Coal may be a dirty word in the clean energy movement. But David Fessler says the realities of global energy markets means it is going to be a key source of power in the coming decades. He says investors should include coal in their energy portfolio, and recommends three of the best ways to do it.

This from Investment U:

The Obama administration has made a big deal about renewable energy. Over the next several years, the new President has plans to spend roughly $150 billion promoting and enabling its growth. And with $700 billion flowing from the United States into OPEC’s pockets every year, I don’t think you’ll get much of an argument from anyone about the timeliness or the need for renewables.

But even with massive amounts of capital investment - and widespread adoption by utilities and end users - renewable energy will still only account for roughly