News

• US renewables lobby looks to federal mandate

  01 March 2009

  Momentum is building towards the adoption of a US federal renewable electricity standard (RES), which experts say will help underpin growth in the US renewable energy sector.

• Renewables cash survives US stimulus horse-trading

  01 March 2009

  US solar project developers and renewable energy equipment manufacturers are set to profit from the $787 billion US economic stimulus package, following the survival of provisions aimed at blunting the impact of the financial crisis on the sector.

• Irena launched

  01 March 2009

  An international body to promote renewable power was founded in Berlin at the end of January, with 75 countries joining the International Renewable Energy Agency.

• CCC raising £20m for UK renewables

  01 March 2009

  Climate Change Capital is hoping to raise up to £20 million ($29 million) into its Ventus and Ventus 2 funds, which develop renewable energy projects in the UK with a typical capacity of between 2MW and 12MW.

• McKinsey prices climate effort

  01 March 2009

  Climate change could be kept in check at a cost of €200 billion ($265.3 billion) a year by 2030, according to a report by McKinsey & Co.

• Lehman-backed catastrophe bond defaults

  01 March 2009

  A catastrophe (cat) bond issued by US insurer Allstate has defaulted following the collapse of its guarantor Lehman Brothers and poor returns from the assets in which the principal was invested.

• CCFE lists US voluntary carbon credits

  01 March 2009

  The Chicago Climate Futures Exchange (CCFE) has listed futures contracts for carbon offsets registered under the US Climate Action Reserve, the California Climate Action Registry's offset programme.

• Carbon market slump prompts intervention calls

  01 March 2009

  The crash in the EU carbon market has sparked a debate on whether governments should intervene to support prices, amid forecasts that the global carbon market will shrink in value this year.

• Newcombe's C-Quest plans carbon fund

  01 March 2009

  C-Quest Capital, the Washington, DC-based firm headed by carbon market veteran Ken Newcombe, is to begin marketing a managed carbon fund with the ambition of raising "several hundred millions of dollars".

• Man to liquidate CDM fund

  01 March 2009

  MTM Capital Partners, a subsidiary of the Man Group, has decided to liquidate its €400 million China Methane Recovery Fund.