NEW ENERGY BECOMING BIG ENERGY

A new report shows $77.3 billion in New Energy sales last year. Compared to ExxonMobil’s $404 billion 2007 sales, it is not an overwhelming figure and Exxon is only the one of many oil companies. And there are other traditional energies, like coal and nuclear.

But the very difference between the two figures indicates, in a world with incessantly rising demand and habit-changing climate change concerns, that New Energy has a lot of growth opportunity. The report predicts venture capital will continue to flow to New Energy and world revenues will be $254.5 billion in a decade.

New Energy is just getting started. And nobody is talking about peak sun or peak wind.

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Alternative forms of energy becoming mainstream; Higher revenues show green tech gaining traction, report says
David R. Baker, March 15, 2008 (SF Chronicle via Houston Chronicle)

WHO
Clean Edge (Ron Pernick, co-founder & Clint Wilder, report author)

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WHAT
Clean-Energy Trends 2008, a new Clean Edge study reports New Energy worldwide sales grew 40% last year, signaling its readiness to take a place among the world’s important energy sources.

WHEN
- 2007 New Energy worldwide sales: $77.3 billion
- 2007 wind energy industry sales: $30.1 billion
- 2007 ethanol/biodiesel sales: $25.4 billion
- 2007 solar photovoltaic sales: $20.3 billion

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WHERE
- Wind energy industry revenues grew 68%.
- Ethanol/biodiesel revenues grew 24%.
- Solar photovoltaic revenues grew 30%.
- Clean Edge is based in San Francisco and Portland, Ore.

WHY
- While much of the investment in New Energy goes to startups that produce no sales, the jump in sales shows that some companies, (ex: General Electric sales of wind turbines) are doping substantial business.
- One factor spurring New Energy’s growth: The price of oil has tripled in the last 5 years.

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QUOTES
- Pernick, Clean Edge: "Clean energy has moved from the margins to the mainstream, and the proof is in these numbers…"
- Wilder, Clean Edge report author: "As the price of oil goes up, up and up, that obviously makes investments in clean energy alternatives more attractive to investors of all shapes and sizes…"