Investing In Alternative Energy

[INTJ]

The time of "peak oil" would seem to be (almost) upon us, I'm thinking it would be good to invest in some alternative energy - palm oil (which is used in bio-diesel) and sugar cane (to make the ethanol used in gasohol).

Any thoughts on this and how would one go about this ? Buy shares in companies ? Looking for advice and opinions on this.

Cheers

[think_too_mut]

After dotcom and housing, yet another boom in the making.

There can be no alternative energy as long as coal fired Kwh is 3 cents and sun generated is 16 cents.

[Thaddeus]

After dotcom and housing, yet another boom in the making.

There can be no alternative energy as long as coal fired Kwh is 3 cents and sun generated is 16 cents.

Indeed, the rush to make money out of arable land to make alternate fuel sources never ceases to amaze me, there's a bloody great shiny thing up there in the sky that has been the raw source of all our energy for millions of years.

Land should be put to better use....... i.e. food.

[INTJ]

Should but won't. I posted this in the investment section not save the planet section.

Google "Peak Oil" and then "Biodiesel", I'm sure theres some money to be made here.

TTM, yes, probably another boom, its getting in and out at the right time (pardon the phrase !)

Cheers

[sibeymai]

Several of the big investment houses are holding biofuel stocks as commodities in their portfolios, or seeking to add more to existing holdings. As most biofuel is in the hands of farmers and not corporations (as underground fossil fuels are) there's not so much opportunity to invest directly with the biofuel resource owners. You could consider investing in the processors of the raw materials, ie. the refiners, or the commodity traders or the commodity itself. Bear in mind that biofuel supply is far below current refining capacity so investors in refining capacity have been burnt in the past due to lack of raw material. The commodity itself seems to be the best way to go at the moment as the price will rise on the gains in price of fossil fuels and will tend to hold those rises due to limited supply even if fossil fuel price decline due to a global economic slowdown. I would expect a boom period for several years, possibly 10-15 years by which time environmental concerns about monoculture farming and the effect of land use for this purpose will probably shift focus to alternative renewable sources such as solar, wind, tide, etc. The price differential between fossil fuel, biofuels and envirofuels will continue to decrease so the use of biofuels is only a transient step between fossil fuels and envirofuels.

[INTJ]

Helpful post, thanks.

[ronz28]

A new energy source has just been announced. Blacklight Power Inc. claims it has successfully developed a prototype power system generating 50,000 watts of thermal power on demand. Incorporating existing industry knowledge in chemical and power engineering, "The BlackLight Process generates enormous amounts of cheap, non-polluting heat that will replace the thermal power in coal, oil, gas and nuclear power plants that is then converted to electricity." Dr. Shelby Brewer, former CEO of ABB Combustion Engineering and Assistant Secretary of Energy during the Reagan Administration called today's announcement remarkable. "In my nearly 50 years in and around the energy business, I've yet to see a breakthrough as promising as this one. When I was studying to become a nuclear engineer in the 1960s, I never imagined I would see a day like today." Michael Jordan, former CEO of Westinghouse and current board member of BlackLight Power, says "The breakthroughs announced by Randell Mills and his team of scientists will go down as one of the most important advances in the field of energy in the last fifty years."

Ok, that's the hype, now are there any scientists out there that think this is for real? They are presenting plenty of details at http://www.blacklightpower.com/applications.shtml

[willymac]

Hope this post is helpful. Bio fuels are evidently the in thing at the moment, but though they may have some potential they also seem to be having a devestating effect in areas other than reducing the cost of commuting. There are alternatives to fossil fuels where electricity generation is concerned however (not related to wind or sun). Required to that end: Mechanical & Electrical Engineer.. gender/nationality unimportant (Active retired, but bored? ... perfect) for renewable energy project R&D. Fair to good English language important. Resident easy commuting distance to The Mall Ngamwongwan Road would be preferable. High return potential for active associate. e-mail with qualifications to: energy4all [at] fsmail [dot] net to receive further details.

Willymac

[Smithson]

Should but won't. I posted this in the investment section not save the planet section.

Google "Peak Oil" and then "Biodiesel", I'm sure theres some money to be made here.

Cheers

Yes, but saving the planet and investment are becoming synonymous, a good source of renewable energy would be a great investment, but biofuels don't seem to be that good. Oil is potent and has taken millions of years to form. It's wrong to think it can be replaced by plants that took a few months to grow.

[Lazy Sod]

I've done very well over the last few years with "Blackrock New Energy Investment Trust PLC" which you can buy on the London Stock Exchange. Google it for more info.

Edited June 4, 2008 by Lazy Sod