Transportation and solar top $100 billion green technologies market
Two new surveys find consumers want to buy more cleantech products, but suggest leading brands may not yet have emerged.
This could be the year for big consumer cleantech spending, with a new survey estimating that people could go shopping for $104 billion worth of green goods in 2008.
A latest U.S. National Technology Readiness Survey found that 71 percent of adults are interested in green technology, but said there is a large gap between the number of products consumers own now and the number they say they would like to own.
The annual survey, covering cleantech for the first time in its latest edition, was conducted by the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and Great Falls, Va.-based technology research firm Rockbridge Associates.
Charles Colby, president of Rockbridge, said the survey showed “that there is a very strong commitment among consumers to the environment. But very interestingly, they also are interested in green technologies.”
He said a chunk of the money could be spent on new cars.
“About half of that is in transportation technologies, like hybrid vehicles, and biofuels, and energy saving vehicles. About $50 billion worth.”
Other technologies that could get a piece of the potential action according to the survey are home automation systems for things like lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning, as well as solar water heaters, solar home heating, home water purification, high-efficiency cooling, high-efficiency heating and energy-saving light bulbs.
“Things that just support a green lifestyle,” said Colby. “If you look out across all of those, we’re looking at a very substantial market, or market opportunity for companies that will offer these products.”
Solar home heating comes in at the No. 2 spot in the survey, with a market potential of $20.6 million.
Source: media.cleantech.com