First Solar, Inc. (FSLR), General Electric Company (GE) and Three Environmentally Friendlier Energy Investments

There are two major companies dealing with the treatment of fracking fluid: Heckmann Corporation (NYSE:HEK) and Clean Harbors Inc (NYSE:CLH). Several other companies deal with certain segments of the hydraulic fracturing process, but these two offer the most complete options for companies looking to deal with spent fracking fluid. Drilling in the U.S. may remain flat for 2013, but the industry still plans to drill about 42,000 wells. At 5 million gallons a well, there will be plenty of work for these kinds of companies.

Again, this isn’t a perfect investment for the environmentally conscious, but it takes some of the sting out of hydraulic fracturing.

If you want clean technology, go big
Investing in cleantech companies can be risky because they generally only provide one product. So looking at a company that has a more diverse offering might help to mitigate that risk. One of the largest alternative-energy manufacturers — and, coincidentally one of the largest manufacturers, period — is General Electric Company (NYSE:GE). Not only would investing in GE be a safer bet than going with a pure alternative-energy play, but you’d also be investing in the best technology in the business. This past January, GE submitted the most efficient solar cell ever to the U.S. Department of Energy, passing industry leader First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) along the way. If solar isn’t the way you want to go, then GE also has products and services for wind, hydro, and nuclear.

Perhaps some of GE’s sectors aren’t as environmentally friendly as others, but you can be much more certain that the company will make a return on your investment while still spearheading new R&D in alternative technology.

The article 3 Environmentally Friendlier Energy Investments originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Tyler Crowe owns shares of Heckmann. You can follow him at Fool.com under the handle TMFDirtyBird, on Google +, or on Twitter, @TylerCroweFool.The Motley Fool recommends Exelon; owns shares of Clean Harbors, General Electric, and Heckmann; and has options on Heckmann and Chesapeake Energy.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.