SwampFox

Here's a look at some alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, and ethanol, and the challenges companies in those areas f

Submitted by: John Warner on Sep 11, 2007 at 7:27 am Tagged with: Next Energy Source:

Talk to the pioneers of green technology and they'll tell you these days they spend less time hard-selling the allure of renewable energy, and more hours managing shortages of materials, labor, and manufacturing capacity. Instead of evangelizing new markets, their focus has shifted to the practical: how to build new plants while driving down costs to make their products and services more competitive.

After all, you do get some headaches when your business starts to contribute to the economy in a meaningful way. In the U.S., the renewable-energy and energy-efficiency industries generated nearly $1 trillion in revenues last year and employed some 8.5 million workers, according to a July, 2007, study by Management Information Services, a Washington, D.C., consultancy...

The boom in demand has filled order books and triggered a wave of new factory construction in the U.S. At Siemens Wind (SI) -- the No. 2 turbine maker in the U.S. after GE Energy (GE) -- production is booked well into 2009. Indeed, four turbine makers opened new U.S. plants last year, and another three are slated to open their doors this year.

Rest at MSNBC