Solar Technology Continues To Dominate Investment In Q1
U.S. venture capital investment in cleantech companies increased by 54% to $1.14 billion in the first quarter of this year (Q1'11), from $743.3 million in the first quarter of 2010 (Q1'10). This increase occurred despite a 13% decrease in deals year-on-year from 79 to 69, according to an Ernst & Young LLP analysis based on data from Dow Jones VentureSource. The top 10 deals in Q1'11 totaled $683.1 million, 60% of the total raised for the quarter, and two deals accounted for 18% of the total dollars raised. "The U.S. cleantech market experienced continuing momentum - both from a venture capital perspective and among the larger investment community," says Jay Spencer, Ernst & Young LLP's Americas cleantech director. "The second generation of solar companies and larger, later-stage rounds dominated VC investor interest in Q1."
The energy/electricity generation segment, led by strong solar investments, raised $450.3 million through 16 deals in Q1'11. The solar sub-segment accounted for 32% of the total dollars raised for the quarter with $362.7 million, a 162% gain from Q1'10.
First Solar: European Market Is A Mess, Q1 Sales Flat
Changes in solar incentives in key markets such as Germany and Italy are making life difficult for major players such as First Solar, which reported a flat first-quarter revenue and lower earnings on Tuesday afternoon. "With a lot of pending changes, the market started out really slow in 2011," said Rob Gillette, First Solar's CEO, during a conference call with analysts. "We expect the European industry demand to go through a period of adjustment in the second and third quarter." Manufactures saw solar panel prices falling faster than expected, Gillette said, and the lower selling prices were partly responsible for the company's financial results. Europe is the largest solar market, a result of a type of incentive policy that requires utilities to buy solar electricity at government-set, premium prices. The prices are supposed to fall over time as the market grows and production costs drop, but political leaders in Europe in recent years have taken to making extra cuts to curb explosive growth and minimize the impact on consumers, who help to pay for these incentives through their electric bills.
Mitsubishi Opens Pre-Orders for i-MiEV Electric Car
The 2012 Mitsubishi i in the ES trim level will have a base price after federal tax credit of only $20,490 - a substantial savings compared to some of its EV competitors.
Further, the optional SE trim level includes a dynamic 360-watt, 8 speaker deluxe sound system, leather-wrapped steering wheel, higher quality upholstery with silver accents, two-tone interior dash and door panels, 15-in. alloy wheels, and fog lamps at only $22,490 after credit. An optional SE premium package is available for $2,790 and including a quick charging port for ultra-fast Level 3 recharging (80% full in only 30 minutes), HDD navigation system, rearview camera, FUSE hands-free communication with USB port and an articulated steering wheel. Despite the price, the base model Mitsubishi i ES packs a fair compliment of standard equipment and amenities, including electric power steering (EPS), LED rear lights, heated driver's seat, air conditioning with micron filter, keyless entry, an on-board recharging system with 8 amp charging cable plus a 4 speaker, 100-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with MP3/WMA playback. A Cold Zone package is available on both the ES and SE for only $150 including a Li-Ion Battery Warming System and heated sideview mirrors.
Mitsubishi is making pre-ordering the all-electric car a simple 4-step process taking only a matter of minutes. The first 2,000 placing an order and taking possession of the Mitsubishi i, will benefit from Mitsubishi's waiving the $99.99 home electrical inspection fee - a charge no one sees coming.
Oil Giant Total to buy 60% of SunPower for $1.38 Billion
Total SA, Europe's third-biggest oil producer, agreed to buy as much as 60 percent of SunPower Corp. for $1.38 billion, taking advantage of increased global interest in renewable energy. SunPower, the second-largest U.S. solar panel maker, described the acquisition price of $23.25 a share as a "friendly tender offer" in a statement. SunPower surged 40 percent to $22.53 yesterday after the close of regular trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The deal for San Jose, California-based SunPower may lead to more solar industry acquisitions as U.S. and European suppliers seek help competing against rival suppliers in Asia, said Kevin Landis, portfolio manager at Sivest Group Inc. "This is exactly what SunPower needed to compete with the Chinese manufacturers that are getting so much support from their government," Landis said in an interview. "It also allows SunPower to double down on the technology improvements they'll need to compete in the long run." Sivest, also based in San Jose, held about 17,000 shares of SunPower at the start of the year. The takeover may trigger similar acquisitions by oil companies that consider renewable-energy manufacturers a way to improve their clean-energy credentials and may profit when surging crude prices reduce demand for fossil fuels, said John Hardy, an analyst at Gleacher & Co. in New York.
