by I.M.

Created on: June 19, 2008   Last Updated: February 15, 2010

There may not be a better time to invest in the myriad of technologies that make up the "Green Technology" area. Many companies are in the process of researching new technologies, and the shares are fairly inexpensive at this time. Not that every company is going to be a success, and not every technology viable in the future, but many will inevitably succeed. A good indication of success for some companies are government grants, which generally translate to growth.

Hydrogen technology is a particularly optimistic field for potential investors. The grant money poured into this field will not depend on the 2008 elections when both the Democratic and Republican platforms stress the importance of alternative energy, and has been a priority of even the current administration. Hydrogen research is currently focused on production, storage, and delivery capabilities and the infrastructure it requires.

The main issue is the problem with infrastructure: if the hydrogen vehicles become available, but the fuel is not readily available for consumers, the technology may not be successful. The research for these areas, however, is far enough for projections of the first vehicles being available to the general public by 2020, which is also the time for public outreach and education, at which point investments may no longer be as economic as they are now.

Solar technology is also receiving federal grant money, and university-corporation partnerships are becoming a commonplace event in the process of turning solar energy into a cost-competitive energy source. Solar technology and the possibility of its commercial success is really going to hinge on whether the building industry recovers and the extent to which builders embrace the use of solar energy in residential homes and commercial projects.

The technology for builders to use solar power as a supplementary source of electricity for homes and office buildings is more cost-efficient than the use of solar power in a power plant setting, where the return on initial investment will be a very long term process, and the production of such will be extremely expensive.

Hybrid vehicles are no longer the newest technology, and have been developed sufficiently enough to be available already. In this case, the remaining investment opportunities hinge on the speculation of which motor companies are going to grab the market. Hybrid vehicles are the fastest growing segment of automobile sales in the United States, and the question of which companies are going to capitalize on this growing market depends on who can make the manufacturing process most affordable. The safe bet would be for the companies that have already been producing electric hybrids for some time.

The currently fastest growing sector in alternative energies, however, is wind power. Wind power generated roughly a third of all new electricity produced in 2007, and is already cost-competitive with traditional energy sources. Technology is also being developed for residential wind energy. This particular branch of alternative energy production is probably the safest, but one should not expect monumental gains.

To find out more about alternative energy sources, technologies, and lists of corporations involved in the research, visit the U.S. Department of Energy website. Even more specifically the site for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for detailed information, as well as government reports on the stages of research and development.

There is hardly such a thing as a safe or sure investment, but looking at the need for alternative energy, and the non-partisan nature of this need, it is an excellent prospect.

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