Clean Energy’s Long Boom

Back in 2001, when we launched Clean Edge, recognition of clean energy among corporations, investors, governments, and the media was barely palpable. The signs of a coming boom were there — with governments like Japan and Germany, corporations such as Sharp and BP, and a handful of venture capitalists making strategic investments — but we had to look long and hard at the road ahead to uncover the trends. Today, things couldn’t be more different.

As we note in our fifth annual Clean Energy Trends 2006 report (see link below) the clean-energy tipping point is nigh. For the first time in modern history, clean- energy technologies are becoming cost-competitive with their “dirtier” counterparts. While oil and natural gas prices increase dramatically, wind and solar continue their near- relentless downward trend. Biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel) are growing at double digit rates and now represent a larger global market than either solar or wind.

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