Clean Energy Trends

Clean Energy Trends is a series of reports by Clean Edge which examine markets for solar, wind, geothermal, fuel cells, biofuels, and other clean energy technologies. Since the publication of the first Clean Energy Trends report in 2002, Clean Edge has provided an annual snapshot of both the global and U.S. clean energy sector markets.

2006 trends

In 2006 most climate change skeptics began to change their views. Scientists, investors, business leaders, and politicians moved the agenda from whether climate change was occurring to what should be done about it. The acceptance of climate change as “real” helped to unlock latent interest in clean energy technologies on the part of corporate and political leaders. In Washington and other capitals, clean energy became a bipartisan issue. In corporate boardrooms, it is said to be fast becoming an imperative. And clean energy markets are growing:

2007 trends

Clean Energy Trends 2007 shows markets for four benchmark technologies — solar photovoltaics, wind power, biofuels, and fuel cells — continuing their steady climb. Annual revenue for these four technologies increased nearly 39% in one year — to $55 billion in 2006 up from $40 billion in 2005. Clean Edge forecasts that this trajectory will continue to become a $226 billion market by 2016.

Sustainable energy

Sustainable energy is energy obtained from non-exhaustible resources. By definition, sustainable energy serves the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The organizing principle for sustainability is sustainable development, which includes the four interconnected domains: ecology, economics, politics and culture.Sustainability science is the study of sustainable development and environmental science.

Technologies that promote sustainable energy include renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal energy, bioenergy, tidal power and also technologies designed to improve energy efficiency. Costs have fallen dramatically in recent years, and continue to fall. Most of these technologies are either economically competitive or close to being so. Increasingly, effective government policies support investor confidence and these markets are expanding. Considerable progress is being made in the energy transition from fossil fuels to ecologically sustainable systems, to the point where many studies support 100% renewable energy.