Al Gore says that our planet is heating up, and I guess a lot of people agree with him. I’ve yet to be convinced of this “global warming” theory, but then again, I’ve only recently started subscribing to the whole “world is round” theory (lucky guess, Columbus). Anyway, regardless of where you stand on the issue, you have to acknowledge that there’s going to be a lot of money spent by companies trying to increase energy efficiency, and a lot of money made by companies who provide cleaner energy sources.
Alternative energy providers will obviously be some of the biggest benefactors of the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but here are some other industries that stand to make some money as well (from Kiplinger):
- Suppliers to alternative energy providers. (Example: Zoltek, which makes composite materials used in turbine blades.)
- Companies that make products that improve energy efficiency. (Examples: lster Electricity, Itron, Sensirion, eMeter and SmartSynch. They sell meters that track real-time fluctuations in power prices, allowing manufacturers and others to better monitor the cost of their energy use.)
- Companies that help make fossil fuels cleaner. (Examples: Foster-Miller and NeuCo, which make systems that remove airborne pollutants from coal plant emissions.)
- Automotive suppliers who increase fuel-efficiency (Example: Magna International, who is developing ultralight, yet sturdy, steels for auto bodies, as well as steel-aluminum and plastic composites for mechanical systems, all designed to cut vehicular weight.)
Hmm, might be time to research some stocks…and by “research some stocks” I mean “put all of these company names in a hat and pick one to buy shares of.”
