Solar power: A growth field for engineers

Venture capitalists are investing heavily in solar power, a move that could make it a growth field for engineers.

According to a report from Greentech Media, venture capitalists invested $2.8 billion in "greentech" companies in the third quarter of 2008, more than double what they invested in the previous quarter.

Since solar is considered a "more explored" investment sector, companies developing solar power technology got the lion's share of that cash: $1.5 billion, or more than half of all the VC's money.

So where does this put other alternative energy fields? They're bringing in less money -- although VCs are still investing record amounts in what appears to be every area of greentech.

Oddly, wind power isn't getting as much interest. It seems that the size of wind-power projects -- think of huge wind farms spread over acres of land -- makes them less likely to inspire innovative approaches from start-ups. That makes them less attractive to VCs.

There are a few lessons in this: Solar, obviously, is a growth field. Innovations that can be implemented quickly are more likely to attract VC funding. And green is in no matter how you slice it.

Got ideas about other growth fields? Let us know!