News

• IEA warns of 'unsustainable energy future'

  09 November 2011

  Countries risk missing climate change targets and locking themselves into an "unsustainable energy future" unless they invest more in renewable energy technology, world energy chiefs warned on Wednesday.

• Ecotricity shaves yield for second green bond

  08 November 2011

  UK renewable energy utility Ecotricity has announced the terms for its second bond issue, and is offering slightly lower rates to investors.

• Water risks threaten China's economy

  08 November 2011

  Companies in China that use water efficiently will be better positioned to profit in an economy increasingly at risk from water stress and new water regulations, according to analysis by HSBC.

• FirstEnergy SOx, NOx auction to 'shake up' emissions markets

  08 November 2011

  Utility FirstEnergy's upcoming auction of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) allowances is set to shake up the new Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) markets, according to one analyst.

• S&P downgrades €287m of Breeze wind energy bonds

  08 November 2011

  Standard & Poor's has downgraded €287 million ($396 million) of 'Breeze 3' renewable energy-backed bonds on the back of continuing poor performance of the underlying portfolio of projects, and has warned that €50 million of 'Breeze 2' notes could default, if underperformance conditions.

• Australian biomass fund seeks A$100m, eyes IPO

  08 November 2011

  First Climate Funds Management Australia is looking to raise A$100 million (US$103 million) to invest in projects that produce biomass pellets, suitable for substituting coal and oil in power stations.

• Gore calls for transaction tax, sustainable capitalism

  07 November 2011

  Al Gore last week endorsed a financial transaction tax to as a mechanism to encourage responsible investing and "build a generation of sustainable capitalism".

• US solar subsidy complaint could backfire – Third Way

  07 November 2011

  An anti-dumping and unfair subsidy complaint filed by US solar energy producers against the Chinese solar sector may not help these struggling producers survive, but could increase US manufacturing jobs, according to centrist think-tank Third Way.

• Energy storage sector reaps windfall from clean-tech VCs – E&Y

  03 November 2011

  A record $421 million of venture capital investment in the energy storage sector helped push clean-tech venture capital (VC) investment in the US up 73% in the last quarter, according to Ernst & Young.

• Ontario to revise renewables tariff, threatening pending projects

  03 November 2011

  Ontario regulators will consider adopting declining rates for renewable energy projects supported by the province's feed-in tariff (FiT) – and some pending projects will be hit, developers have complained.