Water

Cleantech Group CEO lays out the big trends hitting investors’ wallets right now and which sectors will drive investment activity over the next 12-months.

A surge in larger deals, marked by average late-stage deal size rising from $4.5 million to $12 million in 2011, is helping commercialization of key water technologies, says Lux Research.

VC deal flow and corporate investment focused on water innovation in extractive industries has accelerated, with most activity taking place in North America and the number of deals expected to rise, according to a report by London Environmental Investors Forum.

NanoH20, a water purification start-up, has raised $60.5 million in venture funding and bank loans. Investors see big opportunity in water as the world population grows.

A new DOE report says that waves off California's 1,100-mile coastline could generate more than 140 terawatt hours of electricity a year, enough to power 14 million homes. "California's wave and tidal current resources offer real opportunities to generate renewable energy using water-power technologies in the future," says Energy Secretary Steven Chu.