News

• Sustainable development needs IT-style 'revolution' – Figueres

  09 March 2012

  A "breakthrough in action" is needed if the world is going to move to a sustainable future, according to UN climate chief Christiana Figueres – similar to that seen in the information technology sector over the last 20 years.

• Denham Capital invests $190m in Spanish solar

  09 March 2012

  Private equity firm Denham Capital has acquired a majority stake in solar energy company Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) after investing $190 million in the Spanish company.

• Current oil price equivalent to carbon price of €153/t

  09 March 2012

  The increase in oil prices since 2003 has had the same economic impact of a carbon price of €153 ($202) per tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2), according to analysts at HSBC.

• US energy subsidies to favour fossil fuels over renewables

  08 March 2012

  The renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors received most of the US federal government's $24 billion in energy subsidies last year, but fossil fuels will win out this year as several key tax breaks for renewables have expired.

• RWE to invest additional €4bn in renewables by 2014

  08 March 2012

  RWE is to invest €4 billion ($5.3 billion) in renewable energy over the next two years, adding to the €4.4 billion it has spent since 2007, the German utility giant said on Tuesday.

• Sustainable palm oil supply still far exceeding demand

  08 March 2012

  Despite a seven-fold increase of sustainable palm oil sales over the past two years, supply outpaced demand by a factor of two in 2011, according to figures from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

• Enel sees rise in profits and installations

  08 March 2012

  Enel Green Power has reported a 20% rise in earnings following a surge in new wind farm installations in 2011.

• UK Green Investment Bank to be headquartered in Scotland

  08 March 2012

  Edinburgh has won the race to host the UK's Green Investment Bank (GIB), although its main transaction team will be based in London.

• Rio+20 should refine integrated reporting proposal – investors

  07 March 2012

  Investors have welcomed a proposal to make companies report on their environmental and social impacts, to be discussed at the Rio+20 sustainable development summit in June, but say it could be improved in several ways.

• Private equity fundraising at risk over ESG 'expectations gap'

  07 March 2012

  Private equity firms that fail to develop and communicate environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies are likely to find it increasingly hard to raise funds from investors, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.