North American Windpower -
Jan 12
Global venture capital funding for wind energy totaled $369 million in 14 deals in 2011 -- up from $277 million in 11 deals in 2010 and $189 million in 20 deals in 2009, according to a report by Mercom Capital Group. Project specific funding also was higher than in previous years, reaching nearly $11 billion -- $1.6 billion more than in 2010. Offshore wind projects represented $3.4 billion in five deals, and onshore wind raised $7.5 billion in 46 deals. The U.S. saw the most VC funding deals in terms of companies -- $294.7 million in nine deals -- and projects - $2.9 billion in 19 deals.
Conergy -
Jan 10
Conergy's Solar Large Projects Group completed the 300kW solar power plant at Bear Creek Ranch in Wasco, Calif. The site will power the water pumps and irrigation system for the surrounding almond orchards. The solar site will produce 470,000 kWh of solar energy annually.
PG&E -
Jan 11
PG&E added more than 220MW of clean wind and solar power in 2011 and signed contracts for future delivery of 463MW of additional renewable energy. PG&E began receiving 135MW of power from five solar PV projects built by independent developers and began producing 50MW at three sites it developed in the Central Valley. PG&E also brought 37MW of wind capacity online.
Environmental Finance -
Jan 6
The expiration of the 1603 U.S. cash grant program is likely to slow but not stop the solar industry's fast march toward grid parity, as solar costs continue to decline rapidly, according to industry experts. However, preserving government subsidies for other renewables remains critical as they try to reach parity with traditional energy sources, they said. The pending expiration of the production tax credit for wind at the end of 2012, and for other renewables such as biomass in 2013, could lead to "some pretty significant disruptions" over the next 24 months, said Dan Adler, president of the California Clean Energy Fund.
North American Windpower -
Jan 6
Global clean technology venture and corporate investments totaled nearly $9 billion in 2011, representing a 13% increase over 2010, research from Cleantech Group found. In addition, cleantech M&As reached record highs in 2011, with 391 deals and a dollar volume of $41.2 billion -- a 153% increase over 2010. Throughout 2011, investment totals grew, while the number of deals declined by 7% compared to 2010. Of the 713 deals, 61% were Series B or later rounds, accounting for 85% of all money invested during the year. Investments in North America grew significantly, from $5.2 billion in 2010 to $6.81 billion in 2011 -- a 30% increase.
NREL -
Jan 6
A new geospatial application developed by the DEO’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory allows users to map potential renewable energy resources in the U.S. The free tool, RE Atlas, is designed to facilitate energy policy development, investment, and education by making high quality data accessible and easy to understand. The tool creates dynamic maps of renewable resources, including biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, and wind. RE Atlas can display resources individually or in a composite fashion.
Bloomberg -
Jan 6
California appealed a ruling by a federal judge who blocked the state's low-carbon fuel standard after finding that it discriminates against out-of-state corn ethanol and crude oil and violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The California Air Resources Board is asking a federal appeals court in San Francisco to reverse the judge's ruling and his order blocking the rules from being enforced until a lawsuit challenging them is resolved. The rules were to be enforced starting Jan. 1.
ABC News/AP -
Jan 7
California Gov. Jerry Brown's budget proposal for the 2012-2013 fiscal year commits seed money to a number of expensive projects that he hopes will guide California in the decades to come. Among the items included in the proposed budget is the spending of about $1 billion in expected revenue from California's new "cap-and-trade" program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He wants that money to go toward clean energy research, natural resource protection and infrastructure projects related to alternative energy.
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Gov. Brown's cap-and-trade spending plan angers businesses
Notable Renewable Energy Projects and Deals
Western Wind Energy -
Jan 9
Western Wind Energy announced that it had erected the 60th and final turbine at its Windstar Project in Tehachapi, Calif., bringing the total installed capacity to the 120MW design capacity.
Bloomberg -
Jan 11
AQT Solar received $18.7 million from investors to double production at its headquarters. The funding will help expand its manufacturing site in Sunnyvale, Calif. to a capacity of 30MW a year, a spokesman said. Production began there in August 2010.