

On September 19, 2003, Hurricane Isabel destroyed electricity for 4.3 million people across the United States and part of Canada. One stock popped from 60 cents to more than $1.

On September 4, 2004, five million people in Florida lost power after Hurricane Frances. One stock ran from 25 cents to 75 cents.

On August 26, 2005, 1.3 million people in Florida lost power because of Hurricane Katrina. One stock ran from $1 to $5.

In 2006, we witnessed the Queens blackout that affected more than 174,000 people. The stock ran slightly.

The stock ran again in 2007 from 75 cents to more than $2.20 around the time that power interruptions shut down some of the Internet's biggest sites.

Listen, I could go on with the reasons why I like it as a seasonal trade, but I also like it for potential profitability.

These are the guys can buy power from the grid at cheaper costs and sell it at higher cost.

Just last week, they were awarded a $300,000 contract to provide energy storage system to support a California Energy project. And just the other day, they received environmental approval to assemble their energy storage system in New York.

But while the stock ran up more than 20% on the news, the run is far from over. We're just nearing the hot, sticky months of summer where blackout news could be commonplace.

SC Trading Pit just revealed the stock here.

Good Investing,

Ian L. Cooper

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In case you missed our other investment opportunity highlights, here's what we covered in Wealth Daily, Gold World, Energy and Capital, and your free blogs for the week of May 19, 2008.

Gold Investment Advice: Play the Market, Don't Get Played
There are two types of investors, those who play the market and those that get played by the market.

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles: GM's Future: See It With Your Own Eyes
Over the past few years especially, I've had little sympathy for some of the major auto-makers that have been losing loads of cash. The way we see it, they brought it on themselves by trying to force the market, instead of supplying it properly. Especially General Motors...

Haynesville Natural Gas: 1 of the Biggest Natural Gas Fields in the U.S., and The Stock Play Behind It
On Saturday, my colleague Ian Cooper talked about the upcoming boom in wind energy. As you know, Boone has been one of the biggest supporters of wind energy. But wind isn't the only energy source praised by Pickens. In the wake of record crude oil prices (reaching as high as $129.60 during trading today), natural gas has followed suit.

Renewable Energy Companies: How NASA and Eggs are Hatching Spring Profits
What we're seeing, as I hinted at earlier, is climate change prevention spending finally trickling down to the individual company level.

Little People Mean Nothing: "This is unbelievable. Disgusting," says Mozilo.
You'd think that after making millions by brilliantly running a company into the ground with an army of attorneys at your side, Mozilo would know the difference between "Reply" and "Forward."

Alternative Energy Investments: How To Turn Record Oil Into Record Profits
So far this year, Americans have purchased 1.7% less gas than they did last year.

Let's Sue OPEC: Can you imagine the Chavez reaction?
Yep, the House wants to sue OPEC for "limiting oil supplies and working together to set crude prices." The bill, if passed, would subject OPEC oil producers, including Saudi Arabia and Venezuela to the same antitrust laws that U.S. companies follow. Can you imagine the Chavez reaction?

Peak Oil and the Bakken Formation: President Admits to Peak Oil
As oil prices continue their endless northern trek, those of us "in the know" knew this day would come. The peak oil argument is no longer open for debate... It's here. We just need to figure out how to deal with it.

Uncle Sam's Phony Economic Numbers: The Fix is In
In case you haven't noticed lately, there is something of a gigantic disconnect between the realities that consumers face every day and the statistics on inflation that the government is kind enough to provide us with.

Investments in Vietnam: Economic Growth in Vietnam and China
You can see it all over the Middle Kingdom-old government-run department stores with bare shelves and outdated styles have given way to western-style showcases of modern fashion and technology-often in the same building.

How to Profit from LED's Powerhouse
We're not talking about small industry growth either. In 2005, the LED industry was valued at $205 million. By 2011, it could be valued as high as $1 billion—388% growth in six short years.