With today's economy, commodity ETFs (exchange traded funds) are the investment to watch. Energy ETFs are among the most popular of the commodities. Energy exchange traded funds include crude oil, coal, natural gas, and even gasoline. Alternative energy ETFs are now making their way into our hearts. These include solar energy, wind energy, and nuclear energy. Even water resource energy is now being sold. Why are alternative energies growing so popular?

Most energy ETFs are futures. This means that they watch the future prices and resources of the energies. For example, oil and gasoline are futures. These energy ETFs depend on the future prices of a barrel of oil as well as how much oil is being made and stored. In other words, will there be enough supply to meet the demand. If the prediction is that there won't be enough, then the obvious follow up is that gas prices will continue to rise. Therefore, anybody owning these energy exchange traded funds are likely to make money on them.

Natural gas energy exchange traded funds are futures that depend on the prediction of the need for this energy. If Congress passes the energy bill the need for clean energy will be high and natural gas is sure to be in high demand.

Solar energy ETFs are one of the more popular of the alternative energy exchange traded funds. Solar energy is a renewable source and current science tells us that it is impossible to run out of. So if the lack of resources isn't going to drive up the price, then it must be demand. The demand for solar energy is increasing every day that people learn about greenhouse gasses and what it is doing to our planet. The more people who want solar energy, the higher the demand, and the companies that provide solar energy solutions will make more money - as will the solar energy ETF holder.

The popularity of wind energy is growing and that is why the new wind energy ETFs are gaining in popularity, too. The exciting thing about wind energy is that one megawatt of wind energy produced from a turbine (windmill) will generate energy for 380 families. If wind energy is utilized in all of the continental United States, 20% of our energy needs will be taken care of by a natural resource that is always there. I took a drive out west a few months ago and was amazed at how the rural communities in western United States are taking the hint. These turbines are everywhere in some places and the trend seems to be moving east. Now is the time to get in on wind energy exchange traded funds.

There are alternative energy ETFs that bundle alternative energies together. These include solar, wind, nuclear, and soon to be water. While some analysts advise that investors wait for the alternative energy ETFs to level out before buying due to the volatility of the funds, other analysts are saying this is the time to buy in energy commodity ETFs.