Expectation to contribution of growth in cleantech investment in 2012.

Posted December 19th, 2011 by admin.

China gets a hold on its economic turbulence

For five years now in our annual predictions, both here at Kachan and when I was a managing director of the Cleantech Group, we foretold the rise of China as cleantech juggernaut. Yet, now with China having become the largest market for and leading vendor of cleantech products and services by all metrics that matter, and now receiving a larger percentage of global cleantech venture capital than at any point in history, there have been recent warning signs. New data just in (for instance, falling Chinese property prices and sluggish export growth because of faltering first world economies, not to mention the first decline in clean energy project financing in China since 2010 as wind project financing declined 14% in the third quarter of 2011 on fears of over-expansion) suggests the Chinese economic engine is slowing. On the face of it, that might look bad for cleantech. But we put a lot of faith in China’s central government and the seriousness with which it views this sector as strategic. Even now, the country has just gone on the record forecasting creating 9 million new green jobs in the next 5 years. Nine million! And China has a good track record in executing its 5-year plans.

Rise in oil prices

Cleantech is a much wider category than energy. But for many, renewable energy is its cornerstone. And while there’s no question about the long-term markets for renewables, the biggest factor affecting their short-term commercial viability is the price of fossil-based energy. The good news: indications are that oil prices are headed upwards in 2012, which should be expected to help make renewables more economic. Naysayers maintain that a poor global economy will destroy demand for energy, keeping the price of oil artificially low. For much of 2011, the price of oil was relatively low. But we argue the price per barrel will continue its inexorable rise in 2012 given continued growth in the size of the global market for oil, driven by market expansion in the developing world. Further adding to the expected oil price increase is a little-known fact: there’s been a decline in the quality of oil the world is seeing on average. And the poorer the quality of the oil, the more it costs to refine it into the products we require. Oil prices are headed up.

Corporations’ even stronger leadership role

Corporate venturing was up in 2011, possibly setting new record highs, according to the data providers (4Q data not in yet.) Cleantech corporate mergers and acquisitions globally were up in 2011, again possibly setting new record highs, according to the data. The world’s largest companies assumed the leadership we and others predicted they would last year at this time—and indications are they will continue to do so in 2012, with balance sheets still strong.

Solar innovation as a perennial driver

Investment into good old solar innovation and projects is still strong, and has remained so for years, while other clean technologies have risen and fallen in and out of investment fashion. And that’s despitemost solar companies being in the red and having billions of dollars in market capitalization disappear over the last year. As some solar companies will continue to close up shop in 2012, look for investment into solar innovation to remain strong in 2012 as the quest for lower costs and higher efficiencies continues.

Persistence of the fundamental drivers of cleantech

The sheer sizes of the addressable markets many cleantech companies target, and the possibilities for massive associated returns, will continue to draw investors to the sector. Why? The world is still running out of the raw materials it needs. Some countries value their energy independence. More than ever, economies need to do more with less. Oh, and there’s that climate thing.

On the other hand: What worries us about the prospects for growth in cleantech investment in 2012

Investor fundraising climate tightening

Today, limited partners (i.e. “LPs” – the organizations and/or wealthy individuals that fund venture capital companies) are still bankrolling cleantech worldwide; in its 3Q 2011 Investment Monitor for clients, the Cleantech Group details 34 dedicated cleantech and sustainability-focused funds receiving billions in capital commitments internationally in the third quarter of 2011 alone. But we expect a slowdown in venture fundraising in 2012. Blame Solyndra for negative American LP sentiment. Or blame the lack of rock star returns in cleantech of late. But there are more indications than ever that some LPs are becoming increasingly reluctant to fund cleantech. They’ve been grousing about cleantech for years. But the politicizing of the Solyndra bankruptcy has amped the rhetoric higher than ever, and will foster a self-fulfilling prophesy in 2012, particularly in America, we believe.

