The Week in Cleantech (Sep. 2 to Sep. 8) – Is Geothermal Really Alternative Energy’s Klondike?

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On Wednesday, Energy Tech Stocks gave us the heads up on a recent warning by Raymond James & Associate about declining oil production. Interesting to see a thesis that was derided as pure fantasy as recently as two years ago slowly creeping up into the mainstream. On Thursday, Sam Abuelsamid at Autoblog Green opined that CO2 regulations in Europe could place the balance of power on the auto parts suppliers’ side in the fight for profit margins. We have noted in the past how some of the most interesting (and ‘safest’) clean car investment opportunities rested with parts manufacturers. Besides CO2 regulations in Europe, tightening fuel efficiency standards the world over should help parts manufacturers do well relative to car makers. On Thursday, Andrea Quong at Red Herring informed us that VCs were striking out for greener pastures. It is always interesting to know where cleantech venture capitalists are turning their attention to. On Thursday, Biopact reported on China’s latest alternative energy plans. Of course the caveat with this grand scheme is that half of the proposed US$265 billion will go toward large hydro, which tends to receive mixed reviews from just about everyone. Nevertheless, US$133 billion in investments in biofuels, bioenergy, wind and other forms of alternative energy, not to mention pollution control, will create very interesting opportunities for a variety of different companies. On Friday, Rob Day, formerly of Cleantech Investing and now with Greentech Media, outlined for us the main barriers to adoption of energy efficiency applications in commercial buildings. An interesting piece that partly explains why, despite seemingly compelling economics, energy efficiency technologies such as smart metering aren’t taking off as fast as could be expected. On Friday, Jim Fraser at The Energy Blog reported on a small Icelandic bank’s big bet on geothermal. Geothermal tends to fade in and out of the alternative energy newswire, yet it may be one of the most compelling alternative energy investment stories out there. I haven’t read the report but I trust that it is packed with very useful information for the would-be geothermal investor. The Week in Cleantech is a weekly roundup of our favorite cleantech and alt energy blog posts and stories from across the web. If you know of a good piece that you think should be included here, don’t hesitate to let us know!

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