Many people are under the misguided preconception that green is a ghost—an unattainable ideal that can be discussed and wished for, but never actually executed.
They’re wrong. Really wrong.
It’s happening now. Right now. Even in the face of what anyone with a microphone is calling "the worst financial disaster since the Great Depression," or some other hyperbolic negative superlative.
And while pundits around the country opt to spout the worst, the scariest, the most pessimistic views and opinions about our current financial state, I won’t.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s bad.
If you don’t have the discretionary income to invest in stocks given the current state of the market, then don’t invest in stocks. Instead, hunker down, protect your assets, and minimize your risk.
But if you’re in a position to dabble, read on. I think you’ll be convinced that green energy investments aren’t some fleeting trend or a pipe dream fueled by white rabbits and rainbows.
It’s a solid industry, with solid investments at all levels, and it’s actually a societal positive, unlike some other unsavory industries.
It’s a no loss scenario, unless you count reducing our dependence on foreign oil and dirty coal while creating 4.2 million jobs and reducing emissions a loss. I hope not.
Green Energy Investments
At a time when investment banks are collapsing, houses are foreclosing, the government is billion-dollar bailing, and global central banks are rate cutting, here are some of the recent headlines out of the green energy camp:
Greentech Investments See Record 3Q
Cleantech investment to rise in 2009, survey finds
Nation’s first greenhouse gas auction nets $38.5M
Oracle of Omaha Likes Alternative Vehicles
U.S. to Attract More Foreign Greentech Investments
I could go on, but you—and apparently Warren Buffett—get the green point.
Granted, many green stocks have gotten caught up in this market turbulence, selling off along with the broader market.
But the market won’t go down forever. And when it starts to rebound, either independently over time or by governmental intervention (which we have and will continue to see), green stocks will most certainly enjoy the earliest and most sustainable ascent.
Recently, Congress extended nearly $18 billion of renewable energy tax credits as part of the financial bailout package passed last week. This action has already led to opportunities for more foreign investment, as firms can now recoup 30% of renewable energy projects’ costs with no cap.
Already, delegations from Spain and Germany have flocked to California, Oregon, and Nevada to map out new technologies, develop new deals, and, above all, invest millions of dollars in new solar, wind, and geothermal projects.
This is a drastic switch from the previous renewable energy market climate, in which investors favored foreign countries for investment because of their more favorable policies.
That tide is turning. And the force that is turning it is green energy.
It’s bringing clean electricity, but it’s also creating thousands of jobs, millions of dollars in new investment, and it’s one of the fundamental market segments that will help turn the economy around.
Green Energy Gets Presidential
Even the presidential candidates are touting alternative energy as a solution for not only the energy crisis, but for the financial crisis as well.
Consider this question from last night’s debate, along with each Senator’s response:
With the economy on the downturn and retired and older citizens and workers losing their incomes, what’s the fastest, most positive solution to bail these people out of the economic ruin?
McCain: "I have a plan to fix this problem and it has got to do with energy independence. We’ve got to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don’t want us very — like us very much."
Later in the debate, he continued: "We have to have all of the above, alternative fuels, wind, tide, solar, natural gas, clean coal technology. All of these things we can do as Americans and we can take on this mission and we can overcome it. My friends, some of this $700 billion ends up in the hands of terrorist organizations."
Obama, for his part, also had grand things to say about alternative energy:
Energy we have to deal with today, because you’re paying $3.80 here in Nashville for gasoline, and it could go up. And it’s a strain on your family budget, but it’s also bad for our national security, because countries like Russia and Venezuela and, you know, in some cases, countries like Iran, are benefiting from higher oil prices.
So we’ve got to deal with that right away. That’s why I’ve called for an investment of $15 billion a year over 10 years. Our goal should be, in 10 year’s time, we are free of dependence on Middle Eastern oil.
And we can do it. Now, when JFK said we’re going to the Moon in 10 years, nobody was sure how to do it, but we understood that, if the American people make a decision to do something, it gets done. So that would be priority number one.
Obama continued:
And it is absolutely critical that we understand this is not just a challenge, it’s an opportunity, because if we create a new energy economy, we can create five million new jobs, easily, here in the United States.
It can be an engine that drives us into the future the same way the computer was the engine for economic growth over the last couple of decades.
And we can do it, but we’re going to have to make an investment. The same way the computer was originally invented by a bunch of government scientists who were trying to figure out, for defense purposes, how to communicate, we’ve got to understand that this is a national security issue, as well.
If you haven’t grasped the point yet, what we’re talking about here is a moonshot. A Manhattan Project for a 21st century problem.
And, along with it, the greatest investment opportunity of a lifetime.
Everyone—everyone—is trying to get a piece of it. You can, too. And you should.
Why?
Because we’re dealing with an industry that was worth $33 billion in 2004, but that will be worth $450 billion in 2012! A growth of 1,264% in eight short years.
Not only that, but it’ll be worth $600 billion in 2020. And those are conservative estimates.
Listen. Even Big Oil knows what’s coming: a massive shift in energy use, away from traditional fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources.
And every single oil major is throwing money at alternative energy projects in attempts to ensure their businesses prosper even after the last well is tapped.
Shell, BP, Conoco-Phillips, and Chevron have reported spending as much as $3.5 billion in recent years on solar, wind, biofuels, and other renewable energy projects.
You need to be in on this.
To that end, I’ve prepared a full report on Big Oil’s secret activities regarding green energy.
What they know—and you’ll discover in this report—could earn you a fortune.
Call it like you see it,
Nick
