Treehugger: More Clinton Initiative Funds For Renewable Energy

Treehugger: More Clinton Initiative Funds For Renewable Energy

I don't understand why the venture capital isn't lining up for this stuff. Growing oil? Solar fabric? SOLAR PAINT?! For the long term investor (think ten or twenty years) alternative energy is gonna be a gold mine. Don't get me wrong, oil isn't going away as soon as the "peak-oil" folks are doom-saying, but hell, have you taken a look at solar panels lately? For about $2k for a total system (provided you install it yourself) you could provide half to three quarters of the average American home's greedy electricity consumption. That would pay for itself in three years, and after that it's gravy, baby!

The total of 4 billion in Clinton Initiative commitments is on the same plane as the US Federal Government’s collective budgetary allocation for research into mostly coal and nuclear energy alternatives, as was also announced this week (huge pdf file at link). Besides the focus on renewability, what most distinguishes the Clinton commitment from the US Department of Energy's plan is the phrase “while getting returns on capital invested.” The Green Fund is seeding not merely money but a philosophy of pragmatism and near-term outcomes.