News

• Foresight eyes £300m for roll-out fund.

  01 December 2008

  Foresight, a UK-based asset manager, hopes to raise up to £300 million ($450 million) into a successor to its £22.5 million UK Sustainable Investment Fund (SIF).

• Congress 'must revisit' key tax break

  01 December 2008

  No sooner has the US Congress approved tax credits for renewable energy, it should immediately adjust them because the financial crisis has limited new project development, renewable energy advocates have said.

• Clean energy investment set to stall

  01 December 2008

  Clean energy investment in 2008 is set to fall 4% from 2007 levels, according to New Energy Finance (NEF). The UK-based analysis company is projecting total new investment of $142 billion, down from $148 billion last year.

• Aviva launches €500m renewables infrastructure fund

  01 December 2008

  Aviva Investors has launched a potentially €500 million ($626 million) renewable energy infrastructure fund, focusing on solar photovoltaic (PV), geothermal, biomass, biogas and wind assets, in the more mature EU markets.

• Sarkozy clinches compromise on EU climate package

  01 December 2008

  After months of wrangling between industry and environmentalists, and strident opposition from Italy, Germany, Poland and other eastern European states, EU leaders agreed a deal on the bloc's climate package in December, securing a commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020 compared with 1990 levels, and to source 20% of EU energy from renewable sources by the same date.

• Car-makers face weaker emissions targets under EU deal

  01 December 2008

  The European Parliament and EU member states have agreed a deal to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from cars, which weakens original proposals made by the European Commission and gives car manufacturers an extra three years to meet emissions targets.

• Exchange-traded carbon fund gets London listing

  01 December 2008

  ETF Securities (ETFS) has listed on the London Stock Exchange what it claims is the first exchange-traded security tracking carbon in Europe.

• ASX to list renewables, carbon

  01 November 2008

  The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) is to launch futures and options contracts for renewable energy certificates and carbon pollution permits and also has ambitions to service New Zealand's emissions trading scheme.

• Oil, recession, weigh on renewables and carbon

  01 November 2008

  Falling oil prices and growing recession fears have hit renewable energy stocks and carbon prices – but analysts remain confident the medium-term outlook is positive for both markets.

• Activists questionWorld Bank's renewables boost

  01 November 2008

  TheWorld Bank Group's claim that it has increased funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects by 87% is misleading because of the inclusion of large hydropower projects and funding provided by a separate entity, say environmental observers. The seemingly impressive increase in investment also masks a larger rise in funding for fossil fuel projects, they say.