Still Laughing

Alt Energy and Trading Green

I'm sorry, what did that last comment have to do with investing? The capitalist interest in green energies has nothing to do with being good or helping the Earth. That's a nice thing to pat yourself on the back for, but no one makes money doing that.

Green energy investment comes from the belief that if the science can catch up, you can take an abundant, almost unlimited resource (like sunlight) and sell the energy back at an unbelievably high profit because your COGS will be substantially less than a commodity based energy source.

I think the solar panel discussion is funny only because it rests on the assumption that no matter what we do, the technology can only be THIS efficient.

And while it may be true that green energy can only be funded through government subsidies, it may very well be true that private investors simply will not shoulder the risk involve in capitalization of a new technology of that magnitude. This is not a defect of the concept or a problem with the profit potential, rather it is simply something more fundamental like a Sharpe ratio decision.