Clean Energy Fuels Corp
Stock markets rose today despite the Japanese earthquake, but they failed to overcome the mid-week worries about increasing gasoline prices damaging the fragile economic recovery.
U.S. stock markets and all overseas markets finished the week in negative territory. Indices reflecting the clean and efficient energy sectors were also down, with solar companies faring the worst.
Stock markets dropped mid-week when the collapse of Libya’s oil exports prompted speculation about worldwide economic disruption, then made up some ground Friday when Saudi Arabia offered to increase oil production during the crisis. Nevertheless, the world’s stock exchanges and most green sectors finished in negative territory for the week.
It’s only a matter of time before the United States makes a serious effort to power more vehicles by burning natural gas because 1) it is 25 percent cleaner than oil, 2) it would displace an expensive, insecure, imported fuel with a domestic, cheap and plentiful one, and 3) it would reduce vehicle maintenance costs.
This theory commands more interest when worries about oil supply disruptions -- the current Mideast upheaval, for example -- push the price above $90 a barrel.
This is Winner’s Week in which we highlight five clean energy/tech companies whose share price performances significantly outperformed the overall markets and their clean tech peers during the first half of 2010 and the year from July 1, 2009.
Natural gas is destined to play an important role in the economy’s transition to cleaner energy.
Many environmentalists and energy analysts view natural gas as a natural bridge fuel between the dominant fossil fuels of today and the renewable fuels of tomorrow.