Waning policy support in the developed world

Expected conflicting government policy signals to continue in 2012. Don’t expect cleantech-friendly U.S. policy leadership in 2012, an election year. We wouldn’t be surprised if the ghost of Solyndra and other U.S. Department of Energy stimulus grants and loan guarantees continued to haunt American cleantech through the whole of 2012, making any overt U.S. government support of clean or green industry unlikely. While cleantech is far from solely an American phenomenon, there’s no mistaking that the (now expired) American national loan guarantee program helped loosen private cleantech capital in an immediately post-2008 shell-shocked economy. However, continued uncertainty over the future of the U.S. Treasury grants program and production tax credits is holding the U.S. back. Policy support suffers elsewhere in the developed world. For instance, in the UK, investor confidence was recently dealt a blow by a dramatic drop in solar feed-in-tariff (FIT) rates, and the erosion of renewable policy support in Germany and Spain is well known.
Lag time of negative sentiment – Even if the sky indeed started falling in cleantech (and we don’t believe it yet has), it would take a few quarters to show in venture or project investment numbers. Remember, deals can take quarters to consummate. Transactions being counted now may have been initiated a year ago. Fear takes several quarters to manifest. Which is why we believe today’s uncertainty will start to show in 2012’s performance.

VCs still circling their wagons

In 2007, before the financial crash, the percentage of early stage venture investments into new cleantech companies was roughly the same as later-stage venture investments into established companies. Since the crash of 2008, deals have remained skewed—both by number and size of deals—towards later stage companies, illustrating investors’ preference to keep existing investments alive than take risks on new companies. While the exact ratio varies quarter to quarter, and from data provider to data provider, there have been generally fewer early stage companies getting funded. That’s hampering cleantech innovation. We expect the trend to continue into 2012.

Perennial concern about exits and IRR

Despite the size of its massive addressable markets and near-record amounts of capital entering the space today, on the whole, cleantech investors are still seeking the returns that many of their web and social media tech brethren enjoy. Even now, 10 years into this theme that we started calling cleantech in 2002. That’s not for lack of exits; 2010 saw the largest number of cleantech IPOs on record (93 companies raised a combined $16.3 billion) and 2011 has already had 35 without the last quarter reporting. And cleantech M&A activity in 2011 was strong and significantly higher than last year. No, the concern is for lack of multiples. For instance, 8 of the 14 IPOs of the third quarter of 2011 were trading below their offering price as of the publication of the Cleantech Group’s 3Q 2011 Investment Monitor. Don’t let anyone tell you exits aren’t happening in cleantech. They’re just underwhelming. And/or they’re happening in China.
Macro-economic turbulence, collapse, or at least, reform – They’re the elephants in the room: The Occupy movement. Arab Spring. Peak Oil. The continued and growing mismatch between overall global energy supply and demand and food supply and demand. Ever-increasing debt and trade deficits. Currency revaluation or political/military developments. Any or all of these could spur another massive global economic “stair-step” downwards of the scale we saw in 2008, or worse. Concern about all of these points and the impact they’d have on the cleantech sector weighs heavy on us here.

Venture dip made up for by rise in corporate involvement

The world’s largest corporations woke up to opportunities in cleantech in 2011, making for record levels of M&A, corporate venturing and strategic investments. General Electric bought lighting and smart grid companies. Schneider Electric bought some 10 companies across the cleantech spectrum. Corporate venturing activity was high, as were minority-stake investments. In just the third quarter alone, ZF Friedrichshafen invested $187 million in wind turbine gearbox and component maker Hansen Transmissions of Belgium, Stemcor invested $137 million into waste company CMA in Australia, and BP invested $71 million into biofuel company Tropical BioEnergia in Brazil. And there were dozens more minority stake transactions like these throughout the year.

Look for even more cash-laden companies to continue to buy their way into clean technology markets in 2012, supplementing the role of traditional private equity and evidencing a maturation of the cleantech sector.

Storage investment to retreat
Significant capital has gone into energy storage in recent quarters. In 3Q11, storage received $514 million in 19 venture deals worldwide, more than any other cleantech category. Will storage remain a leading cleantech investment theme in 2012? We’re betting no. Here’s why.

Storage recently made headlines as the subsector that received the most global cleantech venture investment in the third quarter of 2011, the last quarter for which numbers are available. An analysis of the numbers, however, shows the quarter was artificially inflated by large investments into stationary fuel cell makers Bloom Energy and ClearEdge Power. Do we at Kachan expect more investments of that magnitude into competing companies? No. Why? Even if you believe analysts that assert that stationary fuel cells for combined heat and power are actually ramping up to serious volumes (oldtimers have seen this market perpetually five years away for 15 years, now), just look how crowded the space currently is. Bloom and ClearEdge are competing with UTC Power, FuelCell Energy, Altergy, Relion, Idatech, Panasonic, Ceramic Fuel Cells and Ceres Power … just some of the better-known 60 or so companies vying for this tiny market today. And many are still selling at zero or negative gross margins.

