The business leaders of the world have been revising their strategies since the great economic crisis of 2008. We should have clear-cut plans for growth for the long term, and having poor plans will cause disastrous results. This was a lesson we learned from the various causes of the financial crisis, including the real estate bubble. Since 2008, people and government leaders have been looking for growth plans involving sustainable energy sources. In this article, you will learn about how green energy can steer overall business development.
Green energy, also known as ‘sustainable’ or ‘clean’ energy, is the only way to keep running any business without causing harm to the environment. Some of the sources of green energy are wind, water, solar, biomass, etc. This type of energy does not create environmental issues, unlike other forms of energy, such as petroleum. Green energy will be a great way to power our world in the coming years.
The current UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon has envisaged the growth prospects due to green energy. In the US, President Barack Obama has already acknowledged the advantages of green energy by calling it ‘clean technology’. Clean technology is expected to create a huge number of employment and business opportunities in various fields.
The speculation that our investors are not interested in energy projects is no longer true. More and more investors are involving in green energy projects, following such incidents as the unrest in the Middle East causing rise in petroleum prices, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico) of 2010, etc. Since these incidents have resulted in a steep rise in worldwide oil prices, investors as well as governments are getting more enthusiastic about green energy initiatives.
While around $ 240 billion was invested in green energy in 2010, 2012 saw the investment rise to 268 billion dollars. The investors are mostly giving attention to wind energy and solar energy. These investments have caused research into better, low-cost production facilities of solar panels, better turbine technology for windmills, better supply chain, etc.
Geothermal energy is another example of green energy. It uses the heat generated by the earth’s core to heat up water and generate steam. This steam is used to rotate turbines and generate power. Although there are several geothermal energy plants in various parts of the world, there have been speculations on the safety. Some people argue that these geothermal plants could increase the possibilities of earthquakes.
Biomass energy is a form of energy available from plants. Sugar cane and corn are important sources of biomass energy. Biodiesel, derived from cooking oil and vegetable oils, is another source of energy. These sources are also a magnet of investors.
In the last decade, right before the economic crisis, the jobs created by green energy initiatives grew in the US by more than 10 percent. This indicates that we will be able to see more employment opportunities in this sector in the coming years. Green jobs are the ones related to supplying environment-friendly products and services, such as solar panel manufacturing, distribution, and installation.
In addition, the government is investing money in training the people for green jobs. This will create workers who will be able to handle the green energy revolution in a better way.
Green energy is clearly the future of our business growth. Since there are more government and private investment in this sector, we will see more business growth as well as a better environment. The future requires active participation from the people. You should create awareness among people and make them help the green energy projects in every possible way.