Year-to-date through Q3 2011, U.S. clean tech investments rose by 73% to $1.1 billion, as compared to the same period last year, according to an Ernst & Young LLP analysis. The number of deals also increased 36% from a year earlier to 76.
Recent investments highlighted by the Wall Street Journal include:
- HelioVolt Corp., a thin film solar module manufacturer, which received a $50 million investment from South Korean conglomerate SK Group;
- Sunpreme Ltd., which was started by semiconductor industry veteran Ashok Sinha and raised $50 million in new funding;
- Skyline Solar Inc., a photovoltaic systems manufacturer, which received backing from Firsthand Technology Value Fund;
- Better Place Inc., a company that sets up battery charging and replacement stations, secured $200 million in new financing from investors including General Electric Co. and UBS AG.;
- And fuel cell developer Bloom Energy Corp. raised $150 million in a new funding round.
Meanwhile, a decline in investment levels for clean technology companies was forecast by more than half of the approximately 500 venture capital executives interviewed in late November and early December by the National Venture Capital Association and Dow Jones VentureSource.
To read the full article by The Wall Street Journal cited in this story, click here