All through October, I still dressed like it was summer...
And I'm not alone. Most U.S. states east of the Rocky Mountains have experienced above-average temperatures this fall.
Those unseasonably warm temperatures are one of the milder symptoms of climate change. It's a phenomenon that's going to disrupt the weather, world health, and the economy.
Some even see it as the biggest crisis of our time. And whether you agree or disagree, a lot of governments around the world have made solving this problem a top priority.
Luckily, there's a solution... renewable clean energy. Today, I'm specifically talking about solar power. And I'll share why you don't want to miss out on the growth potential ahead...
A 2008 Scientific American article estimated that the amount of energy in the sunlight that hits Earth during a single hour is equivalent to mankind's total annual energy consumption.
Let that sink in for a moment... That's enough power to run the entire world for a whole year... arriving in about 60 minutes.
Now, we have to figure out how to harness and store that power. And for investors, this presents an opportunity...
Until recently, we didn't have the technology to make solar power an effective answer to our clean-energy needs.
But that's changing. As I shared in DailyWealth recently...
The first solar panel was created in 1954. It had 4% efficiency – that is, it converted only 4% of the sunlight it captured to electricity.
Today, efficiencies are significantly better – at around 20%. But that's still well below the 30% level that most experts believe is the highest possible efficiency for single-junction solar cells.
Here's the thing, though... Single-junction solar cells aren't the future.
Multijunction solar cells – which house many semiconductors instead of just one – are the future. And they're estimated to reach a maximum efficiency of 87%.
This is where we're headed...
As a result, we've seen massive expansion in the solar-power industry over the past decade. According to a study by the U.S. Department of Energy, solar energy could account for 40% of the country's power generation by 2035.
So, technology is on our side once again. And it's not just the U.S... The solar industry is growing on a global scale, too. If you read my recent essay, you know that power generation from solar energy is expected to increase from just 2% of the global market in 2019 to 23% by 2040.
But we still have a long way to go before achieving these goals. And that's where our opportunity comes in...
See the little light-gray bar at the far right of the image below? That's solar power...
Ten years ago, solar accounted for just 0.15% of the total global market for power generation. But last year, it accounted for more than 3% of the total market.
That may not look like a lot at first. But you can see below just how much growth has taken off over the past decade...
We've seen impressive growth in solar capacity so far... enough to confirm this trend.
But again, this story is just beginning. And that's the amazing part. The world is making good progress on solar power, but there's still time to stake our claim as long-term investors before the big money starts really flowing in.
This is one of the keys to my approach of investing in hypergrowth megatrends...
Those who get in early and set their sights on the long term stand to reap the biggest rewards. As technology improves, prices decline, and adoption spreads like wildfire, it's a near certainty that the best-positioned solar companies will be worth significantly more down the road.
Let's take the first step toward a cleaner future together – and profit along the way.
Here's to the future,
Matt McCall
Editor's note: It won't happen overnight – but disruptive technologies like solar power are about to overhaul the economy as we know it. In fact, researchers predict that 40% of today's Fortune 500 companies will be totally gone in 10 years. Recently, Matt went on air to explain how you can not only survive this shift... but make 100X potential gains as these new megatrends transform the markets. Watch his presentation before it goes offline.
Further Reading
"It's going to be an amazing decade to be invested in stocks," Matt writes. You wouldn't know it by listening to the financial news, but we're on the verge of a major boom. And buying shares of innovative companies early can lead to major gains... Read more here: The Next Great Boom Will Be Bigger Than the 1990s.
"The early days of any technological revolution are full of change," Matt says. History tells us that the next wave of technology juggernauts will change our daily lives forever – with massive gains along the way... Learn more here.
One company has found a better way to store energy. And it will be a key player in the shift toward electric vehicles...
FOLKS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THESE 'BASIC' SNACK BRANDS
Today's company shows the power of "selling the basics"...
DailyWealth readers know we often look for companies that sell everyday products. You see, people will always stock up on staples like snack foods, cleaning supplies, and alcohol. So companies selling these products see steady, reliable sales... which makes them fantastic investments. Take today's company, for example...
PepsiCo (PEP) is a global leader in food and beverages. You probably know it best for its flagship Pepsi soda... but it boasts other popular brands like Lay's, Doritos, Gatorade, and Mountain Dew. Through good times and bad, folks continue to buy these products... In the most recent quarter, the company brought in $20.2 billion in sales – up nearly 12% year over year – and raised its full-year guidance. Plus, PepsiCo should return roughly $6 billion to shareholders in 2021.
As you can see in today's chart, PEP shares have been climbing steadily higher over the past five years. They are up roughly 80% including dividends and recently hit a fresh all-time high. And as long as PepsiCo keeps selling the everyday snacks folks love, this uptrend should continue...
