Starlink Stock would be a dream come true for me.
But not just because I’m an Elon Musk fanboy. A term, by the way, I absolutely hate. After all, while I am a fan of Uncle Elon, I have more than 5 decades on me, which means I’m clearly old enough to be considered an Elon Musk fan “man.” 🙂
Sarcasm aside, I’ve never made my respect for Elon Musk a secret. And even when I may disagree with him on some social and political issues, I maintain that this man has done more good for the world than any NGO or politician. Not just in terms of launching the transition from internal combustion to vehicle electrification (which has absolutely lessened the negative environmental footprint of personal transportation), but really all of his companies.
It’s crazy to think that it took less than 20 years to bring to the world …
- Reusable rockets
- Brain-computer interfaces that will one day help the blind to see and the immoble to walk
- A satellite internet constellation that gives folks, who live in the most remote parts of the world, internet access
Why Starlink Stock would be a Huge Winner for Ethical Investors
I always found the promise of the latter, “internet access for all” to be extremely attractive from both an economic and social standpoint. Just like access to clean energy has helped some of the poorest people in the world create wealth and expand educational opportunities, access to the internet will also help a lot of very poor people gain access to education, health services and communication support during natural disasters.
Sometimes it’s hard to think about it that way while most of us take Internet access for granted, and definitely use it for more than just educational purposes and health services. But while we’re getting hypnotized by TikTok, watching cat videos on YouTube or reading reviews of local dispensaries and Chinese restaurants, there are kids in Africa, South America and even parts of the American midwest that are getting access to education that wasn’t even a possibility before Starlink. And make no mistake: nothing ends poverty faster than education.
I also recently discovered that Energea, one of my favorite companies that we’ve invested in, is using Starlink to drive greater returns for investors. Check it out …
At Energea, we are harnessing the power of Starlink to revolutionize our solar projects in Brazil, particularly in remote regions where traditional internet infrastructure is lacking. With Starlink, we can monitor our solar installations in real-time, with data updates occurring at intervals of less than one minute. This capability ensures that we can quickly identify and address any issues, optimizing performance and minimizing downtime.
Currently, we are using Starlink technology to monitor the 25 operational projects we manage across Brazil. Many of these projects had been shelved due to the feasibility of internet access prior to Starlink’s Brazil coverage rollout in 2022 and 2023. The technology allows us to remotely control site operations, such as adjusting solar trackers, resetting breakers, and performing other critical functions without the need for on-site intervention. This not only enhances operational efficiency but also significantly reduces maintenance costs and improves the overall reliability of our solar installations. It has also reduced our reliance on local internet service providers in terms of both cost and installation/maintenance. The cost of Internet is now a flat rate and can no longer be driven up due to a lack of availability in remote regions, and satellite dishes can be installed by our technicians, reducing the time it takes to install and service our internet hardware.
In conclusion, the advent of Starlink and its revolutionary satellite internet service is a game-changer for distributed generation solar projects. By providing reliable, high-speed internet connectivity to remote regions, Starlink enables robust real-time monitoring and management, crucial for the success of these projects. At Energea, we are proud to leverage this cutting-edge technology to enhance the performance and reliability of our solar investments, ultimately driving greater returns for our investors and contributing to a more sustainable future.
Investing in Energea is not like investing in Starlink stock, which doesn’t actually exist right now, anyway. But those Brazil solar projects are paying a very attractive internal rate of return as high as 16%.
I know a lot of people like to shit on Elon Musk, but I can’t be mad at a guy who has created something that ultimately lifts potentially millions of people out of poverty. Musk has even suggested that Starlink could actually move the GDP of countries. And he makes a very convincing argument. You can check that out here.
