And it will be interesting to see how investment in cleantech is affected after December’s UN climate change conference in Copenhagen. The Copenhagen conference has been described as “the most important international gathering since the end of the Second World War” by Professor Nicholas Stern, author of the Stern Review Report on the Economics of Climate Change.
Of course, it is not just among the top levels of government that the need for clean technologies in the form of alternative energy or energy efficiency technologies are considered important. Industry is being prompted into action not just by legislation, but also by the need to save on energy costs.
Meanwhile, the consumer is becoming increasingly environmentally aware. A recent report from the Energy Saving Trust found that 35% of Britons would be willing to pay more for a home where some of their energy supply came from renewable sources, while 49% said they would like to know if their home is suitable for renewable energy.
These forces – government, industry and consumer – will drive the cleantech industry over the medium to long term. In the short term, cleantech stocks appear to be making gains as investors recognise the sector’s potential.
From October we will be increasing our own output and expanding this newsletter to eight pages. In addition to more news and company profiles, we will be featuring columns from Nigel Hawkins and Andrew Hore.
Nigel Hawkins is an experienced analyst and commentator on the utility sector. Andrew Hore is a highly-respected small company journalist who has covered London’s Alternative Investment Market for more than a decade.
Going forward, Quoted Cleantech will be published regularly at the beginning of each month. Starting from this issue, the share prices we quote are from the close at the end of the previous month.
Jon Mainwaring
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