One of our favorite green bloggers, Joel Makower of Two Steps Forward, recently posted that the latest edition of Clean Energy Trends is published and available for free download. The annual report, which lays out trends and predictions for the world of green business, is put out by Clean Edge, a research and publishing firm co-founded by Makower that focuses on the implications of clean technologies for businesses, investors and governments. This year, Clean Edge partnered with New Energy Finance to provide an in-depth analysis of investment trends in the industry for 2007. Clean Energy Trends 2008 covers five areas (electric cars, sustainable cities, wind, geothermal energy and shipping), looking at where clean energy has been and where it’s headed in coming years.

The good news? 2007 was a strong year, and 2008 doesn’t look like it’s going to be any less exciting. According to the report, solar, wind and geothermal energy, biofuels,energy intelligence, hybrid- and all-electric vehicles, advanced batteries, green building and numerous other clean technologies were all bright spots in a generally sluggish economy. The bad news? There are definitely economic hurdles ahead for the clean energy movement, namely that tax credits for wind and solar power are expiring at the end of 2008. If Congress decides not to extend the credits, it could have major implications for renewable energy, as the long-term planning necessary to launch these newly emerging industries out of their infancy and into the realm of stabilized utilities will take significantly longer than the current two-year window of the credits.

One of the most interesting aspects of the report, especially for those interested in investing in whole or fractional real estate, is the section on sustainable cities (one of the report’s “Five Trends to Watch”). Masdar City, in Abu Dubai, aims to be the first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city. Stateside, San Francisco’s plans to develop a 6,000-resident, solar-powered community on nearby Treasure Island is getting attention in the clean energy world.

To read the full report, visit the Clean Edge website where you can download Clean Energy Trends 2008 in its entirety, as well as catch up on news and editorial about the clean-tech market.