But the main reason we’re not bullish on storage: Smoothing the intermittency of renewable solar and wind power might turn out to be less important soon. Sure, nary a week goes by without announcements of promising new storage tech breakthroughs or new public support for grid storage (e.g. see these three latest grid storage projects just announced in the U.S., detailed halfway down the page.) But we believe that utility-scale renewable power storage might be obviated if utilities embrace other ways to generate clean baseload power.

In 2012 or soon thereafter, we expect those clean baseload options will start to include new safer forms of nuclear power (don’t believe us? Read Kachan’s report Emerging Nuclear Innovations—U.S. readers, don’t worry: nuclear innovation won’t apply to you.) Or NCSS/IGCC turbines powered by renewable natural gas delivered through today’s gas distribution pipelines (see The Bio Natural Gas Opportunity). Or even geothermal (gasp!) or marine power (see below). All of these promise to be less expensive than solar and wind when you factor in the expense of storage systems required—incl. electrochemical, compressed air, hydrogen, flywheel, pumped water, thermal, vehicle-to-grid or other—if solar and wind are to be relied on 24/7.

For more information, please visit:

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Predictions For Cleantech In 2012.

Posted December 19th, 2011 by admin.

There are eggshells across the sector for 2012. Global economic uncertainty in particular is leaving some skeptical about the chances for emerging clean technologies. And those who watch quarterly investment data, or who look only in a single geography (e.g. North America) may have seen troubling trends brewing this past year. But the true story, and the global outlook for the year ahead, is—as it always is—more complicated.

As you’ll read below, we predict a decline in worldwide cleantech venture capital investing in 2012. But as you’ll also read below, we believe the gap will be more than made up by infusions of corporate capital. And the exit environment, depending on who you are and where you list, still looks robust in 2012 for cleantech (it may not have felt so, but it was actually surprisingly robust in 2011, according to the data. See below.) All in all, if you’re a cleantech entrepreneur seeking capital, our advice is brush up that PowerPoint and work the system now… while there’s still a system to work.

Because, as we detail below, the largest risk, to cleantech and every sector in 2012 we believe, is the specter of precipitous global economic decline and the systemic changes it might bring. Details below.

Here are our predictions for cleantech in 2012:

In the face of naysayers then forecasting a cleantech collapse, in our predictions this time last year, we called an increase in global cleantech venture investment in 2011. We were right. At this writing, total investment for the first three quarters of 2011 is already $6.876 billion, with the fourth quarter to report early in 2012. Given historical patterns (fourth quarters are almost always down from third quarters), we expect 2011 to close out at a total of ~$8.8 billion in venture capital invested into cleantech globally. That’d be the highest total in three years, and second only to the highest year on record: 2008.

Yet in 2012, we expect global venture and investment into cleantech to fall. Not dramatically. But we expect cleantech venture in 2012 as measured by the data providers (i.e. companies like Dow Jones VentureSource, Bloomberg New Energy Finance,PwC/NVCA MoneyTree, and Cleantech Group) to show its first decline in 2012 following the recovery from the financial crash of 2008. Our reasoning? There are factors we expect will continue to contribute to the health of the cleantech sector, but they feel outweighed by factors that concern us. Both sets below:

For more information, please visit:

Global cleantech VC investment up 65% in 1H 2010, report says.

Posted December 19th, 2011 by admin.

Global cleantech investment by venture capital firms is up 65 percent in the first half of 2010, according to new figures by The Cleantech Group and Deloitte.
In a report on preliminary 2Q 2010 results released on Thursday, clean technology venture investments in North America, Europe, China and India totaled $2.02 billion across 140 companies.

Investment matched the previous quarter at $2.04 billion, but was up 43 percent from the same period a year ago.

The number of deals recorded in Q2, while strong, was down from the record high of 192 in the first quarter of 2010.

Why? Innovation in the sector continues to help attract corporate investment.

Takeaways on multinational corporate and U.S. utility investment for 1H 2010:

Total announced capacity additions by U.S. utilities increased 197 percent compared to 2H09, from 1,393MW to 4,134MW. Drivers: wind and solar power.
Power purchase agreements, or PPAs, rose 148 percent compared to 2H09, from 621MW to 1,539MW. Reason: pressure to meet renewable portfolio standards in some states.
Global corporate investment announcements reached a new high of $5.1 billion, a 325 percent increase from the same period last year.

