Clean Edge's Annual Trends Report, 2006
Well, Clean Edge, The Clean-Tech Market Authority
, has released their 2006 report, and lo and behold, they claim that the clean-energy tipping point is nigh
.
I'm sure a few readers here must be wondering about our obsession with the whole tipping point thing. Really, this is pure coincidence, we do have some other themes to talk about... Really, we do.
The report is worth checking out for some of the numbers and trends that they have tracked through the years. There are some questionable statements in there, for example:
Even without federal intervention, global clean-energy markets will flourish.
A bold statement, when all around us we can see that government intervention has been necessary to spark the alternative energy markets to date and that it is and will be necessary to encourage adoption - i.e. legislation of ethanol in gasoline.
The outlook
Through their research, the report predicts the following:
In total, we project these four clean-energy technologies [biofuels, solar, wind, fuel cells], which equaled $40 billion in 2005, to grow fourfold to $167 billion within the coming decade.
They close off the report by offering five trends to watch in clean energy markets for 2006:
- Clean Energy Becomes a U.S. Security Issue
- Innovation Stretches Silicon for Solar
- Renewables Cross a Tipping Point
- Flex Fuels Gain Power and Speed
- China and India Loom Large
Some interesting points, to be sure, but it is worth mentioning that energy security has become an issue not just for the United States but anyone who doesn't have an oil playground in their backyard. While the U.S. as a market could shape things given the size its demand, global markets are evolving because the issue is a global one (see point 5 above, for example).
To get your own copy of the report, head over here and fill out the form. Note that you can also get past years reports from their reports page.
There are no comments for this post.
Discussion for this post is now closed. Comments are normally open for 15 days. If you have something to add to this conversation or to the author, send us a note via the contact page.
Comments and Feedback
There are 0 comments for this post. Subscribe to the RSS 2.0 comments feed or add your comment »