PREFACE
In 2005, I received the following e-mail:
Dear Jeff,
Why the hell would you invest in renewable energy? You have no idea what you're talking about. No one's ever made money from solar and no one ever will!
Certainly we can look to the solar bull market of 2007 to counter the last sentence of that e-mail. Whether it was the 900 percent gain that First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) delivered or the 1,700 percent gain that World Water & Solar Technologies (OTCBB:WWAT) delivered, green chip investors who were properly positioned last year made an absolute fortune.
Still, even with all the money we've made in the past by investing in renewable energy, the question "Why would you invest in renewable energy?" is still quite valid, especially when you consider the fact that there really is a lack of easily accessible and credible information regarding the current state of the overall energy marketplace.
For instance, while the local news has made a habit of reporting on high gas prices every time the summer driving season kicks into high gear, rarely do we hear how these so-called high gas prices are actually quite cheap. The true cost of gasoline is probably closer to about $11.00 a gallon. You may not be paying that price at the pump, but you are paying it. You'll see how in Chapter 1.
We also hear a lot about how the United States is the "Saudi Arabia of coal," boasting a 250-year supply. However, rarely do we hear how these coal-supply numbers are highly inflated, or how the United States most ...
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