Market Indicators

Each week I am going to publish key indicators as to why the New Energies sector is emerging as the economic driver in today's 21st Century global marketplace.


News Events & Announcements

• Cleantech venture capital investment totals $903m in Q1 200719/04/2007, representing a 16.5 per cent increase over the $775m invested in Q4 2006 and a 42 per cent increase over the $634 million invested in Q1 2006, according to Cleantech Venture Network researchers. North American cleantech venture capital investment reached $731m, an increase of 19 per cent over Q4 2006 and 42 per cent over Q1 2006 investment. For Europe it was $172m, representing a six per cent increase over Q4 2006 and a 43 per cent increase over Q1 2006. Energy generation took in $398m in North America and $98m in Europe.
• The Toronto Star reports that a California startup company (OptiSolar) has just received approval from the Ontario government to build a 40-megawatt solar farm in Sarnia.
• Merrill Lynch forecasters report solar cell production growth about 35% - 40% in 2006, the numbers clearly show that the market is healthy and growing strongly with demand forecasts with continued production growing at 35% in 2007.
• Frito-Lay NA, a division of PepsiCo, has approved construction of the largest business-owned, (PV) power system in Arizona, genrating 201-kilowatts and covering 27,000 square feet of roof space at the company's Arizona Service Center in Phoenix.
• Wells Fargo has released its Corporate Citizenship Report, detailing progress in 10 key areas, including: environmental stewardship, Wells says it has offset 42 percent of its greenhouse-gas emissions from electricity and became the largest purchaser of renewable energy in the U.S.
• Baxter CEO Robert Parkinson, Jr. announced that Baxter has purchased renewable energy certificates equivalent to 15.5 million kilowatt hours. Parkinson also said that Baxter has established new standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at all of its facilities, resulting in savings and cost avoidance approaching $10 million a year.Baxter purchased the renewable energy certificates from Constellation NewEnergy.
• Unlike “early adopters,” people who purchased Prius automobiles did not feel that they paid a premium for owning an environmentally friendly car, they also saw clear financial benefits study by Topline Strategy Group, the study concludes that the economic case for hybrid purchases is stronger than typically discussed.
• The average fuel efficiency of U.S. cars and trucks sold in the 2006 model year showed no improvement from the year before at 25.4 miles per gallon, as increased sales of fuel-thirsty cars offset slightly more efficient trucks, according to federal data.
• A bill introduced yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives would provide financial support for research and development (R&D) of energy sources based in oceans, rivers, lakes, streams and other waterways.
• Solar PV Takes Off at U.S. Air Force Base where MMA Renewable Ventures will fund, own and operate Nellis Air Force Base photovoltaic system through third-party financing. The Nellis solar power plant is the start of the way ahead for future, construction on the system is now under way in the Mojave Desert.
• Ford has promoted Susan M. Cischke to senior vice president to lead the company’s sustainability efforts, her new title will be senior vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, will report to Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally.
  
  Industry & Technology Developments

• SRI International has licensed technology to produce lower cost solar-grade silicon to three Asian companies that promises to make solar-grade silicon for $14 per kilogram, less than half the price of competing technologies.
• CleanBreak reports that reliable sources confirmed that battery maker A123Systems has quietly acquired Concord, Ontario-based Hymotion, which is one of the leading experts on retrofitting hybrid-electric cars into plug-in models.
• Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a venture capital firm, has opened operations in China, formed a $360 million fund to invest in Chinese startup companies to assist Chinese high-growth industries, including technology, Internet, media, wireless communications, new consumer areas, healthcare and green technology.
• Ballard, fuel-cell maker rolls back losses as revenue rise.
• Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (OPT) announced the pricing of its U.S. initial public offering (IPO) of 5,000,000 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $20.00 per share.
• 21 renewable wind energy facilities selected to power New York
• European wind power companies growing in U.S. where new worries about the environment, technology advances and tax breaks extensions are empowering European wind energy companies to try their luck in the United States.The U.S. has led the world in installing new wind turbines for the past two years, but it still ranks behind Germany and slightly below Spain in wind power production, with policies to encouraging energy alternatives have led companies with years of experience in Europe to invest in U.S. shores, challenging both the U.S. market leaders.
• IPL to buy Iowa wind farm and turbines from Clipper Wind Power, (IPL), a subsidiary of Alliant Energy (NYSE: LNT) announced today that it is buying the Eclipse wind farm in western Iowa from developer Clipper Windpower, announced plans to equip the facility with massive new turbines built by Clipper, the Eclipse site near Adair, Iowa has the potential to produce as much as 200 megawatts (MW) of power.

This is merely the tip of the iceberg this week but the conclusion is simple, big money is propeling the cleantech/new energies sector forward as firms and investers find economic incentives to apply these new technologies.