MIT Researchers Unveil Transparent Solar Cell
It has been the dream and pursuit of many a business and research endeavor, but only varied success has been achieved to create a truly transparent solar photovoltaic cell. Leave it to the brainiacs at MIT to find the solution. Yes, the research and technology hub has done it again, marking a landslide achievement in the world of energy technology with the creation of a clear solar pv cell. Researchers Vladimir Bulovic and Richard Lunt have published their findings in Applied Physics Letters. The duo has apparently created a transparent solar cell with a maximum efficiency (sunlight to electricity) of 1.7 percent. The cell operates within the near-infrared spectrum. However, the cell is still only about 55 percent transparent, similar to tinted sunglasses.T he transparent cell is actually quite unique in its design when compared to tradition cells. Bulovic and Lunt's transparent cell is comprised of organic molecules that harness infrared light while allowing visible light to pass through. The photovoltaic compound is actually coated onto a pane of standard window glass. The researchers are in the prototype phase of this technology, but believe it could potentially be painted onto existing windows to create a low-cost easy-to-install photovoltaic option for both commercial and home solar installations.
Reading the fine print of BrightSource's $250 million IPO
BrightSource Energy, the California solar power plant builder backed by Google, Morgan Stanley and Silicon Valley venture capitalists, filed for a $250 million initial public offering on Friday. The Earth Day S-1 filing marks first big market test of investors' appetite for a capital-intensive solar technology that has yet to be deployed commercially. It comes as utilities have been turning to increasingly cost-competitive photovoltaic farms to meet their renewable energy mandates.
BrightSource was founded in 2004 by American-Israeli pioneer Arnold Goldman, whose Luz International built nine solar thermal power plants in the Mojave Desert in the 1980s and 1990s. The company has attracted blue-chip investors, including French energy giant Alstom, as well as a $1.6 billion federal loan guarantee that is financing the bulk of Ivanpah's construction costs. NRG Solar, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, is investing up to $300 million in Ivanpah and Google last week invested $168 million in the project. In its filing, BrightSource, which has signed deals to supply utilities Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison with 2,600 megawatts of electricity, disclosed that it controls 110,000 acres in California and the Southwest. That land has a capacity to generate 11,000 megawatts - enough solar electricity to supply nearly 15 million homes at peak output. The cost of maintaining leases on those lands stands at $12.9 million, according to the filing, and BrightSource, which has lost a cumulative $177.3 million since its founding, has total debt and contractual obligations totaling $1.8 billion. Despite its impressive pipeline of projects and prominent investors, BrightSource acknowledged in the filing that its viability turns on the completion and operation of Ivanpah, which will deploy 170,000 heliostats around three towers.
U.S. offers loan aid for world's biggest solar plant
The U.S. Department of Energy is offering $2.1 billion in conditional loan guarantees to support what will be the world's biggest solar power plant, the government's largest commitment to date for to solar energy. The aid will support construction of the first two units of Solar Trust of America LLC's 1,000 megawatt solar thermal Blythe Solar Power Project, the DOE said on Monday. Solar Trust of America is a joint venture between German companies Solar Millennium AG and Ferrostaal AG. "For the first time in mankind's history, a solar power facility will be built at a scale and output capacity equal to the very largest coal-fired and nuclear power plants operating in the world today," Solar Trust of America Chief Executive Uwe Schmidt said on a conference call with reporters. The first two units of the project near Blythe, California are capable of producing 484 MW of electricity using solar thermal trough technology. The project will create over 1,000 construction jobs, 80 operations jobs, and will avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those generated by about 123,000 vehicles. Solar Millennium's technology makes electricity by using trough-shaped mirrors to heat a fluid that generates steam that turns a turbine. The Blythe project's total pricetag is estimated at north of $6 billion, with the first phase costing about $2.8 billion. The announcement came a week after the federal program to support clean energy technologies escaped the axe in the final U.S. budget agreement for the current fiscal year.
