I like words. I am a writer. So, when a few words strung together impact my brain, I take notice.

  • It’s a technology, not a fuel.

The above few simple words opened my eyes even further to the reality of renewable energy and its impact on the world. In particular, the above sentence referenced solar power, but the statement can be applied to all forms of renewable energies. The transformation from fossil fuels to renewable energies is all about technology.  

  • The race for renewable energy has passed a turning point. The world is now adding more capacity for renewable power each year than coal, natural gas, and oil combined. And there’s no going back. 

Yes, folks, the debate is over. From Tesla making affordable and cool electric cars to Germany pulling down 28% of its power needs from renewable energies to California, with an economy ranking it in the top 10 in the world, it seems this train is unstoppable.

  • In just one year, big solar jumped from 1.9 percent to 5 percent of the California’s total power generation. California isn’t just producing the most utility-scale solar electricity of any state; it’s producing more than all the other states combined.
  • Renewable energy, including hydro power and rooftop solar, now constitutes about a third of California’s electricity, a remarkable feat accomplished through renewable requirements for utilities and incentives for homeowners. 

It has been coming for a while, but the breathless media juggernaut, often guided by the hand of the fossil-fuel oligarchy, would have us think otherwise.  Remember what I recently wrote about the Saudis and why they want cheap oil?

  • The shift occurred in 2013, when the world added 143 gigawatts of renewable electricity capacity, compared with 141 gigawatts in new plants that burn fossil fuels … The shift will continue to accelerate, and by 2030 more than four times as much renewable capacity will be added. 

Aside from the fact that we have to shift to renewables for our own survival (think carbon emissions), there is another reason for the shift – technology has made renewable energy affordable, and it is getting cheaper and will continue to do so.

  • The price of wind and solar power continues to plummet, and is now on par or cheaper than grid electricity in many areas of the world. 

We have solar power on our roof, and it did not cost us a dime, not one dime. The new business model is such that companies install panels, maintain them, and then guarantee power, and all one has to do is commit to paying that company a set amount over a period of time, and that amount replaces the amount you pay your utility company.

Yes, rooftop solar is sweeping through the US and through California, in particular. California leads the nation in roof-top solar with more than 2.3 gigawatts installed.

Now is the time to invest or trade renewable energies. The days of all speculation are over. Now, it is a matter of finding good, solid companies or amazing startups utilizing the latest and greatest technology, which, by the way, is changing all the time. Oh! And one should look for ancillary companies that provide that latest and greatest technology, you companies that make solar panels, for example.

As to investing and trading …

Dr. Gary Dayton wrote an interesting piece for TraderPlanet recently (Predicting the Market: Are The Experts Really Expert?) about the world of market prediction. It is worth the read.

Trade in the day; invest in your life …

Trader Ed