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HSBC gets gloomier on wind turbine makers – for now
12 March 2009Investment bank HSBC has slashed its growth forecasts for the wind turbine sector for the second time in six months, and is now forecasting a 20% decline in the sector this year. However, it expects to see growth among wind farm developers and is forecasting a healthy recovery across the industry in 2010.
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Element closes $486 million clean-tech growth equity fund
12 March 2009Element Partners this week closed a $486 million clean technology (clean-tech) growth equity fund, bucking a tough fund-raising market.
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US agriculture secretary backs increase in ethanol blending limit
11 March 2009US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack this week advocated increasing the ethanol content of the country's petroleum fuel from the current 10% maximum, adding to the momentum for an increase to avoid ethanol production outstripping demand.
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Investors urge better disclosure of water risk
05 March 2009Companies are largely unaware of water-related risks, or how climate change will likely exacerbate them, says a report from investor and environmentalist coalition Ceres, which urges businesses to report their 'water footprint'.
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SAM, Dow Jones, launch Asian sustainability indexes
05 March 2009Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) and Dow Jones have extended their sustainable investment index family to the Asia-Pacific region, with the launch of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) Asia Pacific and Asia Pacific 40 equity indexes.
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Renewables trading could save EU €17 billion a year – Eurelectric
05 March 2009Allowing EU member states full flexibility to meet their renewable energy targets by trading certificates could save €17 billion ($21 billion) a year by 2020, according to a study commissioned by electricity industry association Eurelectric. But, without any trading, at least six member states will struggle to meet their targets.
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First Solar expands solar project pipeline
05 March 2009First Solar is to acquire the 1,850MW solar project pipeline of developer OptiSolar for approximately $400 million.
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Clean energy investment too low – analysts
05 March 2009Investment in clean energy is currently far short of levels necessary to avert dangerous climate change, and the economic downturn is likely to exacerbate the problem, according to analysis company New Energy Finance (NEF).
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Thriving pellet sector faces competition as it seeks feedstock
04 March 2009The growing wood pellet industry will compete increasingly with pulp and paper firms for woodchips and pulp logs as its raw material, as supplies of its traditional sawdust and sawmill shavings prove inadequate, forecast a new report.
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Time to intervene?
01 March 2009The anaemic price of carbon allowances is generating growing anxiety about the role of emissions trading in tackling climate change, and some predictably confused reporting. It is also generating calls for intervention in the market to ensure that a sufficiently high price signal is transmitted to change corporate behaviour.