Clean energy plants are growing in number, output and contributions to the national electricity grid. And new operators as well as high-net-worth investors are embracing the potential for a world running less on the likes of polluting fossil fuels and more on the cleaner and “greener” likes of the sun and wind.

Turbocharging the transition from legacy fossil fuels—coal plants—to newfangled utilities is the Clean Power Plan, which has been put forward by the Obama Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The final version of the plan was announced in August 2015. It mandates that states cut the pollution emitted by their coal-fired power plants by 32% by 2030. The Supreme Court has stayed the effect of the plan until there is a lower court ruling on the issue of the EPA’s enforcement authority, which may never occur given President-elect Donald Trump’s denial of climate change and embrace of fossil fuels during his campaign.

But that isn’t stopping clean energy pioneers from hunting for opportunity because of three things: 1) power plants are largely regulated on the state level, and a majority of states are adopting renewables; 2) the price of renewable energy has dropped considerably, making the choice between coal and less-polluting energy sources a matter of economics, not politics; and 3) power plants are at base infrastructure investments embraced by both sides of the political aisle.

So where is the opportunity in clean, “green” energy? The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is projecting 60 gigawatts of coal power plant capacity will be retired by 2020. That’s enough electric-generating capacity to power about 27 million homes. Which means all that lost power must be derived from different sources. Renewables are a logical choice for replacements.

“People are already making a lot of money off of this,” says Jonathan Parfrey, executive director of the nonprofit organization Climate Resolve, and a former Los Angeles Department of Water and Power commissioner. “The price of solar keeps dropping, even without any subsidy, which makes it a very attractive economic alternative to coal ... never mind the huge environmental benefits.”

Of course, the EPA plan doesn’t mean a unilateral shutdown of coal-fired plants. There are myriad options for states to accommodate new restrictions. Many states, for example, have already implemented clean power regulations to phase out coal.

For example, power plants can create efficiencies such as “heat rate” improvements to reduce the amount of CO2 they emit. Or they can mix energy sources by moving from coal to lower carbon emitting natural gas power plants. But the most savings will come from shifting to zero-emitting renewables. And this is where investors and operators are jumping in at full throttle. Here’s why:

According to the latest EIA data available, as of 2014 there were about 7,677 operational power plants in the U.S. Of these, 3,365 utilized coal, petroleum, natural gases or other gases as their primary source. Which means they were prime targets for replacements or retrofitting. Some 29 states have voluntarily adopted the Clean Power mandates, with eight more setting renewable goals. This puts plants in those states in play for retirement and/or replacement.

Sophisticated investors—those who are keen observers of trends and business sector upswings—are mapping out a path for profits from all the adaptation measures.

Take Greenbacker. The New York City-based renewable energy company is seizing the opportunity in the energy sector to offer a REIT-like fund to investors. Greenbacker is a publicly registered, nontraded limited liability company that expects to acquire a diversified portfolio of income-producing renewable energy power plants, energy efficiency projects and other sustainable investments.

David Sher, a Greenbacker director and its former chief executive, says there are a number of market drivers that are making renewable power plant investing attractive:

1. The growth of energy demand. Electricity demand is expected to rise by 25% by 2040 in developed countries, and the U.S. represents nearly 50% of that growth. Overall, global energy demand is expected to rise by 35% in the next 14 years.

2. The retirement of old power plants. Fifty-one percent of all U.S. power plants are at least 30 years old. Hence, many are obsolete and facing replacement.

3. The falling cost of renewable energy power plants. Over the past several years, the cost to build solar power plants has declined by nearly 40%, the cost for wind power plants by nearly 21%.

“Renewable energy power plants can help provide cheap and clean electricity to help power American business, create jobs and move the United States toward energy independence,” Greenbacker cheers on its website.

Sher notes that while changes in the national political landscape could impact clean power investment, the fact is that “there is not enough capital in the space to do all the deals that could be done.” Moreover, change is occurring at the state level because each state manages and regulates its own energy resources.

The Clean Power Plan, he says, really only serves to embolden states’ efforts.

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