A few thoughts on CSP, CPV & investment

Climate Change is not an inconvenient truth as Al Gore proclaims, but a historic chance for Spain to lead the third industrial revolution, based in renewable energies. This is the twist that Jimenez Beltran expressed this week in Spain.

Jimenez Beltran might not ring a bell to you if you are not familiar with Spanish public figures. Having worked for the European Union in environmental issues, he does have it right, however, there is now an amazing opportunity for companies to get into the industrial revolution before it is too late.

You might or might not know it, but I am currently working on a financing and investment event for CSP and CPV, to take place in San Francisco in June (about the US market) and Madrid, in September (for the European market) Therefore why I keep on tripping on this clear signs that the market is still going to run upwards for quite a while.

For example, on Monday’s Times; in its business section has a double-page spread about the legendary British investment millionaire Jim Mellon. He made a huge fortune in Russia, fund management and other ventures. Asked about the future he believes so strongly in solar power - it will, he argues, be 'bigger than the internet within the next five years' and this has driven him to set up his own industrial company, Emerging Metals, which will be floated... within the next three months. The company specialises in metals used in the next generation of solar panels. "Solar is genuinely clean - it ticks all sorts of zeitgeist boxes. Within five years, solar power will be as cheap as oil and gas without the subsidy”

So there is certainly much interest in solar and CSP and CPV are receiving record interest from the financing world – For example today I have learned that Cool Earth Solar – a CPV company with an innovative approach to the way the solar fields look (just check the image for reference)- had a leaked news piece regarding the fact that they have attracted finance totalling $21 million. My contact was also surprised that the information was in the public domain when he had been told to keep it quiet for the next days…And let us not get into CSP - where every week at least i get two news articles about companies attractinb investment

With financing of CSP being in the daily news and CSP attracting so much attention from everywhere – it is harder than ever to know who will ultimately be right: those who preach that the solar industry will be doomed to follow the same bubble burst effect that the dot com industry felt and those you assure that solar is here to stay.

So, is solar a safe invest? Of course it is. As much as oil companies are trying to convince us otherwise, oil is running out. The prices of oil are going to become highly instable and unlike the oil embargo in the 70’s – this time they will not be able to put governments at peace long enough for them to abandon all the renewable energy development programmes.

We must learn the lessons quickly if we want to move on from oil without suffering a creeping recession – just take a look at Germany and how their policies have created a clean industry that is leader in the world. Their environmental consciousness has brought nothing but jobs, wealth and a strong revolutionary industry. We must follow this lead.

I, for one, will be proud to see Spain in the lead.

*3ethlehem*