Insights
On The Horizon: Energy Innovations in 2015
Posted July 22, 2015 in Articles
Innovations are occurring in energy all the time. In 2014, more than $339 billion in renewable energy transactions took place. Now is the time to discover how your business can be part of this new growth sector and contribute to important innovations on a global scale.
At Mithras Investments, our team of professional advisors and energy experts are here to assist clients as they uncover new opportunities for finance, investment or distribution of innovative energy resources.
FOSSIL FUELS
Most everyone agrees that fossil fuels are on the way out. While coal and oil are relatively inexpensive to harness — after years of experience on a global scale, the tools and manpower are favorable cost-wise — the fact remains that these are non-renewable resources.
The issue of pollution and rapid climate change is beginning to turn the hearts and minds of many, too.
Forecast: There is still great potential in fossil fuels, because many societies rely heavily on them and governments around the world are vested in their profitability, but it’s only a matter of time before they go the way of the dinosaurs.
HYDROELECTRICITY
Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by the force of water falling or flowing. This isn’t exactly an innovation per se, since the Greeks were using hydropower thousands of years ago, but what is new is their profitability.
Hydroelectricity is fast and easy to scale and, while damming sometimes has negative environmental impacts, greenhouse emissions and other waste is much lower than many energy sources.
Forecast: Look to China, already home to the largest hydroelectricity plant in the world, for opportunities to power their exponential manufacturing and production growth.
WIND
Wind towers use the power of wind to propel turbines that cause magnets to rotate, thereby creating electricity. The towers are built in clusters to create farms both onshore and offshore.
Much news has been reported about the cresting interest in wind farms this year with the United States as a leader. China and India have profited from wind farms, too.
Forecast: For a stateside energy investment, wind farms are innovative enough to still have plenty of potential for companies that want to direct the course of farms while profiting.
SOLAR
Solar power has evolved enormously over the past decade. Once the domain of energy pioneers, a variety of innovative technologies have emerged to create a deep, robust market.
Investors usually seek solar power methods that involve products, either active collection and disbursement products or passive methods including architecture and certain building materials.
Forecast: Staying cutting-edge is crucial to investing in solar power, because the field is already full of effective ideas and products.
BIOFUEL
Relatively untapped in the United States, biofuels are produced by living organisms resulting from carbon fixation that occurs in microalgae or plants. Recent innovations have provided support for products ranging from biodiesel to plastics to consumer household goods.
Forecast: The European Union has made some progress with this technology, but opportunities in the United States and elsewhere for pioneering research and developing business models are still fairly wide open.
GEOTHERMAL
Geothermal energy is generated and stored within the Earth. There is considerably more than enough energy stored in the Earth to power the planet, too.
Recent technology has made this energy available beyond tectonic plate boundaries and its environmental friendliness is excellent, but drilling and exploration of this resource is very costly right now.
Forecast: Investors may want to consider research and development efforts to support harnessing this energy in an affordable manner, but this is a longer-term investment with more uncertainty than other forms of energy.
To explore these opportunities further with one of our expert advisers, please contact us today.
