Top 5 Investment Avenues
In the world of environmentally-conscious investing, you will have two main options to choose from. The first would be to invest in businesses that support environmental conservation and the second would be to invest in businesses that are directly into niche domains such as renewable energy. Here, we will focus on businesses belonging to the second category. Here are top 5 that you can choose for your environmentally-conscious investment initiatives.
Wind energy
Abundantly available and easily accessible, wind energy has been identified as a leading source of renewable energy. Environmentally-conscious investing in wind energy will involve investments in businesses that manufacture related equipment, sell technology or generate and transfer power. Businesses that are directly or indirectly involved with wind energy are anticipated to register significant growth in the near future. Wind-powered electricity generation units have sprung up in every corner of the world and there is a great demand for related equipment and technology. Your investments in wind energy will be safe and profitable.
Water and Hydro Power
The concept of hydroelectric power may be old, but it has acquired a new significance in recent times. With the spotlight directly on urgent issues such as global warming, governments in most of the major world economies are stepping up focus on renewable sources of energy such as hydroelectricity. You can invest in businesses that manufacture equipment required for hydroelectricity generation or you can choose businesses that generate and sell hydro power. Businesses that build dams, reservoirs and canals can also be considered as green investment avenues. You can also target businesses that are into waste water recycling or those that collect and supply clean water directly to households.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is apparently the most abundant of all available sources of renewable energy. The cost may be a bit high at present, but experts say that a more affordable method of harnessing the sun's energy will soon be available. Till then, you can continue to invest in businesses that manufacture solar panels or those that provide the technical expertise for solar powered buildings or households. You can also invest in automobile companies that manufacture solar powered hybrid vehicles.
Tidal and Geo-thermal Energy
While geo-thermal energy has been adequately harnessed inland, plans are being made to take it to the seas and the deep oceans. Tidal power generation is also witnessing decent growth and as technology for the same becomes more easily available and affordable, it is slated to become one of the leading sources of renewable energy. You can invest in businesses that manufacture related equipment, sell technology or generate, sell and transfer power.
Fuel Cells
Automobiles that run on fuel cells have already been designed, developed and tested on the roads. But, since the technology used is still very costly, they are not yet commercially produced. Experts say that hybrid vehicles (those that use both fuel cells and gasoline) will dominate the next 15-20 years and that's were you need to park your investments. You can invest in businesses that are into fuel cell research or automobile companies that are manufacturing hybrid cars or have plans to do the same.
For best results, we would recommend that you create a mixed investment portfolio that has proper place for all types of investment avenues described above. A balanced portfolio will adequately cover your risks and also help you achieve max gains from your environmentally-conscious investment initiatives.