The last couple of days I’ve been involved in major business deals and opportunities regarding renewable energy in a number of interesting markets. We are looking at major biomass projects for district heating and power in Belarus, clean energy transformation in Chile, including solar, biomass and wind. A port for biofuels in the mediterranean to serve Central Europe and several major sustainability transformations in Chinese cities.
Is there a slow down in the renewables field as a consequence of the financial melt-down? I think not. We could actually see the opposite, that this becomes an even more prioritized area for investments, as governments and private actors all see that this in an area that will grow very fast over the coming years, due to all the combined concerns about energy security, climate issues, oil price, etc.
The future is still bright. Roll up yer’ sleeves!
2 Comments
I hope you are right. I see a potential for “renewable energy inflation” putting a damper on energy projects as speculators gobble up the best wind and solar sites and shortages in turbines and solar components drive prices up. I’m hoping that one day my plan will provide massive funding to renewable energy and for a while, such a massive influx of investment could cause a spike in prices but over time as supply and demand reach equilibrium prices could retreat.
I believe you are right. A young industry in rapid development, such as cleantech, will have it’s up’s and down’s in prices and delivery capacity until the base gets bigger and more stable. But we are all in for the long-term, aren’t we?