''The Clean Tech Revolution: The Next Big Growth and Investment Opportunity'' is a 2007 book by Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder, who say that commercializing

clean technologies Clean technology, in short cleantech, is any process, product, or service that reduces negative environmental impacts through significant energy efficiency improvements, the sustainable use of resources, or environmental protection activities. Cle ...

is a profitable enterprise that is moving steadily into mainstream business. As the world economy faces challenges from energy price spikes, resource shortages, global environmental problems, and security threats, clean technologies are seen to be the next engine of

economic growth Economic growth can be defined as the increase or improvement in the inflation-adjusted market value of the goods and services produced by an economy in a financial year. Statisticians conventionally measure such growth as the percent rate of ...

. Pernick and Wilder highlight eight major clean technology sectors: solar power, wind power,

biofuels Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. According to the United States Energy Information Administration (E ...

, green buildings,

personal transportation Individual human mobility is the study that describes how individual humans move within a network or system. The concept has been studied in a number of fields originating in the study of demographics. Understanding human mobility has many appli ...

, the

smart grid A smart grid is an electrical grid which includes a variety of operation and energy measures including: *Advanced metering infrastructure (of which smart meters are a generic name for any utility side device even if it is more capable e.g. a f ...

, mobile applications, and

water filtration A water filter removes impurities by lowering contamination of water using a fine physical barrier, a chemical process, or a biological process. Filters cleanse water to different extents, for purposes such as: providing agricultural irrigation ...

.Anderson, Leonard (August 5, 2007)
For investors, a heads-up on clean tech
''The Boston Globe''. Retrieved 15 December 2010. Six major forces, which they call the six C's, are pushing clean technology into the mainstream: costs, capital, competition, China, consumers, and climate. Very large corporations such as GE, Toyota and Sharp, and investment firms such as

Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...

are making multibillion-dollar investments in clean technology. The book has been reviewed in '' USA Today'', ''

Business Week ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...

'', ''Energy Priorities'', ''Sustainability Investment News'' and several other magazines, and has been translated into seven languages.Clint Wilder
''Huffington Post''. ''

Clean Tech Nation ''Clean Tech Nation: How the U.S. Can Lead in the New Global Economy'' is a 2012 book written by Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder. The book surveys the expansion of clean technology and renewable energy over the past decade. It tracks the growth of wi ...

'' is the sequel to ''The Clean Tech Revolution''.

Themes

Pernick and Wilder explain that, in the 1970s, clean technology was considered "alternative", the province of back-to-the-land lifestyle advocates, altruistic environmentalists, and lab scientists on research grants. Such technology was in an early stage of development, was too expensive, it did not have widespread political support, and very few large, established companies were embracing the sector. Even at the start of the 21st century, the term ''clean tech'' was not yet in the financial or business community's vocabulary. But now, throughout much of the world, in trends large and small, there is "the beginning of a revolution that is changing the places where we live and work, the products we manufacture and purchase, and the development plans of cities, regional governments, and nations around the globe." Pernick and Wilder define "clean tech" as "any product, service, or process that delivers value using limited or zero non-renewable resources and/or creates significantly less waste than conventional offerings." They highlight eight major clean technology sectors: solar power, wind power,

, green buildings,

, the

, mobile applications (such as portable

fuel cells A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen fuel, hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most bat ...

), and

. The authors explain how investors, entrepreneurs, and individuals can profit from technological innovation in these areas. Pernick and Wilder identify some specific clean technologies, companies, and regions that are leading the way. The authors present a list of drivers for clean tech: "high energy prices, depleted natural resources, volatile sources of foreign oil, record deficits, and unprecedented environmental and security challenges". Pernick and Wilder present examples which show that the "clean tech revolution" is already under way. Very large corporations such as GE, Toyota and Sharp, and investment firms such as

are making multibillion-dollar investments in clean technology. The authors' claim that nuclear power and

clean coal Coal pollution mitigation, sometimes called clean coal, is a series of systems and technologies that seek to mitigate the health and environmental impact of coal; in particular air pollution from coal-fired power stations, and from coal burnt ...

are not clean technologies. Apart from the risks associated with nuclear power, "multibillion-dollar nuclear plants are simply not cost-effective when compared with other energy sources." The authors also believe that ''clean coal'' is an oxymoron for a myriad of reasons, including the sheer number of coal mine-related deaths and the fact that coal-fired plants, even some cleaner ones, are major contributors to serious illnesses such as asthma, heart disease, and mercury poisoning.