The report also broke down venture investment by technology sector.

The top three:

Solar: $811 million in 26 deals.
Biofuels: $302 million in 13 deals.
Smart grid: $256 million in 11 deals.
However, energy efficiency was the most popular sector, with 31 deals netting $147 million.

Solar highlights:

Calif.-based thin film company Solyndra, which raised $175 million from existing investors instead of following through with its planned IPO.
Calif.-based utility-scale solar thermal power plant firm BrightSource Energy, which raised $150 million in funding from new investors Alstom and the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) as well as existing investors. The company also nabbed $1.37 billion in loan guarantees from the U.S. Dept. of Energy.
Calif.-based concentrated photovoltaic solar system company Amonix, which raised $129.4 million in funding, led by Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers.

The big lesson from all this data? The cleantech market is still volatile, as indicated by blockbuster deals and aborted IPOs in the same market.

The bad news: In a recessed economy, the industry still relies upon tax credits and incentives that could expire.

The good news: global corporations continue to look to the industry as a way to ease the regulatory and shareholder pressure to be more efficient and sustainable.

For more information, please visit: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/global-cleantech-vc-investment-up-65-in-1h-2010-report-says/8570

Germany’s Nuclear Resolution and Cleantech.

Posted December 12th, 2011 by admin.

Mark the date: May 30th, 2011, when Germany became the first ever developed industrialized country to eliminate nuclear power for good. Norbert Röttgen, Environment Minister of the country, announced that the decision will not be changed regardless of any situation in the future.

Germany did shut down seven of its 17 nuclear power plants right after the nuclear crisis occurred in Fukushima, Japan. Since then, speculation about the country having some sort of resolution on nuclear power has been flying around. But very few people expected this: timetable of a total elimination proposed by a conservative administration led by Angela Merkel, the current Chancellor, who recently “changed her mind” on nuclear power because of what happened in Japan.

In other words, Germany, the fifth-largest economy and one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, will take out more than a fifth of its current power generation (nuclear power accounts for 22% of Germany’s total power generated) in 10 years. Really?

So, here at the Cleantech Group, we have to ask: Is cleantech the solution?

Renewable energy currently accounts for 20% of Germany’s total power generation. The country is indeed one of the global leaders in renewable energy technology, but is renewable energy really able to fill the void?

According to the government’s plan, €3 billion will be invested every year in renewable energy projects, plants or facilities. There isn’t any doubt that German renewable energy companies will benefit from the government’s resolution, especially segments like wind power and biogas, which already accounts for more than 10% of the country’s total energy generation combined (5.9% wind, 4.6% biogas).

Solar companies will likely become beneficiaries, too. Listed solar companies in Europe all enjoyed rising stock price after Germany’s decision was announced. Moreover, the government is discussing about reducing subsidy of residential rooftop solar installation by 6%, an implication of the country’s determination of establishing grid-scale (rather than individual) solar power. It also shows the country’s intention of concentrating its resource in cultivating small to mid-size cleantech companies by promoting free market competition (i.e. less incentives). Ultimately, Germany expects that when the calendar hits 2022, its energy industry will be driven by small energy companies rather than gigantic energy corporations.

Things are looking bright for cleantech, but maybe brighter for traditional energy generation.

France, the smallest emitter of carbon dioxide among the seven most industrialized countries in the world due to its heavy investment in nuclear power, criticized Germany’s decision. Éric Besson, Minister of Industry, Energy and the Digital economy of France, said that Germany’s decision will only result in more reliance on fossil fuel and imported electricity. German citizens will be charged more for dirtier energy.

Although widely considered as a leader in renewable energy, Germany still relies heavily on coal-fire power, where 42% of its electricity comes from. Anne Lauvergeon, CEO of the French state-owned nuclear power company AREVA, also expressed her concern. “I am not sure whether coal from Poland is sufficient, not to mention there’s a problem with carbon emission,” said Lauvergeon. “Alternate energy is still an unstable source. I think Germany will eventually follow Austria’s path—importing electricity from neighboring countries.”

