Product Description

When industry giants such as GE, Toyota, and Sharp and investment firms such as Goldman Sachs are making multibillion-dollar investments in clean technology, the message is clear. Developing clean technologies is no longer a social issue championed by environmentalists; it's a moneymaking enterprise moving solidly into the business mainstream. In fact, as the economy faces unprecedented challenges from high energy prices, resource shortages, and global environmental and security threats, clean tech—technologies designed to provide superior performance at a lower cost while creating significantly less waste than conventional offerings—promises to be the next engine of economic growth.

In The Clean Tech Revolution, authors Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder identify the major forces that have pushed clean tech from back-to-the-earth utopian dream to its current revolution among the inner circles of corporate boardrooms, on Wall Street trading floors, and in government offices around the globe. By highlighting eight major clean-tech sectors—solar energy, wind power, biofuels and biomaterials, green buildings, personal transportation, the smart grid, mobile applications, and water filtration—they uncover how investors, entrepreneurs, and individuals can profit from this next wave of technological innovation. Pernick and Wilder shine the spotlight on the winners among technologies, companies, and regions that are likely to reap the greatest benefits from clean tech—and they show you why the time to act is now.

Groundbreaking and authoritative, The Clean Tech Revolution is the must-read book to understand and profit from the clean technologies that are reshaping our fast-changing world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #172971 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-01
• Released on: 2007-06-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780060896232
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Booklist
Alternative energy, once the domain of hippies and off-the-grid fringe enthusiasts, has gone mainstream. Although technologies such as solar and wind power, plant-based fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, and "green" buildings have become hip because of environmental awareness and global climate change, the real reason behind their increasing profile is economics. When clean energy sources begin to rival more traditional ones on a cost basis, which is beginning to happen now owing to advances related to the microchip and economies of scale, corporations will quickly begin to take notice. Although Pernick and Wilder state that they are not financial advisors, they profile the leading companies involved in the most promising of these alternative energies, which gives the reader a place to begin doing further research into investment opportunities. The book is an excellent update on the current state of the industry and a who's who of the companies poised to profit from this exciting array of technologies. Pernick and Wilder are involved with Clean Edge http://www.cleanedge.com, a leading research firm helping companies and investors understand and profit from clean technologies. Siegfried, David

Review
"[A] clear, intelligently written roadmap to this new frontier. . . . particularly valuable to entrepreneurs, individual investors and venture capitalists." -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Clean Tech Revolution is a seminal book that puts clean tech solidly on the global investment map and explains the trends that are rapidly reshaping it. -- Ira Ehrenpreis, General Partner, Technology Partners

Clean tech will offer one of the best opportunities for returns in the twenty-first century. The Clean Tech Revolution provides valuable insight from two industry experts that will help investors identify the most important trends, technologies and companies. -- Michael Moe, Chairman and CEO of ThinkEquity Partners and author of Finding the Next Starbucks: How to Identify and Invest in the Hot Stocks of Tomorrow

If you ever wondered whether clean tech is a real industry with serious companies, read Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder's authoritative book. Investors, entrepreneurs, and clean-tech executives will find its concise listings and descriptions invaluable. -- William K Reilly, Founding Partner, Aqua International Partners, and Former Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

If you want to understand clean tech, this book is the place to start. -- Robert Hambrecht, Managing Director, WR Hambrecht + Co

If you want to understand clean tech, this book is the place to start. -- Robert Hambrecht, Managing Director, WR Hambrecht + Co

Pernick and Wilder provide a practical guide to becoming involved in America's next great entrepreneurial frontier. -- Nancy E. Pfund, Managing Director, JPMorgan

Should be required reading for any responsible citizen of this planet. -- Guy Kawasaki, Managing Director, Garage Technology Ventures, and Author of The Art of the Start

The biggest market opportunity today is to find alternatives to the earth's diminishing resources. This is the definitive guide on how to make money by protecting the environment. -- Gavin Newsom, mayor of San Francisco

Thomas Friedman's book The World is Flat helped people recognize that globalization is pervasive. Similarly, The Clean Tech Revolution shows us that clean energy has arrived and will have a far-reaching impact on the global economy. -- Bob Greifeld, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.

