It's easy to be entranced by dreams of a world powered entirely by renewable energy, but numerous technological, legal, political, and financial challenges stand in the way of an all-green future. Water, wind, solar, and other sustainable energy sources have great upside, but can be incredibly expensive to develop and implement. Designed to help investors, energy practitioners, students, and anyone interested in green energy to understand the costs, benefits, rewards, and limitations of renewable power today and for the foreseeable future, Investing in the Renewable Power Market evaluates the entire spectrum of energy resources?fossil-based and renewable?looking at the technical and economic issues that determine their profitability and feasibility.

Sustainable energy sources have become a hot topic in recent years, but until now, no book has explored the market competition between green and traditional technologies. Beginning with an overview of renewable power projects, including a look at the current energy market, the book encompasses everything from analyzing power project economics to in-depth assessments of individual power sources ranging from solar thermal plants to nuclear energy.

A cutting-edge look at the many recent developments in renewable energy technologies, the book explores how sustainable resources compare to energy produced from fossil fuels, extant energy storage technologies, energy transmission and demand-side management, and much more. Energy generated using renewable methods is radically different from other energy enterprises?it is highly regulated and the product cannot be stored?and as a result the finances involved are also unique.

Designed to help readers understand the investment implications of these differences and the sure-to-be intense competition between myriad types of energy, the book provides a clear understanding of the current state of the alternative energy industry and the associated financial pros and cons for government, industry, and investors.

Stressing the need to utilize multiple energy resources to meet energy demands, Investing in the Renewable Power Market explains the ongoing market battle between green and traditional sources of energy, the future of the energy market, and how to profit in both the long and short term.