The California Public Employees’ Retirement System emphasizes solar and biofuels in its $1.2 billion investment in alternative energy venture capital, according to its new sustainable investing report. The fund also invests $500 million in publicly traded companies that emphasize energy efficiency, low-carbon energy production and carbon trading.
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.
According to a Civil Society Institute survey, 76 percent of Americans believe the U.S. needs to find a way to rely more on renewable energy sources and over 80 percent feel that water shortages and the availability of clean drinking water are key concerns.
First Solar Inc. lost $449 million in the first quarter as a result of a restructuring that cut 30 percent of its staff and closed a plant in Germany.
Morgan Stanley and Main Street Power Co. are teaming up to provide funds for Clean Power Finance Inc.’s customers to install up to $300 million in residential solar energy projects.
Absent Congressional action, clean tech policy support will drop from a peak of $44.3 billion in 2009 to $11 billion in 2014, a 75 percent decline, according to a Brookings report. In the report, the authors propose new energy policies that will secure subsidy independence for clean tech markets as rapidly as possible.
Investors believe that the “clean web” is driving innovation and providing a needed boost to the industry overall.
Harvest Power, a start-up that coverts organic waste to energy, has raised $110 million in a Series C round.
Goldman Sachs Group’s global head of the clean technology believes that clean technology is now in the early stages of a strong recovery, the same way the technology sector flatlined...
BrightSource's decision to shelve its planned IPO may be a sign that alternative-energy firms may not be welcome in the stock markets.