Archive for June, 2009
30th June 2009
Standard Chartered Private Equity has announced a US$40m equity investment in a leading environmental company affiliated with Kolon Group. SCPEL, the private equity arm of Standard Chartered Bank, will invest $32m to acquire a 40 per cent stake in Environmental Facilities Management Corporation (EFMC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kolon Group, and an additional $8m to expand the newly acquired business.
30th June 2009
Renewable energy company Helix Wind Corp has added smart grid technology to its line of wind turbines to manage performance and uptime.
30th June 2009
US Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced up to $32m in Recovery Act funding to modernise the existing hydropower infrastructure in the US, increase efficiency, and reduce environmental impact.
30th June 2009
Dedicated alternative energy and cleantech focused investment bank Greentech Capital Advisors has launched, offering a singular focus on alternative energy and cleantech companies.
30th June 2009
Bache Commodities Group has launched today the Bache Commodity Green Index to offer investors a tool to invest in commodities with an environmental focus. Bache Commodities Group is the commodities and financial derivatives business of Prudential Financial, which has been an active participant in the commodities market for 120 years.
30th June 2009
Cyclone Power Technologies, a renewable electricity company, has achieved promising results from performance tests recently carried out on its Waste Heat Engine technology.
30th June 2009
Alternative energy company VioSolar, Inc. has signed an irrevocable memorandum of understanding with a privately held Greek corporation to purchase eighty-five percent of its shares. The target company has 100KW of production and licenses to build an additional 1MW, with 200KW in the construction phase, the company said.
30th June 2009
IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) signatories have designated Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates as the interim headquarters.
30th June 2009
Partnership for Biofuels, a co-operation between Danisco’s biotech division Genencor, Inbicon, Novozymes and Statoil, will ensure that politicians at this year’s Copenhagen-based United Nations Climate Change Conference will be transported using environmentally friendly fuel.
30th June 2009
In response to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s claims that around ten percent of the package to stimulate the economy was devoted towards environmental technologies, a report published by the new economics foundation shows that funding only amounts to 0.6 per cent of the total stimulus package.
30th June 2009
Catherine Zoi has been confirmed as the US Department of Energy’s assistant secretary of energy efficiency and renewable energy.
30th June 2009
Semilab, a metrology company, has acquired Semiconductor Diagnostics, a Florida-based measurement solutions company for solar manufacturers.
30th June 2009
The World Development Movement has taken legal action to challenge the UK Treasury’s decision to finance bank RBS while overlooking environment and human rights criteria to check that taxpayers’ money is spent in a meaningful way.
30th June 2009
QuantaSol, an independent designer and manufacturer of strain-balanced quantum-well solar cells, has developed what it believes to be the most efficient single junction solar cell ever manufactured. Developed in the last two years, QuantaSol’s single-junction device has been independently tested by Fraunhofer ISE as achieving 28.3 per cent efficiency at greater than 500 suns.
30th June 2009
China Nuvo Solar Energy, Inc. has acquired a variety of solar technologies/inventions consisting of six provisional or utility patents from Photovoltaics, Inc.
30th June 2009
US Secretary Steven Chu made the opening remarks at the first US-Canada Clean Energy Dialogue Roundtable. The public-private meeting is to bring together leaders from the private industry with US and Canadian energy leaders to put forward goals for their collaboration.
30th June 2009
NewNet’s Private Equity and Venture Capital Clean Energy Investor Forum was an exclusive event, attended by over 170 leading decision makers and investors. Here, speakers and delegates discuss their outlook for the industry, and the opportunities available for investors.
30th June 2009
US President Barack Obama and US Energy Secretary Steven Chu have launched a new energy efficiency effort.
30th June 2009
Canadian Solar has received a purchase order from Systaic for 30MW of solar modules to be delivered to Spain.
30th June 2009
Five firms have agreed with the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) to improve their greenhouse gas disclosure, according to the pension fund.
30th June 2009
The Dow Chemical Company is to work with bioenergy company Algenol Biofuels, Inc. to build and operate a pilot-scale algae-based integrated biorefinery that will convert CO2 into ethanol. The facility is planned to be located at Dow’s Freeport, Texas site.
30th June 2009
Scottish and Southern Energy is exploring the feasibility of building two hydroelectric schemes in the Great Glen and is currently seeking approval from the Scottish Government to accompany its planning applications for the scheme.
30th June 2009
Wells Fargo, a financial services company, and SunPower Corp have formed a collaborative effort to finance up to $100m in SunPower’s solar systems.
30th June 2009
Oncor, an electric distribution and transmission business, has applied to the US Department of Energy for $317m in stimulus funds to advance its smart grid initiative.