Ford names Top 25 EV ready cities in the US
From New York City to Seattle, Wash., Ford this week named 25 U.S. cities that are paving the way for an influx of electric vehicles. By the end of 2012 there will be more than 20 plug-in vehicles on the market, said Mike Tinskey, manager of vehicle electrification and infrastructure for Ford. And major metropolitan areas and utility companies are working together to provide an infrastructure for public charging stations. "Over the next 12 months we will see at least 18,000 new charge stations in U.S. cities," Tinskey said. "People will start seeing charge stations in some pretty familiar places," he said. The Ford Focus EV will be available by the end of 2011, and many more electric vehicles makes from other automakers will be available over the next two years. Ford has complied the list to not only recognize which cities are getting EV-ready, but also to encourage other cities to start preparing, Tinskey said.
While the list of cities is diverse, it's not surprising that most of the cities flank the coasts while others dot the middle of the map. Honolulu is included, but Tinskey said pretty much the whole island of Oahu is getting EV-ready. The greater San Francisco Bay Area, not surprisingly, is also a larger geographical area that made it to the map. According to Tinskey, it's up to city governments to streamline the permit process for the installation of EV charging stations. And it's up to local utility companies to offer incentives for off-peak charging. "A lot of decisions need to be made, like what the signage should look like, and whether or not local businesses can charge for the electricity, or just for the parking spot," Tinskey said. "It ends up being an equal pull from the city and the local electric company. Then add a company like Ford, and it becomes the three-legged stool."
Google Invests $168 million in BrightSource Energy's Mojave Solar Plant
Google is no stranger to renewable energy investment, but now the Internet behemoth has its eyes set on bigger fish. BrightSource Energy's proposed solar thermal plant in the Mojave Desert will be one of the largest solar energy projects in the United States and will double the solar thermal installed capacity in the U.S. Google has made a $168 million equity investment in the project, along with NRG Energy's $300 million investment and $1.6 billion in loans from the U.S. federal government.
The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System will be constructed in California's Mojave Desert. The project will provide 2,600 MW of grid electricity, powering 140,000 homes. The facility uses thermal solar energy as opposed to photovoltaic panels. Thousand's of reflective mirrors will superheat fluids to drive a steam turbine. The Ivanpah plant will recycle the steam back into water to reduce water consumption by 95 percent compared to similar facilities.
MORE THAN 3,700 ATTEND PV AMERICA 2011 IN PHILADELPHIA, UP 23% FROM 2009 SHOW
Philadelphia - April 12, 2011 — The second PV America conference and expo which concluded here on April 5 attracted more than 3,700 industry attendees (up 23% from 2009) affirming that the mid-Atlantic region is a national powerhouse in solar energy. More than 200 exhibitors (25% increase from 2009) who occupied about 70,000 gross square feet of space showcased the latest products and technologies driving the growth of the photovoltaic industry. Further evidence of the growth in the region: more than 700 consumers walked the exhibit floor during Public Day.
In remarks delivered during the opening day general session, Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) announced that "the region is now the largest market for PV in the United States and in 2010, the area from Washington DC to Boston installed more solar than all of California." He added that "the solar industry experienced a robust 139 percent growth in New Jersey and Pennsylvania had installed enough capacity last year to power 9,000 homes. Finally, he noted "that a recent report by SEIA and GTM Research projects demand for more than 3 gigawatts of new PV in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast region by 2015, enough solar to power more than half a million homes."
The 2012 Olympic games in London are to be the most sustainable ever, but will miss initial renewable energy goals
The 2012 Olympics are gearing up for glory in London, and will be one of the most sustainable Olympics ever. The Commission for a Sustainable London 2012—the watchdog group monitoring the London Olympics' sustainability initiative—says the games are already on track to reduce its carbon footprint by 50 percent.
