Recently I spoke with someone who works over the renewable energy division of a large utility provider. Based on blogs and industry-related articles, it's sometimes a concern that renewable energy is just a sort of fad that will pass. My gut says otherwise, but it's as though folks in the industry don't want to get too optimistic about the chances that cleantech will stick around this time.
With that said, here are some things that make me think cleantech (and, nastily, I include fusion/fission, and biomass) will have some sticking power this time around.
Exhibit A:
My bank, in Texas, is buying carbon offsets from a wind provider. It's a bank geared toward military service members, who are fairly skeptical--at best--about environmental issues.
Exhibit B:
Intel is placing itself at the fore of cleantech VC investments, along with seasoned energy VC firms like Khosla and Braemar. A company built on the high-tech industry sees not only merit in cleantech, but also profit potential.
Exhibit C:
This Bloom Box is only one of so many really cool technologies I've spied in the pipeline. Other really great prospects include edge-collecting solar which is 2x as efficient and 1/4 as expensive as traditional PV, non-traditional wind capture systems, advancements in nuclear, and Thorium-powered nuclear reactors, but that's only scratching the surface. I still think, though, that the future of energy belongs to the one who can create an efficient, clean, cost-effective way to store energy that has been collected from cleantech. Also, the one who figures out a way to reduce the overall footprint of a global supply chain.
I'm workin' on it, folks. ;)
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