The 5 Best Energy Stocks of 2020

The energy industry had a divergence of fortunes in 2020, and may have accelerated some long-term trends taking place over the past decade. Oil stocks had a rough year, highlighted by oil prices going negative for a short period of time early in the pandemic. On the flip side, renewable energy stocks had an outstanding year as political winds turned, the economics of renewable energy projects improved, and speculators jumped into the market.

Given all of these factors, it's no surprise that some of the most speculative renewable energy stocks did the best in 2020. Blink Charging (NASDAQ: BLNK), Pacific Ethanol (NASDAQ: PEIX), Enphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH), ReneSola (NYSE: SOL), and SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR) were the energy industry's leaders, and they had some things in common.