CNNmoney.com just released a summary outlook on the solar, wind, biofuel (mainly ethanol), and efficiency industry financial sectors. The two looking most optimistic are wind and efficiency, and thus both sectors are overflowing with opportunity.
According to one investment portfolio manager, efficiency investments are reliable and essentially fundamental. In his words, investing in efficiency is like putting your money on the arms dealer in a war or conflict – no matter which side wins (or which sector), the arms dealer simply can’t lose.
Of the “riskier” sectors, analysts are most optimistic about wind power. But they lament that there is no US manufacturing company in which to invest – the two main options are European. In this one fact, there are several implications and opportunities.
The U.S. is trailing the world in terms of renewable energy technology and manufacturing. The is hard to come to terms with because it’s not natural for us to be lagging where there are so many exciting possibilities.
But there is an opportunity here: we need to be investing more of our future into this industry – into research, development, and deployment, into capital, into manufacturing plants, and into these ‘green collar’ jobs. Wind farm installation cannot be exported abroad, nor should turbine manufacturing or investment in those companies be shipped elsewhere.
It could not be more clear the sort of major investment that needs to be made into wind energy (and other renewable energy sectors). The Center for American Progress has framed our energy and climate crises as looming economic opportunities (in their “Capturing the Energy Opportunity” report), and CNNmoney’s report reiterates just that point. Without moving into these blatant spaces, we’re leaving gaping holes in our economic prosperity, global competitiveness, and energy future.
– Kari M.
Previous in TP Climate Progress
Hm, last I checked, General Electric was a U.S. company that makes exceptionally fine turbines used in HAWTs (Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines).
jcwinnie – GE’s wind division is quite a small part of the whole company. You’d be mostly be outside the green sector by investing there.
Same goes for the UK. The only serious domestic manufacturer is proven Energy, which makes small wind up to 15kW; all the others are from elswhere, and this in a country with 40% of Europe’s wind energy potential. Some of the technology is being produced here (such as Vestas blades), but in general, demand is so great for large wind components that a keen farmer might have to wait 8 years for a delivery of a single, medium sized machine.
Speaking as an industry analyst, I’m with jcwinnie on GE. Wind is a small portion of GE’s revenues, but Wind, solar, and most importantly energy efficient products are much more… and GE is dedicated to growing this part of the company faster than any other part; investing is about the future, not the past.
Taking this all together, GE is about 5-20% green, depending on who’s counting. Unless you are an investor who wants to put your whole portfolio into clean energy (a bad move from a diversification standpoint), GE selling part of almost any mutual fund (with the exception of clean energy sector funds) will make your portfolio more green than it would otherwise have been, and add far less risk than you would get with a alternative energy sector fund.
I think investing in wind energy will definitely not be an added advantage rather it is a risk.thanx for the information provided by you regarding the wind energy.