Get Green for Going Green

We’ve all heard the call to action, “Reduce, reuse, recycle.” There was even a cartoon, Captain Planet, focused on getting children to think about their role in the environment. Where these phrases and shows have contributed to the overall sentiment to do your part, there’s a new spin on reasons to open our eyes to clean technology.

Call it activism, call it incentive, or call it business—the cleantech industry is rising up to change the world. And like with any shift in ideology, the doors open up for new companies to prove their value in keeping the world clean, as well as the value of future investments.

Key Points:

Cleantech Defined
Influx of Capital
Clean Energy
Sustainable Materials
Electric Vehicles
The Way of the Future

The Dawn of CleanTech

So, what does clean technology entail? The use of sustainable resources, improving energy efficiency, and protecting the environment through a reduction of our carbon footprint, are just a few concepts. They all culminate in reducing a negative environmental impact. That being said, whether you’re interested in clean energy, sustainable materials, or forward thinking in electric vehicles, there’s something for everyone in this market. After all, a projected 3.4 trillion dollars is predicted to be invested in renewable energy over the course of the next decade.

Lose the Broom and Use Clean Energy Instead

There’s a common misconception that going green is an all or nothing practice. Like any bad habit, going cold turkey entails an incredible amount of challenges. When it comes to reducing a carbon footprint, steam, coal, and oil just aren’t cutting it anymore. That’s a key element in why we’ve seen a transition to hybrid batteries, relying on multiple sources of energy to hold power.

Generac Holdings Inc. (GNRC), a company who has excelled in this energy shift, has utilized solar and battery storage solutions to power their generators. Their focus is in revolutionizing the 21st century electrical grid for home and industrial applications. Not only do their products reduce strain on the grid, but they can also lower consumer energy costs, even to the extent of paying consumers for excess power generated.

Aaron Jagdfeld, Generac’s C.E.O., stated earlier in the year,

New product launches include deep integration of our PWRcell storage systems with our legacy generator products, the ability to more easily and cost effectively add a PWRcell system to an existing solar installation and the launch of a new purpose-built generator that can be combined with solar and storage to allow an end user to operate independently of the power grid.

Every step toward clean energy makes a difference, and it’s the sum of all of this forward motion that will change the world we know.

Made from Green, Made Clean

The cost of business, or the bottom line, has outlined business models for decades. We demand more in exchange for less in order to get ahead. When it comes to going green though, you get ahead by demanding less… less in the form of energy used to create or employ materials, that is. This is done through breakthroughs in technology, using complex systems to perform special functions, allowing for higher performance and less cost.

Mankind has come a long way from the days of manipulating raw materials. We’ve entered the realm of nanotechnologies, relying on artificial intelligence to design new materials and metamaterials. Meta Materials Inc. (MMAT) is a key example of this kind of breakthrough. The materials in their products mimic nature, but they include properties and capabilities that surpass natural materials. They accomplish this through advancements in the power of light, using algorithms and engineering at microscopic levels.

With such contributions, META was named in the 2019 Global Cleantech 100, and has continued to democratize nanotechnology and help improve human life. Now, going green is no longer an optional business alternative. It’s a way of life.

Vroom Without the Kaboom

A hot topic for cleantech is electric vehicles. The U.S. has set a target for electric cars to represent 50% of total vehicles by 2030. We see them on the streets, some of us plug them in at night, and often, that’s the extent of what we know.

Electric vehicles go far beyond personal use though. Transportation at large is a whole segment of society that is waiting to see change. This includes all forms of movement that are powering up for a healthier, cleaner, and safer future.

One look at Ideanomics (IDEX) let’s you know that they’re in it to win it with alternate models of transport. Their company encourages sustainability transformation by providing clean transportation solutions, which result in economic and operational confidence. Wave by Ideanomics represents the largest electric bus fleet for transit in the U.S. Their modular solution also ranges to commercial applications, ports, and warehouse and distribution centers. If that’s not enough, Solectrac by Ideanomics focuses on climate-smart electric tractors. Here, they have paved the way for zero-emission agriculture and utility operations. This type of forward thinking sets a precedence for incredible benefits in the world of cleantech.

Cleaning Up Shop

With each new day, we discover that cleantech and electric vehicles are creating strides in overtaking previous forms of business. Even on an international level with the Paris Agreement, governments are taking note of the importance of remaining friendly to the environment. Billions of dollars gravitate toward this sector, and it’s only a matter of time before these practices become the norm. The future is here, and it’s looking green for the world and for your investments.