News

• Finance, transmission take wind out of Pickens' sails

  09 July 2009

  Texas oilman T Boone Pickens' has put on hold his grand plan to build the largest US wind farm – highlighting two significant problems for renewable energy development: tight financing and an inadequate transmission infrastructure.

• Sweden develops national biogas strategy

  08 July 2009

  Sweden has told its energy agency to develop a national policy for the production, distribution and use of biogas as a vehicle fuel, as part of a move towards its target of the country's cars being fossil fuel-free by 2030.

• CME launches more SO2 contracts

  02 July 2009

  CME Group is to launch a new series of futures and options contracts based on sulphur dioxide (SO2) allowances in mid July.

• UK could generate £70bn from wind, wave power – Carbon Trust

  02 July 2009

  The UK offshore wind and wave power markets could be worth £70 billion ($115 billion) and provide at least 15% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reductions needed to meet the country's 2050 targets, said the Carbon Trust today.

• Renewables industry pushes for tougher targets

  02 July 2009

  Renewable energy advocates have welcomed the momentum toward adoption of a US federal renewable electricity standard (RES), but vowed to keep pushing for a stronger mandate.

• VC investment in clean-tech rebounds to $1.2 billion

  02 July 2009

  Venture capital (VC) investment in clean technologies (clean-tech) rebounded to $1.2 billion in the second quarter of 2009, according to the Cleantech Group, but investment levels stayed well below the highs of 2007-08.

• Siemens doubles income from environmental business

  02 July 2009

  Annual revenues from Siemens' environmental activities grew 12% in 2008 to €18.9 billion ($26.5 billion) – almost double the rate for the business as a whole. The German engineering giant also managed a 10% improvement in its energy efficiency compared with its base year of 2006, according to its sustainability report published last month.

• Ex-Wall Street bankers launch clean-tech advisory firm

  02 July 2009

  A team of former Wall Street bankers have launched a financial advisory firm focused on the alternative energy and clean technology (clean-tech) sectors.

• Wells Fargo to finance $100m of solar

  01 July 2009

  US bank Wells Fargo is to provide up to $100 million of financing for SunPower commercial-scale solar photovoltaic systems.

• Renewables lobby disappointed by federal US targets

  01 July 2009

  Renewable energy producers lamented the weakening of renewable electricity standards (RES) being debated in the US Congress, saying they would have a negligible impact in spurring production.