Would you invest private money in a U.S. clean energy project?
OK, I get the fact that the United States has a lot of problems to solve, and that many, many people and politicians are incapable of thinking about long-term strategies right now. But even if you don't believe in publicly funded investments in clear energy technology, there is a new report out from The Pew Charitable Trusts that suggests the U.S.'s inability to agree on a meaningful policy for various clean energies could mean we'll be turning away billions in potential private clean energy technology investments over the next decade.
The Pew report, called "Global Clean Power: A $2.3 Trillion Opportunity," suggests that private investments in clean energy could reach $2.3T (that's trillion, folks) if the right policies are put in place by the G-20 nations. Even if we continue with business-as-usual (aka the current paralysis), the likely investments will be in the neighborhood of $1.7 trillion across the G-20 countries, the Pew report predicts.
The Pew report goes on to say that the United States is among the nations with the most to gain by acting to put in place clearer clean energy policies. If it does something, it could attract up to $342 billion in private funding. If not, the investment is likely to be about 40 percent lower, or a total of about $245 billion.
No matter what we do, though, China will remain the biggest potential beneficiary of clean energy investments between now and 2020. It's "take" is expected to be around $620 billion.
The video below summarizes some of Pew's key findings: