The smoke is clearing over Copenhagen and the COP15 Green Energy Summit!

Image by TailspinT via Flickr

The world leaders who will meet in Copenhagen next week for COP15 (United nations Climate Change Conference) or what is billed as the Green Energy summit, have now all committed to at least some reduction in carbon emissions over the next decade. The United States, who virtually ignored the Kyoto Accord under President George W. Bush, is actually leading the push for carbon reduction this time as President Obama has already pledged a 17% reduction by 2020.

China followed suit with a pledge of their own and even India, albeit with a much smaller promise, is on board. Canada will follow the U.S. (it really has no choice) and Europe has already done more than all of the above in the push for carbon reduction in our atmosphere and the Green Energy revolution which is supremely evident as you take the Euro train from Hamburg to Berlin and pass literally thousands of wind turbines churning out power along the way.

Companies that have completely embraced carbon reduction and the concept of green or renewable energy which is non polluting (or at least carbon reducing) have gained significantly this year and stand to profit immensely in the coming years. Some of these companies resemble those who embraced the information revolution in the early 70's (Microsoft, Apple etc)
or the web revolution ten years ago (Google, Yahoo etc)

It is my humble opinion that this Green Energy revolution has the potential to top those previous market movers as the planet begins the long, arduous road to cleaning itself of carbon pollution. Soon photo's like the one pictured here, of a fuel cell a powered airplane, will be commonplace. Wind, Solar, Fuel Cells, these are the winners and the future of energy for the next ten years. The losers will be coal, corn ethanol, biomass and oil. Nuclear energy, while still being debated as an also ran, has the potential to be eliminated entirely by fuel cell power plants burning, at first, natural gas (which has an abundant supply of hydrogen and produces less pollution) and finally, pure hydrogen, once the storage issue is resolved (and it will be).

If you are not on this green energy bandwagon right now, then what are you waiting for? It will not only change the way the world powers itself, but also the way the world invests in energy. There will be big winners and big losers. Where do you want to be positioned as COP15 approaches and green energy, once again, enters the world spot light.

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The Green Energy Revolutions biggest Month - December 2009 - Profiting from Clean Energy in 2010

Image by pshab via Flickr

President Obama is going to Copenhagen and the COP15 summit with a solid promise of Carbon reduction.

No it's not drastic, but it is far and away more than any previous administration in the United States have ever committed to. A 17% reduction in CO2 levels by 2020, below the 2005 level. It's not Kyoto, but it is a solid commitment, and when the USA leads, everyone else is bound to follow. Even China, who has taken over the title as worlds biggest polluter this year (from the USA) is catching the drift with some promises of Carbon reducing policies of it's own.

Canada's Prime Minister as well as many other world leaders will also be in attendance at Copenhagen. Now you must ask yourself, what affect will this have on my Retirefund?

In a nutshell, it is a complete game changer and will have a huge affect on investments all over the world. If these leaders come to an agreement, no matter how small, on reducing their carbon footprint on this planet, it is the beginning of the end for some companies and industries and it is the beginning of great wealth and prosperity for other companies who embrace the Green Energy revolution that is just beginning. The COP15 summit is the catalyst which puts this revolution into overdrive. That's how much of a game changer it is.

At this writing, California is legislating that fully 20% of all energy produced in the State beginning in 2010, must come from renewable resources. Federally in the U.S., there is a strong movement to legislate a similar law for the entire Country of 15% of total energy being produced by renewable resources beyond 2010. Billions of dollars are in play. Wind and Solar companies are springing up like the oil derricks of the 1890's. The "hydrogen highway" is being built in California. Hydrogen fuel cells burning, at first, natural gas and eventually pure hydrogen, will eventually play the major part in the greening of our planet. This is no time to be a wallflower. If you are not invested in the green revolution, you will merely be a spectator in the game, which will be the greatest wealth building era since the industrial revolution.

Make no mistake (as President Obama likes to say) This is a game changer. If you are invested in coal energy, you should probably get out now! If you are invested in pure oil plays you still have some time. If you are piling your money into Wind and Solar companies, you should maybe take a double check on that. They will eventually only be bit players in this great game but they will gain significantly in the short to medium term. Hydrogen is the future of energy, no matter how you look at it, and Natural gas is a great store of hydrogen for fuel cells, which have the greatest potential to produce the most wealth. PEM fuel cells can be stacked and therefore, can produce energy at the back up generator level, and at the giant energy plant level. They have the capacity to actually replace large oil fired, coal fired, and even nuclear power plants.

