Could CleanTech Revive The Economy And Make U.S. Competitive Again?

A transformation and opportunity bigger than the Internet?

China vowing to promote renewable energy and the signing of the Energy Bill are two catalysts that will provide lots of "green" for the CleanTech space .

Instead of thinking about routers, search engines, pay-per-click, CDMA, and wavelength division multiplexing, it's time to start focusing on CleanTech as the next great investment opportunity.

In addition to relying less on foreign oil, the U.S. is in a position to create AND sell alternative energy technology(s) to emerging countries. A wealth creator in many ways.

Alternative energy could jump-start the economy.

Earlier this year at the first Southeast Venture Conference, former Virginia Senator Mark Warner said that among the areas in which he sees great opportunities for entrepreneurial success, “There continue to be opportunities in the broadband wireless space and in security." But the one in which he sees the greatest opportunity is alternative energy.

“It’s in the intersection between energy, global warming and jobs,” he said. “It could be as big a driver of the economy as telecom and IT have been. You could argue those jump-started our economy during the 1990s. We’re at the same point in time in alternative energy.”

Some CleanTech Developments To Watch In 2008

What is your favorite CleanTech technology or company?

CleanTech Developments To Watch In 2008

Nicholas Parker at CleanTech.com has a great piece on Eight Cleantech Developments To Watch For In 2008

His Top 8 Developments:

1. Green as global political platform

If 2007 was the year that environmental concerns emerged from the margins to become a central leg of a politician’s platform, then 2008 will be the year that articulating environmental positions and cleantech initiatives will be table stakes for any world leader.

2. Cleantech drives new business and financing models

More and more companies are now rushing to offer Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)s in solar and other energy sectors. (I see PPAs offering another revenue stream for large buildings/users of power)

3. Price per bushel on par with price per barrel

high prices per bushel will signal that resource scarcity and security are not just energy issues (soybean and corn prices versus a barrel of oil)

4. Increasingly fragile water supply at risk
we fear that after years of warnings, there could very well be a crisis event that draws attention to the fragility of existing fresh water supplies.

5. “CleanChip” clusters grow in Asia, EU and Middle East
the cleantech industry is clustering around a select number of urban hubs in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

6. Solar breakthroughs, commercialization of liquid fuels and better batteries
energy storage is the weak link in the emerging sustainable energy paradigm.

7. China graduates from manufacturer to end-market
the Chinese government arguably showing more significant commitments to embracing cleantech as a way to lower carbon emissions than most other industrialized countries

8. Energy efficiency and demand response generate smart grid savings
a smart grid in a somewhat unlikely way: through efficiency and demand response technology companies. (think energy conservation for corporations)

The 200 year old electric motor is already undergoing a CleanTech transformation.

Full CleanTech Report

No More Renewable Energy By 2010?

The cheapest and most available source of new energy is the energy we waste.

ZDNet has a story on renewable energy Demand Exceeds Supply Of Renewable Energy By 2010

There’s a new report out of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that suggests demand for renewable energy will outpace supply by the year 2010.

The paper, which was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership, postulates that the combination of state- and federal-level programs requiring a shift to some level of renewable energy usage as well as other incentives encouraging both consumers and companies to add renewable energy to their electricity mix are creating a boom in demand.

Altogether 25 states and the District of Columbia have enacted legislation mandating that renewable energy account for between 2 percent and 30 percent of their power supply over the next five to 15 years.

Lots of disruption taking place in CleanTech.

Investment Areas To Watch In CleanTech

Producing renewable energy has shifted from analog to digital and that is creating some exciting investment opportunities. Stay tuned.