Review
"Pernick and Wilder provide a practical guide to becoming involved in America's next great entrepreneurial frontier." (Nancy E. Pfund, Managing Director, JPMorgan )

"If you want to understand clean tech, this book is the place to start." (Robert Hambrecht, Managing Director, WR Hambrecht + Co )

A readable, straightforward guide to earth-friendly business strategies. (BusinessWeek.com )

"Enthusiasm for Clean Tech, which the authors define as anything that increases performance while reducing waste, has moved into..mainstream. " (Newsweek )

"Should be required reading for any responsible citizen of this planet." (Guy Kawasaki, Managing Director, Garage Technology Ventures, and Author of The Art of the Start )

"[A] clear, intelligently written roadmap to this new frontier. . . . particularly valuable to entrepreneurs, individual investors and venture capitalists." (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette )

Customer Reviews

Good information, No hype, Interesting investment (themes) ideas
The authors provide an excellent overview of the significant drivers, ongoing developments, and potential breakthroughs in the realm of a multitude of "clean technology" sectors, including solar, wind, grid management, green buildings, biofuels, water filtration, transportation. In each chapter, in addition to the trends and recent developments, the authors identify the key players, key challenges for that technology to become mainstream, and then hypothesises on the potential breakthroughs related to that field, and which companies are in best position to achieve that.

The reader should be cautioned that the authors themselves in their introductory chapter say that they are not going to provide a "buy list" of stocks and that they use the term 'investment' broadly (to cover personal development, careers, etc. also. The reader is well-served by such an approach, since the discussion is dispassionate and devoid of the hype that surrounds the usual books on alternative energy. However, a discerning reader will be able to identify some potential investment themes and develop an excellent watchlist. Recent ETF introductions (such as those by Powershares that have a global focus) should also be on anyone's watchlist, since their portfolios seem to reflect thoughts similar to those in the book. (The authors dont mention these ETFs since they were introduced only around the same time as the book was released). Also, some of the companies mentioned in the book (such as enerNOC and Comverse) have since gone public and that info is not reflected in this book - shows how quickly this domain is changing. Another minor complaint is that while the authors provide an excellent overview of the key players in the frontlines of each of the technology, it does not provide a more detailed look at some of the indirect beneficiaries (for example, Zoltech in windpower). Apart from these minor irritations, the book is a solid addition to anyone's investment library.

The book is written in a very approachable and engaging manner, and each chapter is self-contained. The chapters on solar, wind, grid management, and water filtration stand out. The book concludes with a slightly off-beat transition into topics that an individual investor may not find immediately useful, but nevertheless, a good read. A must-have book, especially for the wealth of information you can gain for the price of a few Starbucks visits....

The past, present, and future of Clean Tech and the companies and cities that are leading the way
From my blog "Green is Good":


The Clean Tech Revolution is a book that covers the most dramatic industrial shift in more than a century. This book is authored by members of the clean tech consultancy, Clean Edge, and I highly recommended it to anyone looking to learn about the past, present, and future of clean technology, as well as learning about the companies and cities that are the leaders of this emerging industry.

Here are some of the highlights:

* Audience - The book is great read for anyone who is a potential stakeholder - entrepreneurs, consumers, investors, government officials, and executives will all learn something new after reading this.
* Organized for easy reference - The book was well organized - anyone looking to learn about one or two particular technologies can jump around to a chapter on the technology they are looking for as the book has individual chapters on wind, solar, biofuels, transportation, green building, the grid, and more.
* "Ten to Watch" - Each chapter has a list of the company's that are leading that sector - the company names can be found at the Clean Tech Revolution blog.
* Clean Tech Cities - There is an entire chapter dedicated to developing cities and regions to become clean tech hubs, and like the technology chapters there is a list of the leading clean tech cities. I am hoping we here in Pittsburgh can someday learn how to emulate some of the cities that made the list. Portland and Austin come to mind.
* Marketing Clean Tech - The do's and don't's for marketing these technologies. There are decades worth of case studies of flawed marketing of solar and other environmental friendly technologies.
* Verdict - Definitely a great book for you if you are reading this here blog. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a broad sweeping overview or reference book of the industry. There are several good books available that are more focused on particular industries like oil, electricity, solar, and even green business. I will be reviewing a few of these in the upcoming months.

Some other things to note: It was nice to read that the authors of the book were in agreement with a lot of the things I have posted on here, particularly my position against corn based ethanol. I also agree with the authors that shifting subsidies from "entrenched" conventional energy companies to those producing renewable energies would be the easiest way to support further growth and adaptation of renewables, and I agree with them that sin taxes are another sensible way to fund these initiatives.

Great ideas for investors who want to make money AND protect the planet
This book is written in accessible language, easy to understand and not too "techy". It clearly lays out the trends and opportunities for investing in clean energy technologies like solar, wind, and biofuels. For those of us who truly care about the environment and also want to have a secure retirement (or even retire early), this book is packed with information that I was able to take action on immediately.