A new report analyzes finance flows for electricity and clean cooking access in 20 countries across Africa and Asia, demonstrates the significant access gaps, and shows how finance strategies could be scaled and refined to reach more people, more affordably, with sustainable energy.
Originally published on RenewEconomy. As Tony Abbott prepares to wipe out the remaining institutions supporting the deployment of renewable energy technologies in Australia, the International Energy Association has urged countries to act quickly in the opposite direction, and seek to reverse the respective share of fossil fuels and renewable energy … [continued]
Clean energy investments soared higher in Latin America in 2012 amid an overall, global contraction. Four Latin American countries registered triple-digit percentage increases, with Brazil leading the way in terms of dollars invested. The data was released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance in advance of ACORE’s third Latin America & Caribbean Renewable Energy Finance Forum, which is being held in Miami this week.
Western Riverside County and California are leading the way forward in providing innovative financing for homeowners to carry out clean energy, energy and water efficiency renovations and retrofits. $50mm in HERO Program projects have been approved, which is projected to create as many as 4,000 local green contractor jobs, as well as enabling homeowners to reduce their energy and water bills, which in turn’s going to take a big bite out of the county and state’s electricity and water usage, carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.
14 California counties and 126 cities have launched the first state-wide and the nation’s largest PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program, which aims to boost clean energy use, as well as energy and water efficiency for commercial property owners. The landmark program stands to boost local economies, create jobs, and yield savings for consumers while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, energy, and water consumption. […]
A prosecutor in the southern Italian city of Brindisi has filed criminal charges against Suntech and its Global Solar Fund, adding to a growing list of criminal and civil charges that could destroy the company. The charges follow on revelation of an alleged $700 million investment fraud perpetrated by GSF that implicates Suntech senior executives. […]
News of bankruptcies and downsizing aside, investors continue to put money to work in the solar power market. Venture capital funding, debt financing, and solar project M&A all increased in Q2, while 13 new solar-focused, clean tech investment funds were announced, according to Mercom Capital’s Q2 report. […]
One of the ways the US federal government subsidizes the fossil fuel industry is by allowing natural gas, oil and coal investors to form Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs). These special purpose investment vehicles exempt companies forming them from corporate income taxes. Legislation from Delaware Sen. Christopher Coons seeks to level the playing field by opening MLPs up to renewable energy investors. […]
Some welcome news on the US wind energy front: E.ON Climate & Renewables North America on June 4 announced it has secured $150 million of institutional equity financing for its 150MW Pioneer Trail Wind Farm from Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
There are signs that there’s healthy demand on the part of retail and professional private sector investors, particularly in Japan, in helping finance the transition to clean, renewable energy. Through Nomura International, the Asian Development Bank last week sold a second, $339 issue of Clean Energy bonds in various foreign currencies to Japanese retail investors.
