Current Trends in Clean Technology Investments – I'm Jacek. No doubt about it, clean technology is growing, not only due to government and internationally set renewable energy targets such as the 2020, Kyoto, etc… but also because it’s simply something that we need to implement in order not to completely botch up this little planet of ours. However, as with anything there are current trends in the sector, and it’s sub specializations.
Today we look at the current trends in clean-tech and talk a little about what is currently hot and where is the outlook. Solar The solar sector is currently seeing a price war, with the average currently at approximately $1.50/watt, and most manufacturing coming out of China, western companies are having difficulties competing on price. However, company’s such as US’s BioSolar and Brazil’s Heliotek are currently developing organic solar panels that if they work should bring the price down to $0.50/watt.
The future in solar is predominantly on two fronts, 1. Energy Accumulation / Fuel Cells / Batteries Waste to Energy. The Future of CleanTech Patents. The number of U.S. patents granted for clean energy technology has recently dropped following a near 10-year period of growth. In fact, according to the Brookings Institute, the number of CleanTech patents granted in the country fell by a whopping nine percent between 2014 and 2016. When the economy picks up and things shift again, energy patents should be able to move forward, but for now, the uncertainty with the current Trump administration has brought things to a complete standstill.
White & Case Partner in Silicon Valley, Bijal Vakil sat down with IPWatchdog to discuss trends in clean technology innovation and the impact these trends may have on America’s sustainable future. He also shared insights on CleanTech priorities for the new administration and Congress in the coming year, the state of the U.S. patent system and its current effects on American innovation, and the future of CleanTech. “As of late, we’ve seen a significant shift at the U.S. Amanda G. “Challenges and Opportunities for a Clean Technology Revolution: A Venture Capital Perspective” by Varun Mehra – Aleph. Introduction Climate change and global warming have put markets, governments, and society in a unique yet pressing situation; standing idly by as carbon emissions and pollution externalities exacerbate current climate conditions is not a viable solution to economic prosperity.
However, there does not need to be a negative correlation between environmental degradation and GDP growth. In order to meet the needs of rising populations, markets must rethink their energy dependence and move towards achieving low-carbon growth. If one looks at the major source of energy in today’s world, it took an enormous amount of time, policy implementation, and infrastructure development for coal and oil to receive significant slices of America’s energy pie. To give an example, increased prices caused by the 1973 Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries oil embargo forced firms and institutions to make forward-thinking economic decisions and increase research and development. Source: Third Way Ms.