The Clean Tech Revolution: The Next Big Growth and Investment Opportunity (Hardcover)

by Ron Pernick (Author), Clint Wilder (Author)
Key Phrases: clean tech, smart grid, biofuels market, United States, New York, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Alternative energy, once the domain of hippies and off-the-grid fringe enthusiasts, has gone mainstream. Although technologies such as solar and wind power, plant-based fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, and "green" buildings have become hip because of environmental awareness and global climate change, the real reason behind their increasing profile is economics. When clean energy sources begin to rival more traditional ones on a cost basis, which is beginning to happen now owing to advances related to the microchip and economies of scale, corporations will quickly begin to take notice. Although Pernick and Wilder state that they are not financial advisors, they profile the leading companies involved in the most promising of these alternative energies, which gives the reader a place to begin doing further research into investment opportunities. The book is an excellent update on the current state of the industry and a who's who of the companies poised to profit from this exciting array of technologies. Pernick and Wilder are involved with Clean Edge http://www.cleanedge.com, a leading research firm helping companies and investors understand and profit from clean technologies. Siegfried, David

Review
"[A] clear, intelligently written roadmap to this new frontier. . . . particularly valuable to entrepreneurs, individual investors and venture capitalists." -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Clean Tech Revolution is a seminal book that puts clean tech solidly on the global investment map and explains the trends that are rapidly reshaping it. -- Ira Ehrenpreis, General Partner, Technology Partners

Clean tech will offer one of the best opportunities for returns in the twenty-first century. The Clean Tech Revolution provides valuable insight from two industry experts that will help investors identify the most important trends, technologies and companies. -- Michael Moe, Chairman and CEO of ThinkEquity Partners and author of Finding the Next Starbucks: How to Identify and Invest in the Hot Stocks of Tomorrow

If you ever wondered whether clean tech is a real industry with serious companies, read Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder's authoritative book. Investors, entrepreneurs, and clean-tech executives will find its concise listings and descriptions invaluable. -- William K Reilly, Founding Partner, Aqua International Partners, and Former Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

If you want to understand clean tech, this book is the place to start. -- Robert Hambrecht, Managing Director, WR Hambrecht + Co

If you want to understand clean tech, this book is the place to start. -- Robert Hambrecht, Managing Director, WR Hambrecht + Co

Pernick and Wilder provide a practical guide to becoming involved in America's next great entrepreneurial frontier. -- Nancy E. Pfund, Managing Director, JPMorgan

Should be required reading for any responsible citizen of this planet. -- Guy Kawasaki, Managing Director, Garage Technology Ventures, and Author of The Art of the Start

The biggest market opportunity today is to find alternatives to the earth's diminishing resources. This is the definitive guide on how to make money by protecting the environment. -- Gavin Newsom, mayor of San Francisco

Thomas Friedman's book The World is Flat helped people recognize that globalization is pervasive. Similarly, The Clean Tech Revolution shows us that clean energy has arrived and will have a far-reaching impact on the global economy. -- Bob Greifeld, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperBusiness; First Edition edition (June 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006089623X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060896232
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #112,490 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good information, No hype, Interesting investment (themes) ideas, June 18, 2007

By	Sreeram Ramakrishnan (Yorktown Heights, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The authors provide an excellent overview of the significant drivers, ongoing developments, and potential breakthroughs in the realm of a multitude of "clean technology" sectors, including solar, wind, grid management, green buildings, biofuels, water filtration, transportation. In each chapter, in addition to the trends and recent developments, the authors identify the key players, key challenges for that technology to become mainstream, and then hypothesises on the potential breakthroughs related to that field, and which companies are in best position to achieve that.

The reader should be cautioned that the authors themselves in their introductory chapter say that they are not going to provide a "buy list" of stocks and that they use the term 'investment' broadly (to cover personal development, careers, etc. also. The reader is well-served by such an approach, since the discussion is dispassionate and devoid of the hype that surrounds the usual books on alternative energy. However, a discerning reader will be able to identify some potential investment themes and develop an excellent watchlist. Recent ETF introductions (such as those by Powershares that have a global focus) should also be on anyone's watchlist, since their portfolios seem to reflect thoughts similar to those in the book. (The authors dont mention these ETFs since they were introduced only around the same time as the book was released). Also, some of the companies mentioned in the book (such as enerNOC and Comverse) have since gone public and that info is not reflected in this book - shows how quickly this domain is changing. Another minor complaint is that while the authors provide an excellent overview of the key players in the frontlines of each of the technology, it does not provide a more detailed look at some of the indirect beneficiaries (for example, Zoltech in windpower). Apart from these minor irritations, the book is a solid addition to anyone's investment library.

The book is written in a very approachable and engaging manner, and each chapter is self-contained. The chapters on solar, wind, grid management, and water filtration stand out. The book concludes with a slightly off-beat transition into topics that an individual investor may not find immediately useful, but nevertheless, a good read. A must-have book, especially for the wealth of information you can gain for the price of a few Starbucks visits....

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The past, present, and future of Clean Tech and the companies and cities that are leading the way, July 28, 2007

By	Christopher Schultz "Chris Schultz" (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

From my blog "Green is Good":


The Clean Tech Revolution is a book that covers the most dramatic industrial shift in more than a century. This book is authored by members of the clean tech consultancy, Clean Edge, and I highly recommended it to anyone looking to learn about the past, present, and future of clean technology, as well as learning about the companies and cities that are the leaders of this emerging industry.

Here are some of the highlights:

* Audience - The book is great read for anyone who is a potential stakeholder - entrepreneurs, consumers, investors, government officials, and executives will all learn something new after reading this.
* Organized for easy reference - The book was well organized - anyone looking to learn about one or two particular technologies can jump around to a chapter on the technology they are looking for as the book has individual chapters on wind, solar, biofuels, transportation, green building, the grid, and more.
* "Ten to Watch" - Each chapter has a list of the company's that are leading that sector - the company names can be found at the Clean Tech Revolution blog.
* Clean Tech Cities - There is an entire chapter dedicated to developing cities and regions to become clean tech hubs, and like the technology chapters there is a list of the leading clean tech cities. I am hoping we here in Pittsburgh can someday learn how to emulate some of the cities that made the list. Portland and Austin come to mind.
* Marketing Clean Tech - The do's and don't's for marketing these technologies. There are decades worth of case studies of flawed marketing of solar and other environmental friendly technologies.
* Verdict - Definitely a great book for you if you are reading this here blog. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a broad sweeping overview or reference book of the industry. There are several good books available that are more focused on particular industries like oil, electricity, solar, and even green business. I will be reviewing a few of these in the upcoming months.

Some other things to note: It was nice to read that the authors of the book were in agreement with a lot of the things I have posted on here, particularly my position against corn based ethanol. I also agree with the authors that shifting subsidies from "entrenched" conventional energy companies to those producing renewable energies would be the easiest way to support further growth and adaptation of renewables, and I agree with them that sin taxes are another sensible way to fund these initiatives.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great ideas for investors who want to make money AND protect the planet, August 15, 2007

By	B. Koch (New York, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is written in accessible language, easy to understand and not too "techy". It clearly lays out the trends and opportunities for investing in clean energy technologies like solar, wind, and biofuels. For those of us who truly care about the environment and also want to have a secure retirement (or even retire early), this book is packed with information that I was able to take action on immediately.