Six C's

Pernick and Wilder identify six major forces, which they call the six C's, that are pushing clean technology into the mainstream and driving rapid growth and expansion: costs, capital, competition, China, consumers, and climate. *Costs. "Perhaps the most powerful force driving today's clean-tech growth is simple economics. As a general trend, clean-energy costs are falling as the costs of

fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels m ...

energy are going up. The future of clean tech is going to be, in many ways, about scaling up manufacturing and driving down costs." *Capital. "An unprecedented influx of capital is changing the clean tech landscape, with billions of dollars, euros, yen, and yuan pouring in from a myriad of public and private sector sources." *Competition. "Governments are competing aggressively in the highstakes race to dominate in the clean-tech sector and build the jobs of the future." *China. "Clean tech is being driven by the inexorable demands being placed on the earth not only by mature economies but also by the explosive demand for resources in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, India, and other developing nations. Their expanding energy needs are driving major growth in clean-energy, transportation, building, and water-delivery technologies." *Consumers. "Savvy consumers are demanding cleaner products and services that use resources efficiently, reduce costs, and embrace quality over quantity." *Climate. "The debate around climate change has gone from question mark to peer-reviewed certainty, and smart businesses are taking heed."

Release and reception

''The Clean Tech Revolution'' was published by Collins as a 320-page hardcover book on June 12, 2007. An e-book version was published by HarperCollins on June 7, 2007. In 2008, a revised paperback edition was published, with a new sub-title: ''Discover the Top Trends, Technologies and Companies to Watch''. The book has been translated into seven languages. Paul Gruber from the Erb Institute states that ''The Clean Tech Revolution'' is logically organized and is "an excellent resource for those who would like a solid understanding of clean tech and the potential of each sector". The physicist and environmentalist,

Joseph Romm Joseph J. Romm (born June 27, 1960) is an American author, editor, physicist and climate expert, who advocates reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming and increasing energy security through energy efficiency, green energy techno ...

, has recommended ''The Clean Tech Revolution'' to people who are looking for one book to help them understand what is happening in clean technology. He says ''The Clean Tech Revolution'' is the only book that covers the whole gamut of the latest in clean energy. Russ Juskalian from '' USA Today'' says ''The Clean Tech Revolution'' shows the green movement not in "heartstring terms" but as economically profitable. The real power players are the mainstream consumers, investors, entrepreneurs, governments and multinational corporations whose "eyes are trained on that most crucial of economic fundamentals: the bottom line". According to Reena Jana from ''

'', ''The Clean Tech Revolution'' is a "readable, straightforward guide to earth-friendly business strategies". The authors explain how businesses can follow the lead of companies such as Toyota by designing, selling, or funding inventive eco-friendly products and services. Jana says that the Toyota Prius is just one well-known example of successful clean technology in action. Denis Du Bois, editor of ''Energy Priorities'' magazine, commented on the realistic and comprehensive coverage of the book. However, he suggests that ''The Clean Tech Revolution'' is not an explanation of the technologies and how they work, nor is it an analysis of energy or

environmental policy Environmental policy is the commitment of an organization or government to the laws, regulations, and other policy mechanisms concerning environmental issues. These issues generally include air and water pollution, waste management, ecosystem mana ...

. Policy is complicated and the authors avoid discussing it in detail.Du Bois, Denis (June 11, 2007)
Book Review: "The Clean Tech Revolution"
''Energy Priorities''. Retrieved 15 December 2010. Little discussion ties the various clean technologies together and a "single-minded American focus" dominates. There is very little on the influence of mass transit and urban planning in Europe and other progressive regions. The chapter on water focuses on filtration, which is already an area of considerable opportunity, affecting even "green" industries, such as photovoltaics manufacturing. Francesca Rheannon in ''Sustainability Investment News'' says that the book does not ask the most challenging question of all: is "clean growth" an oxymoron? She says that at a time when some experts say carbon emissions will need to be cut by 80 to 90% by 2050, the world may have to accept steady or even decreasing energy production, no matter how clean it is. Rheannon also states that there is little coverage of social issues. For example, nowhere is there mention of how water supply privatization and delivery by multinational corporations could affect the poor people of the world. The ''Clean Tech Revolution'' was followed by the 2012 book ''

: How the U.S. Can Lead in the New Global Economy''.

Authors

Author Ron Pernick is co-founder and managing director of Clean Edge, a research and strategy firm in the United States which focuses on the commercialization of renewable energy and other

. Clint Wilder is senior editor at Clean Edge, and a veteran business and technology journalist. Both authors have been mapping clean technology trends for many years, and identifying business opportunities for prospective investors.

References

External links