The Clean Tech Revolution: The Next Big Growth and Investment Opportunity

This collection of information is essential reading for anyone who wants to know the future of our economy and world economic conditions. The book clearly lays out the various scenarios facing clean tech at a time when this entire sector is taking off. The way the info is presented is concise, documented and connected to other useful follow-up links. It strikes the right balance between and investment guide approach and a general assessment of the technology field. I'm really glad I bought this book and will use it as a tool for gathering more knowledge about these essential industries as well as the challenges facing us resulting from climate change, oil depletion and international resource instability. J. Marshall Gilmore, energy consultant and attorney

From my blog "Green is Good": The Clean Tech Revolution is a book that covers the most dramatic industrial shift in more than a century. This book is authored by members of the clean tech consultancy, Clean Edge, and I highly recommended it to anyone looking to learn about the past, present, and future of clean technology, as well as learning about the companies and cities that are the leaders of this emerging industry. Here are some of the highlights: * Audience - The book is great read for anyone who is a potential stakeholder - entrepreneurs, consumers, investors, government officials, and executives will all learn something new after reading this. * Organized for easy reference - The book was well organized - anyone looking to learn about one or two particular technologies can jump around to a chapter on the technology they are looking for as the book has individual chapters on wind, solar, biofuels, transportation, green building, the grid, and more. * "Ten to Watch" - Each chapter has a list of the company's that are leading that sector - the company names can be found at the Clean Tech Revolution blog. * Clean Tech Cities - There is an entire chapter dedicated to developing cities and regions to become clean tech hubs, and like the technology chapters there is a list of the leading clean tech cities. I am hoping we here in Pittsburgh can someday learn how to emulate some of the cities that made the list. Portland and Austin come to mind. * Marketing Clean Tech - The do's and don't's for marketing these technologies. There are decades worth of case studies of flawed marketing of solar and other environmental friendly technologies. * Verdict - Definitely a great book for you if you are reading this here blog. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a broad sweeping overview or reference book of the industry. There are several good books available that are more focused on particular industries like oil, electricity, solar, and even green business. I will be reviewing a few of these in the upcoming months. Some other things to note: It was nice to read that the authors of the book were in agreement with a lot of the things I have posted on here, particularly my position against corn based ethanol. I also agree with the authors that shifting subsidies from "entrenched" conventional energy companies to those producing renewable energies would be the easiest way to support further growth and adaptation of renewables, and I agree with them that sin taxes are another sensible way to fund these initiatives.

I've been looking into ways to invest my 401k and "The Clean Tech Revolution" has given me some great ideas. This book takes a common sense approach to investing in clean tech. It makes a clear point that alternative energy, in all of its diverse forms, will one day rule the energy market. It is an inspirational read in today's world, where the news is dominated by stories about the Iraqi War, and Global Warming. When I applied for a job at "Rolling Stone" magazine, one of the questions on the application asked what I wish I had written. I wish I had written this book! I take my hat off to Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder.

Pernick and Wilder have given everyone involved in clean tech, and those who want to be, an invaluable resource to understand the opportunities, the dynamics, the challenges and the companies that are making it happen. Anyone interested in this huge market opportunity will want to buy and read this book.

The authors provide an excellent overview of the significant drivers, ongoing developments, and potential breakthroughs in the realm of a multitude of "clean technology" sectors, including solar, wind, grid management, green buildings, biofuels, water filtration, transportation. In each chapter, in addition to the trends and recent developments, the authors identify the key players, key challenges for that technology to become mainstream, and then hypothesises on the potential breakthroughs related to that field, and which companies are in best position to achieve that. The reader should be cautioned that the authors themselves in their introductory chapter say that they are not going to provide a "buy list" of stocks and that they use the term 'investment' broadly (to cover personal development, careers, etc. also. The reader is well-served by such an approach, since the discussion is dispassionate and devoid of the hype that surrounds the usual books on alternative energy. However, a discerning reader will be able to identify some potential investment themes and develop an excellent watchlist. Recent ETF introductions (such as those by Powershares that have a global focus) should also be on anyone's watchlist, since their portfolios seem to reflect thoughts similar to those in the book. (The authors dont mention these ETFs since they were introduced only around the same time as the book was released). Also, some of the companies mentioned in the book (such as enerNOC and Comverse) have since gone public and that info is not reflected in this book - shows how quickly this domain is changing. Another minor complaint is that while the authors provide an excellent overview of the key players in the frontlines of each of the technology, it does not provide a more detailed look at some of the indirect beneficiaries (for example, Zoltech in windpower). Apart from these minor irritations, the book is a solid addition to anyone's investment library. The book is written in a very approachable and engaging manner, and each chapter is self-contained. The chapters on solar, wind, grid management, and water filtration stand out. The book concludes with a slightly off-beat transition into topics that an individual investor may not find immediately useful, but nevertheless, a good read. A must-have book, especially for the wealth of information you can gain for the price of a few Starbucks visits....