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“Clean tech is always in a boom-and-bust cycle,’’ said Matt Moscardi, manager of investor programs at Ceres, a green investment coalition based in Boston. “Without a price on carbon, or some other mechanism by which you measure pollutants and emissions, the playing field will not be level.’’ [Reference: Boston Globe article, 9-Mar10]
The ’tilted playing field’ or unfair advantage alluded to by Ceres is also referred to as clean energy’s “competitive conundrum”. Since clean energy costs are higher than those available from conventional sources, what is going to convince a typical consumer to pay that higher price? And, are those lower prices from conventional sources truly reflective of the true ‘price‘ of their service, including emissions? It’s not easy or convenient for consumers to think of it this way, but when they ’save’ money on low energy costs, they’re paying for it later in tax dollars and cleanup efforts that result from the dirtier sources of power – not to mention the ‘intangible’ loss in ‘quality of life’ for this and future generations. I know… it sounds a little preachy, but it’s true.
From the referenced article:
Paul Maeder, cofounder of the venture capital firm Highland Capital Partners of Lexington, agreed, saying that when it comes to backing clean technology, he focuses on the long-term because venture capital investments often can take several years to pay off.
The best thing the government can do, he said, is institute something like a cap-and-trade system – which forces regulated companies to pay for the pollution they emit – to bring consistency to the world of clean tech.
What is clean tech, by the way?
Actually, we found a site full of interesting research on this subject from a source called CleanEdge. Visit this site for a full list of reports. We answer the question “what is clean tech?” after reading here, and share the key figure in this posting. The report goes on to discuss the same issues as the referenced Globe article with respect to an ‘unfair advantage’.
If this topic interests you and you’d like to read some expert analysis and opinion regarding leveling the playing field for clean energy – thus triggering a flurry of new projects – go to this link from the National Journal, entitled “What’s a Winning Stragegy for Renewables?”, in which 17 different experts give their readout on the situation.
There, you can vote and choose to agree with the experts that most reflect your view on the subject. Happy climbing, and let’s hope we see more of these clean tech projects get started!
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