Lessons from Frankenstorm: Investing for Future Power Disruptions
By John Licata
The heart of the 2013 hurricane season is quickly approaching and instead of feeling confident that sustainable power solutions can keep our lights on, fears of power outages are actually beginning to grow. Loss of electricity has been widely seen in recent weeks in various areas of the New York region as power demand on the grid in some parts has risen to levels never seen before. So the question beckons, are we really any better off today than we were before Superstorm Sandy, the epic Frankenstorm-type monster of a weather event that crippled much of the Northeastern U.S. in late 2012?
In my new e-book “Lessons from Frankenstorm: Investing for Future Power Disruptions,” I look at how the U.S. can emerge from the darkness and ruin left by Superstorm Sandy through next generation energy technologies that surprisingly could come from more traditional names like Xerox (XRX) and Lockheed Martin (LMT) and tomorrow’s leaders such as NRG Energy (NRG) and Google (GOOG).
I also highlight exciting themes that investors may want to focus on for the foreseeable future since I believe the next “Frankenstorm” may or may not come from weather. That means we must take unprecedented steps to protect and modernize our energy infrastructure and natural resources like never before.
Why now? The world has been brought to its knees in recent years due to an increased amount of hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes which collectively have left tens of millions without power and derailed economic growth in the process and we can’t be irrational in thinking this won’t happen again, and again.
“Lessons from Frankenstorm” tackles areas of concern for me such as putting too much reliance on natural gas, not protecting our water supply, getting overly caught up in the future as well as the perils of complacency. With that said, as a native New Yorker I also outline the reasons I believe New York has an opportunity to be a blueprint for global energy innovation post Sandy.
A national security issue
In recent years Mother Nature has certainly revealed our vulnerabilities (Fukushima, India blackouts, Sandy here in the U.S., etc.) and our reliance on older, more conventional forms of energy. Therefore, it’s time the world played offense and took the necessary steps to plan, strategize and innovate when it comes to modern energy themes before cyberterrorists look to exploit our weaknesses. If we don’t be more proactive and learn lessons from Sandy here at home, we may risk the reality that in the future many more of us could simply be left in the dark.
At the end of the day, the U.S. can’t remain a superpower if our lights aren’t on. That means we must be willing to adopt change and embrace new ideas which could very likely be emulated around the world. That’s why I specifically outline in this e-book ways I believe bipartisan legislation, planning, crisis management and technology can help us when it comes to the future of sustainable energy and economic growth. This has me thinking with so much room for opportunity to make energy more efficient there is no reason at all to think the next Facebook (FB) or Twitter won’t actually come from within the energy sector. In fact, this idea to leverage information technology and big data to help do more with less resources has me excited about cleanweb solutions that could, along with other areas of focus such as energy storage, biofuels, offshore wind, clean water, 3D printing and cybersecurity, collectively help us be much better prepared when the next storm does come.
The future of energy
This e-book takes a serious look (sometimes with a bit sarcastic humor, truth be told) at how we need to embrace the next generation of sustainable energy sources and I highlight the companies that may literally help us keep the lights on in the future. I also call attention to the need to focus on disaster recovery efforts, crisis management, legislation, planning and strategy AHEAD of next major storm or terrorist threats that could rattle global financial marketplaces.
Today the threat of climate change and new kinds of Frankenstorms are very much real and so is the potential for massive power loss. I truly hope “Lessons from Frankenstorm” sheds much light on long road ahead of us as well as the innovative ways I believe we can move forward post Sandy.
“Lessons from Frankenstorm” is now available on Amazon.com for Kindle, Apple iBooks through iTunes and Google Play for Smartphones, Tablets, Laptops, Computers and eReaders (coming soon to Barnes&Nobles.com).
For more insights into the future of energy please also check out this latest Google+ Hangout.
John Licata is the Founder/Chief Energy Strategist of Blue Phoenix Inc., an independent research company focused on advanced energy and cleanweb solutions.
