The November elections have come and gone. What do their results mean for you as an investor and how can you possibly gain an investing edge from the election outcomes?

Ten state Governor races turned from Democrat controlled seats to Republican controlled seats. Since Governors have the power to appoint state regulators, you should expect regulation standards to either stay the same or become slightly less strict towards utility companies operating within these states. If you’re looking for good value stocks, then start researching utility providers operating within these states that have a healthy balance sheet and a strong history of dividend distributions.

One state that went against the trend of this election was California. It went from a Republican to a Democrat Governor. This coupled with the rejection of Prop 23 by voters and a Democrat dominated state Senate and Assembly almost guarantees that the state’s green energy legislation will continue forward. Thus, investors in green energy companies that serve California have less uncertainty about the future, which translates into less risk.

Geothermal energy is an investment opportunity I like in light of the California’s election results. Geothermal power is a power source that is not dependent upon weather conditions, such as solar and wind, and it is found in California and neighboring Nevada. If California is to reduce its carbon footprint, you can bet geothermal will play a significant role in the reduction.

The largest pure play on geothermal power is Ormat Technologies (ORA) with headquarters in Reno, Nevada. It no only has a number of geothermal sites around the world, but it also is the primary developer of geothermal equipment and facilities. If a company needs a geothermal power plant developed, odds are they’re going to turn to Ormat to get the job done.

Two other smaller pure play geothermal power companies I like are Nevada Geothermal (NGLPF.OB) and U.S. Geothermal (HTM). Both carry a considerably larger amount of risk than Ormat, but both have secured large loans recently from the Department of Energy. Nevada Geothermal in early November announced it will partner with Ormat to develop a geothermal site they own in southeastern Oregon.

As always, make sure you do your research. The political winds of change can open some investment doors of opportunity for investors. Consider the shift and invest wisely.

Disclosure: Long ORA & NGLPF.OB