Who Will Benefit From Obama’s Energy Policy?

I’ve been receiving a lot of questions lately about how the Obama administration’s energy policies will effect the renewable energy sector. After all, the President-elect has been very vocal about insisting on the need to develop new, cleaner forms of energy, stating in very clear terms that the future of our economy and national security is inextricably linked to the challenge of energy.

Now it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Obama’s energy policies will only lend further support to the long-term potential of many renewable energy stocks. Heck, even the mainstream media is jumping all over renewable energy stories, telling folks the same stuff we’ve been screaming from the rooftops for years.

Of course, with all this attention now on renewable energy, we’re also starting to see the inevitable backlash. Most of which is centered around this idea that we can’t generate enough electricity via renewable energy to satisfy our power needs.

My friend, only a fool would believe we could transition our energy infrastructure over the course of one presidential term. And only a bigger fool would seek to stall progress by arguing this transition will be too difficult to integrate, and is therefor not worth doing. Especially when you consider the fact that almost all of our power needs can be generated from renewable energy resources.

It won’t happen quickly, and an enormous amount of new infrastructure needs to be developed for this to happen. But that doesn’t support the argument that we can’t generate enough electricity via renewable energy to satisfy all of our power needs. Rather it just provides a list of obstacles. And my friends, obstacles are meant to be overcome. Unless of course, you’re satisfied with mediocrity.

Just the Facts

Truth is, if every investor just looked at the overwhelming amount of peer-reviewed data in regards to renewable energy, there would be an absolute rush in this sector.

Now I know we spend a lot of time here touting all the benefits and opportunities found in the renewable energy sector. But let’s take a moment to review some data that bears repeating…

• According to the U.S. Department of Energy, enough electric power for the entire country could be generated by covering about 9 percent of Nevada with solar power systems. This is a plot of land roughly 92 miles by 92 miles.
• Also according to the D.O.E., wind could provide 5,800 quads of energy each year. That’s about 15 times the current global energy demand.
• According to M.I.T., there are over 100 million quads of accessible geothermal energy worldwide. The world consumes only 400 quads.
• The Electric Power Research Institute has estimated that wave energy along the U.S. coastline at 2,100 Twh per year. That’s half the total U.S. consumption of electricity.
• According to the Set America Free Coalition (organized by the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security) if all cars on the road were hybrids, and half were PHEVs by 2025, U.S. oil imports could be reduced by 8 million barrels per day.

The question of whether or not renewables can satisfy our thirst for energy has already been answered. And the question of whether or not investors can make money in renewable energy has also been answered.

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