Got $1,000 to Invest? Buy These 2 Stocks Right Now and Hold Them for Decades.

$1,000 might not seem like much in the stock market, where a single share of a popular company can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. But now that most brokerages offer fractional shares, it's easy to spread $1,000 across several promising stocks.

If you're still a young investor, it's smart to invest in a few speculative stocks with explosive long-term growth potential. That's why we should take a closer look at Oklo (NYSE: OKLO) and Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG) -- which are both high-risk, high-reward plays that might turn a modest $1,000 investment into a small fortune.

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Oklo

Oklo develops microreactors for modular nuclear power plants. Its Aurora microreactor can generate only 1.5 MWe on its own, but it can be connected to additional microreactors to reach up to 75 MWe per "Powerhouse" plant. That's much less than the 1,000 MWe generated by conventional nuclear plants, but these smaller plants can be easily deployed in remote areas.

The Aurora uses metallic uranium fuel pellets, which are denser, have higher thermal resistance, and are cheaper to fabricate than the uranium dioxide pellets used in conventional reactors. The Powerhouse recycles its pellets in a closed loop, enabling them to last for a decade without refueling. Conventional reactors are still refueled in stages every two years.

Oklo plans to deploy its first Powerhouse reactors in 2027, and the growth of the power-hungry cloud and AI data center markets should generate strong tailwinds for its business. Analysts expect its revenue to surge from just $1 million in 2026 to $55 million in 2028 -- and it could soar even higher over the next few decades as its microreactors reinvent the nuclear energy market.

Plug Power

Plug Power is a leading developer of hydrogen fuel cells, charging systems, electrolyzers, and storage solutions. Its top customers include Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Walmart, which use its fuel cells and charging systems to power their hydrogen-powered forklifts. Its total number of deployed fuel cell systems increased from around 50,000 at the end of 2021 to over 74,000 at the end of 2025.

New decarbonization initiatives are also driving more governments to adopt Plug Power's green hydrogen solutions. The company is building six new green hydrogen facilities for the U.S. Department of Energy, and it recently secured a massive 275 MW electrolyzer contract for Hy2gen's Courant green hydrogen project in Quebec. From 2026 to 2023, the global green hydrogen market could expand at a 30.2% CAGR, according to Grand View Research.

From 2025 to 2028, analysts expect Plug's revenue to grow at an 18% CAGR to $1.16 billion as those tailwinds kick in. So if you expect hydrogen power to become more relevant over the next few decades, it's a great time to accumulate Plug's stock as it trades in the low single digits.

Leo Sun has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.