Brokerage RJ Energy Group out with a new report this morning. Its conclusion: North Sea oil production “has peaked for good.” This fits into the bigger picture of declining non-OPEC oil production. Our world has two choices: depend even more on OPEC or develop alternative energy sources. Which do you think we should choose?
If you have even the remotest level of interest in investing in the trillion dollar renewable energy market – now, or any time in the future – don’t miss this 60-minute session, Tuesday, May 11th, 10 AM PDT (1 PM EDT).
Often referred to as “The Indiana Jones of Alternative Energy Investing,” Bill Paul’s 20 years as staff writing covering the energy industry for the Wall Street Journal uniquely positions him to comment on the details of this fast-moving industry.
If these ideas mean anything to you – or to your friends and family, don’t miss this 60-minute discussion as we provide critical insight into the independent investigations that Bill has conducted over the past few months — including insight into the following:
♦ Why clean tech will be the third largest industry on Earth by 2020, with revenues of over $2.3 trillion.
♦ The true underlying factors that drive growth in alternative energy.
♦ The types of alternative energy companies that are most likely to be acquired in the coming 12 months.
♦ The type of companies that are too small to be acquired by the Fortune 50, but that are set for share-price growth of a minimum of 100% in the next 6 months.
♦ How the rapid migration to alternative energy affects the value of companies outside of the traditional energy sector: transportation, AEC (architecture, engineering and construction), chemicals, etc.
If there is time (or if you email in your questions during the webinar), we will also cover the following:
♦ How post-Kyoto-Treaty carbon-trading in Europe; the Obama Administration in the US; the explosive growth of India and China; and world’s reactions to global climate change are affecting the growth of alternative energy.
♦ How the adoption of renewable energy is causing huge changes in the value of dozens of different previously overlooked items: waste wood, garbage, etc.
♦ Exactly why is Warren Buffett investing so aggressively in alternative energy? Where precisely is he going with this?
Bill told me when they first met at a meeting over lunch. “I review 75-100 different streams of information from all over the world – seven days a week.”
I knew this guy wasn’t just anybody before the waiter had brought the iced tea. And by the time I had located by salad fork, I had heard about the most likely M&A targets, the companies whose stock value was most likely to double, and how what Bill calls ‘new energy’ was causing volatility in stock markets in some pretty far-flung places around the globe. I was blown away. You will be too. Don’t miss it. Here’s that link again. Talk to you then.
Frequent guest blogger Arlene Allen notes that there are demographic groups that will embrace sustainability differently. She points out…
There are financially secure people who can afford anything, and will simply buy an electric car when they want one, …. vs. the 30-40% of the total population and has been getting worse as the distribution of wealth continues its modern adjustment upward.
I’m not a social scientist, and thus I don’t know exactly how to weigh in on this. Having said that, I’m not sure it breaks down along the lines of affluence. In fact, I see all kinds of factors pointing in various different directions, for example:
Wealthy people don’t generally lead the adoption curve for altruistic behavior, and
The underclass often purchases things they can’t afford, like expensive gym shoes
I believe sustainable solutions will come into place when the cost-benefit becomes obvious to everyone at all levels of the socio-economic spectrum. And fortunately, this seems to be right around the corner. The key elements of this cost-benefit calculus appear to be
I was out with my kids just now, and my teenage son asked me: “Dad, who are your competitors in the 2GreenEnergy stuff you’re doing?” That’s an interesting question – certainly a natural one when wanting to know more about a business. And there certainly are a great number of players in this space — just Google phrases with words like “clean, green, alternative, business, biz, sustainable renewable energy …” — and stand back.
But strangely, I don’t think any of us consider the others to be “competitors” in any meaningful way. To me, the existence of myriad websites in this space — each with its own focus and slant — supports the notion that this is an enormous playing field with unlimited room for new other ideas — and new places for people to share good ideas.
I’ve noticed that discussions of sustainability generally boil down to cost, e.g.:
1) Do the additional costs of green products pass muster with consumers?
2) Should the government take us further into debt to fund green R&D and to create incentives?
3) Can we “internalize the externalities,” i.e., get people to pay the true costs of the what they’re doing?
I would suggest a different approach — one taken by people like the Biomimicry Institute, who point out that learning from nature actually decreases costs — even if you don’t look at the long-term. Teaming with Ethical Impact, we at 2GreenEnergy are putting together as series of webinars for corporate sustainability folks that will lay out the net business advantages of learning from nature — a system that has been solving design problems quite effectively and efficiently — and incorporates a vision of what the environment needs to be like 10,000 generations hence.
The series will lay out:
• What business leaders can learn from natural systems and processes — as well as how they can do that
• The process by which business leaders can extract themselves from old-line thinking, and begin to think like the planet
• A set of paradigm-breaking exercises that stimulate new visions for business products, services, and processes — each inspired by 3.7 billion years of evolution
How does that sound?
Here’s the continuation of my article yesterday on China’s energy picture.
One African official said back in 2006 that negotiating with the Chinese may take longer, but they can pressure China more because they are desperate for resources. Another official said, “The U.S. will talk to you about governance, about efficiency, about security, about the environment. The Chinese just ask ‘How do we procure this license?’”. (CNN Money, “China’s appetite for African oil grows”, by Vivienne Walt (Fortune). Feb 15, 2006).
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Here are a few shots of Sam Smith and me during a recent interview for cable TV.
Following my recent post about China’s scramble for energy and their nonrenewable energy plan, I cover here the nonrenewable push. Renewable energy supplies about 7.5% of all energy needs for China, says the EIA, close to our 7% figure in the U.S. Hence, nonrenewable energy sources are especially important over the next few decades for both the U.S. and China while the green industry ramps up. The two countries are already bumping up against each other over resources.
The Wall Street Journal reported on March 15th, 2010 that Chinese state-owned oil company Cnooc Ltd. is taking a 50 percent stake in Argentina’s Bridas Energy Holdings for $3.1 billion. Cnooc is the Hong-Kong listed unit of China National Offshore Oil Corp. It will finance the joint venture through “internal sources,” and the project is expected to move along quickly. The reserves of Bridas include an estimated 636 million barrels of oil; the company has activities in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.
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During my 2GreenEnergy free webinar next month, I’ll be emphasizing how vastly and quickly green investing is growing. Here’s an appetizer. While there are only a handful of EV and PHEV vehicles on the road today, by 2015 the infrastructure required to fuel electrically-powered vehicles will be an $11.75 billion global industry, according to research firm ABI. From zero to $11.75 billion in less than five years!! And that’s just one of many green tech businesses about to change the investing landscape!
The US Geothermal Energy Association just reported a 25% increase in new projects under development in US in 2009. All told, there are now nearly 200 projects in some stage of development which, when they’re finished, will produce as much as 7,875 MW. That’s the equivalent of about a dozen coal-fired power plants.