There will be flashes in the pan, so to speak, of ideas that, at first seem like solutions, but that will peter out like a late night camp fire. Clean coal (an oxymoron - as there is no such thing as clean coal) is the obvious one. Corn ethanol is another. It produces at least the same or even more carbon in it's production, than it saves by it's use as a gasoline additive.

"Could be the largest economic opportunity of the 21st century."
- Venture Capital Firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers

Do your homework and do it well before you invest, but don't sit on the sidelines of this great race. As Wayne Gretzky once said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"!

Our top pick:
Ballard Power Systems
BLD-T
BLDP-NASDAQ

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The beginning of the end, for fossil fuels! COP 15 and it's affect on "your Retirefund"!

Image by leshumainsassocies via Flickr

"Plans for the end of the fossil-fuel
economy are now being laid."
-- The Economist

The future of energy is at stake, and nothing less!

COP-15 ! Have you heard this term yet? Well you are certainly going to. It is the short title for the "Untied Nations Climate Change Conference", a meeting of heavy weights from around the world in Copenhagen on December 7th 2009. It will absolutely dwarf the Kyoto Accord and it's importance to our planet. The importance to the markets, and investors like us, cannot be overstated either. It is that important! Government and business leaders from 40 Countries are all involved.

The results of COP-15 will win and lose fortunes for many investors. Now which camp do you want to be in, the winners or the losers. I thought so! Now think of a world where producers of fossil fuels, instead of being propped up by governments, will be penalized by governments. Have I got your attention yet? The Copenhagen Summit will convene on December 7th and you should mark this on your calendar.

(From DailyWealth) Everything is being reconsidered:

• The way we create electricity
• The way we power our vehicles
• The way we store and buy our energy
• The way we synthesize plastics
• The way in which we build the buildings where we work and live

As a prelude to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP-15) in May, the "World Business Summit on Climate Change" brought together over 500 participants from 40 countries in Copenhagen at the same venue as the "BIG" Summit on Dec 7th. Here is a quote from one of the guest speakers attending this conference:

"There is not much time. We have to do it this year, not next year, this year. The clock is ticking and Mother Nature does not do bailouts"! Al Gore.

There were many "working groups" at this summit who brainstormed and came up with recommendations for the COP15 summit.

Here is one from thePower Generation working group:

"De-Carbonizing power generation is essential to meeting emissions goals in 2050 and will make a large contribution in 2030."

Here is one from the "Value Chain" working group:

"Establish a transparent international standard for greenhouse gas measurement of products and services across value chains. Any standard needs to be simple, consistent, but nonrestrictive, for example setting minimum standards and common measurement methods".

From the "Aviation working group":

"Increase focus on solution industries, i.e. those industries that offer transformative technologies which can have a net positive impact on emissions"


Recommendations from the "road transportation group" seemed more ambiguous on the surface, but will have a huge impact on investors. Here is an excerpt of their recommendations:

"There is no silver bullet to reducing emissions from the transportation sector and many technologies will have to be developed and tested in parallel".

It is within this backdrop that the world will turn it's attention to the summit in Copenhagen on Dec 7th. What is decided there will not only affect the health of this planet, but the health of investors, pensions funds, and markets around the world, and more importantly from our point of view, your Retirefunds!

It is the future of energy that is at stake, and nothing less! This is the reason I have invested in companies like Ballard Power Systems of Vancouver as well as Natural Gas, solar and wind energy companies.

"Could be the largest economic opportunity of the 21st century."
- Venture Capital Firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers

There won't be a bailout. There will be a colossal re-investment of the worlds resources into these green companies, and away from the carbon producing fossil fuels like coal and oil, and the companies that produce them. No one knows for sure just which green technologies will win out in their respective areas (power generation, construction, transportation, aviation etc) but rest assured, there will be massive investments in all companies who have even a hope of placing in this race.

Do you think this will impact your Retirefund? I don't think it will, I know it will!

Stay tuned. Much more to come!

Update: Oct 1-09 New York Times !
Oct 8 - Impact of the Green Revolution on your Retirefunds.

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