However, the watchdog group has also officially stated that the initial goal of 20 percent energy from renewable sources is being lessened to only nine percent. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) abandoned plans for wind turbines in Olympic park after design changes and safety regulations were implemented. Nonetheless, the ODA has claimed it will find other ways to reduce the games' carbon footprint.
G.E. Plans to Build Largest Solar Panel Plant in U.S.
In a move that could shake up the American solar industry, General Electric plans to announce on Thursday that it will build the nation's largest photovoltaic panel factory, with the goal of becoming a major player in the market. "For the past five years, we've been investing extremely heavily in solar," said Victor Abate, vice president for G.E.'s renewable energy business. "Going to scale is the next move."
The plant, whose location has not been determined, will employ 400 workers and create 600 related jobs, according to G.E. The factory would annually produce solar panels that would generate 400 megawatts of energy, the company said, and would begin manufacturing thin-film photovoltaic panels made of a material called cadmium telluride in 2013. While less efficient than conventional solar panels, thin-film photovoltaics can be produced at a lower cost and have proven attractive to developers and utilities building large-scale power plants. G.E. has signed agreements to supply solar panels to generate 100 megawatts of electric power to customers, including a deal for panels generating 60 megawatts with NextEra Energy Resources.
Vestas surprises with 7 MW offshore wind turbine
Danish wind turbine maker Vestas unveiled a new giant 7-megawatt offshore turbine on Wednesday and said it expected it to be in serial production in early 2015. Vestas, the world's biggest wind turbine manufacturer by market share, had only been expected to unveil a 6 MW turbine, not the towering 135-meter (443 feet) 7 MW unit, with its rotor diameter of 164 meters. The new turbine, whose rotor will trace a circle bigger than the London Eye ferris wheel and whose 80-meter blade is longer than nine London double-decker buses, is part of a push toward larger and larger units further offshore, where the wind power potential is high and public resistance can be avoided.
Chief Executive Ditlev Engel told a news conference in London that the new turbine, designed for North Sea conditions, was the first that Vestas has developed specifically for offshore wind parks and its single largest research and development ever. Wind currently accounts for just 2 percent of the global energy mix, but Vestas expects it to provide 10 percent in 2020, Engel said in a presentation. Most of the growth in offshore wind power capacity to 2025 will be in Europe, he said. President of Vestas Offshore, Anders Soe-Jensen, told the news conference the company expected the offshore wind market to grow by 8.4 percent annually from 2015 to 2025.
SEIA President Rhone Resch Highlights Solar Industry's Tremendous Growth at PV America Conference and Expo
Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association ® (SEIA®) addressed the Opening General Session at the PV America Conference 2011 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia to welcome small business owners, entrepreneurs, global corporate executives and energy leaders from around the country to the only conference focused solely on the fastest growing segment of the solar industry – photovoltaic solar (PV), the technology that converts sunlight to electricity. Mr. Resch's speech highlighted solar PV's tremendous growth in 2010, its potential for 2011 and how the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast region is now the largest market for PV in the United States. In total, 878 megawatts (MW) of PV capacity was installed in 2010, more than doubling 2009 installation totals. Smart federal and state policies, completion of significant utility-scale projects, expansion of new state markets and declining manufacturing and installation costs drove the industry's U.S. expansion. Click here for the full text of his remarks.
All new federal vehicles to run on alternative fuels after 2015
President Obama will call for all new federal vehicles - the government owns 600,000 of them - to run on alternative fuels after 2015, according to a preview of a major energy speech he will deliver today at Georgetown University. "We have already doubled the number of hybrid vehicles in the federal fleet," according to a White House fact sheet released this morning. "Today, the President is calling for administrative action directing agencies to ensure that by 2015, all new vehicles they purchase will be alternative-fuel vehicles, including hybrid and electric vehicles." Obama will announce $7,500 tax cuts for consumers who purchase electric vehicles, in pursuit of White House plans to put one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. There will also be grants for communities to purchase electric vehicles and more research and development funding for battery research. The federal fleet burned more than 414 million gallons of fuel in 2010, according to the General Services Administration. The total included about 322 million gallons of gasoline, more than 75 million gallons of diesel, 8.2 gallons each of biodiesel and ethanol.
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