30th June 2009
9REN Group, the European renewable energy company owned by the energy-focused private equity firm investor First Reserve, has completed the financing of a 14.7MW solar photovoltaic project in Southern Spain, alongside Natixis. Total commitments represented over €100m, the company said.
30th June 2009
GridPoint, a smart grid technology company, has acquired Ottawa-based Lixar’s energy business.
30th June 2009
The US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and US Senator Harry Reid have together initiated plans for federal agencies to work with western leaders to designate tracts of US public lands in the West as zones for utility-scale solar energy development, fund environmental studies, open new solar energy permitting offices and speed reviews of industry proposals.
29th June 2009
UK government has announced a £150m cornerstone investment for the UK Innovation Fund (UKIF). The fund will leverage significant investment from venture capitalists, institutional investors and large pharmaceutical companies. The UKIF will hope to raise £1bn to invest over a ten year life span and will invest in life sciences, clean technology, advanced manufacturing and digital Britain.
29th June 2009
The Scottish Government has made a proposal to widen the use of electric vehicles as part of a consultation of the use of low carbon vehicles.
29th June 2009
European renewable energy company Nuon has opened the first test plant for the production of flexible solar cells in Arnhem, the Netherlands. The plant is developing a production method that will enable solar cells to be produced ‘on the roll’. Nuon aims to significantly increase the share of solar energy in total energy supply in the next few years, the company said.
29th June 2009
Earthwatts Lanka has launched its latest initiative in conjunction with BPA BlueSkies.
29th June 2009
Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg unveiled the Solar Impulse H-SIA, the first aircraft designed to fly around the clock without pollution.
29th June 2009
Oil and energy giant BP has closed the London headquarters of its Alternative Energy division, with its managing director Vivienne Cox retiring. She will be replaced by her former deputy Katrina Landis.
29th June 2009
Magma Energy Corporation, a geothermal company, has priced its initial public offering of 66,667,000 common shares at CAN$1.50 per share for total gross proceeds of around CAN$100m.
29th June 2009
Raser Technologies, an environmental energy technology company, has entered into a term sheet with the Southern California Public Power Authority to sell 110MW of geothermal power to certain member municipalities in a pre-paid arrangement.
29th June 2009
Kent BioEnergy Corporation, a producer of renewable energy, has formed a South Carolina division.
29th June 2009
Metso, a global supplier of sustainable technology, will supply Keuruun Lampovoima Oy with a biomass system for combined heat and power production in the town of Keuruu, Finland.
29th June 2009
The recent passage of the Waxman/Markey climate legislation, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, has been welcomed by many in the green energy and renewables industry.
29th June 2009
Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy initiative, is to introduce its first cleantech investment fund, with a target of around $250m.
29th June 2009
President Barack Obama has praised the House of Representatives for passing the energy bill the Americans believe will lessen their dependence on foreign oil and transform their economy.
29th June 2009
French energy efficient technology company Tiempo has closed a €5m Series B financing round with two new investors, private equity firms Viveris Management and Oddo Private Equity. Previous Series A investors, EmerTec Gestion, Schneider Electric Ventures, INPG Entreprise and Alma Capital Finances, also participated to the round, according to the company.
29th June 2009
Following the US House of Representatives’ passing of energy and climate change legislation, World Wildlife Fund said it would constitute the US’ biggest step to date in responding to the climate crisis.
29th June 2009
Alex de Winter has joined technology-focused venture capital firm Mohr Davidow Ventures. He will focus on life sciences and personalised medicine, and biotechnology-based cleantech, according to the firm.
29th June 2009
Flywheel energy storage company Pentadyne Power has closed $2m in debt financing, according to reports.
29th June 2009
Riverstone Holdings, an energy and power-focused private equity firm, has purchased the wind energy development portfolio from Australian asset management firm Babcock & Brown for $400m, forming Pattern Energy Group.
29th June 2009
BKW FMB Energy has acquired a 33 per cent share in new company Fortore Wind, founded by Italian energy company Fortore Energia.
29th June 2009
At its heart, the ongoing debate over energy and electric power centres on this simple question: How can we meet our power needs in ways that are economical, reliable and environmentally sound, writes R Daniel Brdar, chairman of the board and CEO of FuelCell Energy, Inc.
26th June 2009
US Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that the Department of Energy is providing over $304m to expand weatherproofing assistance programmes in Georgia, Illinois and New York in a bid to reduce energy usage.
26th June 2009
US and China based Solar EnerTech has entered into a 10MW contract to deliver its solar modules to Solarzentrum Allgau, a German integration company who specialise in the sale and installation of photovoltaic systems.
26th June 2009
In less than six months’ time countries from around the world will gather in Copenhagen to thrash out a new agreement on climate change.
