With society experiencing a loud energy transition and
global carbon emissions not falling fast enough, it is time for each individual
to face the future and push in the right direction: aligning with the real
opportunities of the green industry.
However, the big question for the 2020s and beyond is how
fast this will become a reality.
Interest in alternative investments appears to have a global surge
Leading with the good news, the shift in the power sector has become unstoppable. Energy is a field familiar to all of us – it generates and transmits electricity to our homes and businesses. This power is the result of sources that spread in 2 main categories:
- Non-renewables – coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy
- Renewables – wind, solar, geothermal, waste energy, hydroelectric, and geothermal
The heating & transport sector uses fuels to provide warmth to buildings and power for vehicles, with the primary sources being:
- Non-renewables such as fuel oil, kerosene, propane, natural gas, gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel
- Renewable such as wood,
solar panels, geothermal, bio-diesel, ethanol, electric and others
The reason? Most non-renewables emit greenhouse gases which
warm up the atmosphere and contribute to climate change, leading to adverse
effects on the planet.
If this is not enough to have individuals rethink their
approach, there’s only a finite amount of non-renewable energy available,
meaning that the world will eventually run out of it.
Driven by the need to battle climate change and reduce the
use of finite resources, alternative energy sources have become a popular global
subject.
Renewable energy makes a dent in the electricity field
Interest surges signify that the green culture is investing
in research and development at an unprecedented rate, hoping to find brand new
forms of energy that will speed up the ability to reach the desired carbon-free
era. Apart from providing a plethora of jobs, the renewable sector is also
finding groundbreaking means of achieving our goals. 
For example, some of the more promising technologies
undergoing research are:
- Tidal energy and wave energy – generating power through underwater mechanisms
- Algae-based fuel that converts seaweed chemicals into biofuel
- Nuclear fusion – creating energy by fusing two atoms, as opposed to nuclear fission that splits one atom into two
As renewable sources start leading the growth in the energy
field, the markets will adjust both their investments and psychology to meet
the new transition and be in tune with the demand.
With new technologies already offering improved solutions
for the population’s energy needs, policymakers and regulators will have to
respond to the demands as well.
The new-gen investor is becoming increasingly aware of the
potential paths that the renewable sector is paving and can shape the way
companies approach unexplored terrain.
Climate concerns rising market awareness
Growing faster than expected, global supplies of renewable
electricity could expand by 50% in the next 5 years, courtesy of the
technological expansion that our contemporary world is experiencing.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) collected data showing
that wind, solar, and hydropower projects are being pushed at the fastest rate
in 4 years. What we are witnessing now as a society is a pivotal time for the
green energy culture.
We could go as far as saying that a green energy revolution
could end the world’s rising demand for fossil fuels in sync with the Paris
2016 agreement.
Even more, by 2024, the cost of solar power is expected to
drop by 15% to 35%, leading to further potential growth in many sectors. The
IEA expects that solar energy might play the most significant part in sparking
a fresh growth in the green trend.
The strengths of the green energy industry
Concerns about climate change are indeed playing an essential role in the green
sector. According to a Reuters poll done in June 2019, nearly 70% of Americans
demanded that the country adopts aggressive methods to combat climate change.
Pushed by powerful support from the population, the
governments are now proposing solutions that may favor a faster economic
transition from fossil fuels to renewables.
Although investor interest in green energy soured quickly
after the 2008 Recession, 2019 marks a milestone in the performance of the
renewable field. If there’s one thing that the market is now understanding,
it’s that energy companies have to be valued and not overlooked in the long
run.
Even the larger oil companies that promised to increase
dividends are not experiencing tremendous amounts of support, with little to no
movement in their price on the stock exchange.
If the early 2000s provided renewable energy at high-costs
both for production and circulation, by 2019, renewables have become cheaper
than coal and natural gas. With storage costs also declining, it seems that
green energy is here to stay.
As a side effect of becoming more and more conscious, the
new-gen investor is backing away from traditional energy sources and turning
its gaze towards alternatives. The cultural shift in values can be boldly seen
in the stock market, with more and more investors focusing their gaze on new
economy stocks.
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