First Solar, Inc. (FSLR), Zoltek Companies, Inc. (ZOLT): Make an Investment in Your Grandchildren’s Future

Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has introduced one of sexiest, most efficient electric vehicles the market has ever seen without sacrificing an ounce of performance. The Model S didn’t win the 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year Award for potential, you know. Is it really feasible to own an electric vehicle in a world dominated by petroleum fuels?

Tesla thinks so. Assuming you have the largest battery available, charging your car for just 30 minutes at a Tesla Supercharger could give you an additional 150 miles of driving range. Expanding its Supercharger network from nine today to over 100 in 2015 will be sure to aid in electric vehicle adoption. Better start saving up! Your granddaughter’s sweet 16 is closer than you think.

A sweet tooth for chemicals
The current selection of publicly traded industrial biotechnology companies may not give investors much confidence in the future of bio-based chemicals, but that won’t stop the industry’s disruptive path. The best company investors can get their hands on today is renewable oil manufacturer Solazyme Inc (NASDAQ:SZYM). Its heterotrophic algae can metabolize sugar into a variety of oils with applications in fuels, cosmetics, fragrances, food processing, and specialty chemicals.

Industrial biotechnology platforms will gradually take hold of the industry as biological hackers make microbes more efficient at producing useful molecules. Petroleum derived chemicals won’t exactly be squeezed out of the marketplace, but they’ll have to make room for renewable processes offered by companies such as Solazyme that will offer consumer-conscience brands the added benefit of sustainability and purity.

Foolish bottom line
Arguments that renewable energy, electric vehicles, or bio-based chemicals will never be economically viable have been put to shame in the last decade. Crazier yet is the fact that each technology has even more potential waiting to be unlocked. We may think it’s impossible for renewable technologies to displace their petroleum-sourced predecessors, but with each new breakthrough the market will have to readjust its projections. For instance, wind power is already cheaper than coal in Australia — a major coal producer — and it’s far from maxing out the efficiency scale. It is time to adjust your portfolio for the future. Your grandchildren will thank you.

The article Make an Investment in Your Grandchildren’s Future originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Maxx Chatsko.

Fool contributor Maxx Chatsko has no position in any stocks mentioned. Check out his personal portfolio, his CAPS page, or follow him on Twitter @BlacknGoldFool to keep up with his writing on energy, bioprocessing, and emerging technologies.The Motley Fool recommends Clean Energy Fuels and Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of Solazyme and Tesla Motors.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.