For more information, please visit: http://blog.cleantech.com/geographical-insights/europe/germany%E2%80%99s-nuclear-resolution-and-cleantech/

Top-10 drivers of cleantech investment in India.

Posted December 12th, 2011 by admin.

India is the 5th largest power generator in the world and is projected to be the 3rd largest by 2030. Its peak power deficit already stands at 12.6% and is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. The World Bank has predicted that 60% of India’s aquifers will be in critical condition in 15 years time.

For India, continuing its growth momentum while sustaining a healthy environment is a critical imperative. Cleantech can help ensure that these two goals are met.

1. India’s coal tax could raise $650 million for cleantech innovation – As of 1 July 2010, the Indian government began levying a tax of Rs 50 (~$1.1) on every tonne of coal mined in the country as well as that imported from abroad. The tax has the potential of raising $650 million in revenues which will be put towards a “Clean Energy Fund” for the research, development and deployment of renewable energy technologies.

2. Hydro is flowing strong – Hydro electric power generation accounts for 23% of India’s power generation capacity. Moreover, there is currently 46 GW of hydro capacity either completed or under development. Interestingly, only 3.5% of completed projects have been developed by the private sector. 69% of the hydroelectric development opportunities still remain untapped and the Indian Government is targeting 15GW of additional hydro capacity in the 11th 5-year plan. Contrary to previously developments, much of the new capacity is being developed by the private sector.

3. Solar is getting hotter – 2010 witnessed the approval of the much awaited “National Solar Mission” under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Policy and the first phase of the mission is now under implementation. One of the key targets in the first phase is to have 1,000MW of grid connected photovoltaic’s (PV) by 2013.

4. Wind is still blowing hard – Wind energy accounts for 6.9% of total installed capacity in India, ranking the 5th highest globally. The Indian Government is incentivizing the continued development of wind farms by providing a “generation based incentive” of Rs 0.5/kwh or accelerated depreciation for 10 years.

5. Water is everywhere, but not a drop to drink – Adam Smith presented the “paradox of value” or the “diamond-water paradox” which stated that water, although much more useful than diamonds, commands a much lower price. With water scarcity constantly increasing, will we witness a monumental change where water is as expensive as or more expensive than diamonds? Analysts claim the overall water opportunity in India amounts to ~$30 billion. Although agriculture remains the dominant consumer of water for the foreseeable future, demand growth from municipal and industrial sectors is now rising significantly, particularly in India.

6. Waste management & waste to energy – Waste management sectors of particular interest in India include municipal, industrial, biomedical and e-waste. Under the 11th plan, GOI allocated 22 billion Rupees ($500 million) to the solid waste management sector; JNNURM sanctioned 15 billion Rupees ($340 million); and UIDSSMT has committed 28.2 billion Rupees ($636 million) for solid waste management projects in small towns. The Ministry of Urban Development has also taken numerous steps using Public Private Partnerships towards the better management of waste in India.

7. Waste to energy is starting to generate traction but is at a nascent stage – At latest count, there were 48 developed projects amounting to 68MW of energy generated. Most of the waste management companies are putting plans in place to setup more waste to energy plants.

8. Clean agriculture in India – India is one of the major agrarian economies of the world and has a fast growing population with rising per capita income. These factors have placed significant pressure on agricultural productivity and have created significant investments opportunities in technologies that help improve crop yields and reduce water consumption, energy and land usage.

9. The off-grid opportunity – Unlike developed nations, the electric grid is not pervasive in India – nearly 400 million people in India do not have grid access. Solar, wind and bio-energy are seen as good solutions to providing off-grid energy users with power. It is also a good opportunity to proliferate energy efficient technologies and small scale energy storage. There are several startup companies developing interesting products such as solar lanterns, heaters, cookers and energy storage devices for the developing world.

10. The venture community in India is garnering interest in cleantech – Over the last couple of years, the VC and PE community have taken a keen interest in the cleantech sector in India. Broad infrastructure investors have made specific allocations for cleantech and a number of cleantech focused funds have also recently closed or are raising capital. Examples include BTS Advisors, IDFC and Omnivore Capital.

For more information, please visit: http://blog.cleantech.com/sector-insights/waste/top-10-drivers-of-cleantech-investment-in-india/

Solar in China.

Posted December 12th, 2011 by admin.

Prime Energy Cleantech: The Chinese Government has amended the solar portion of its recently released 12th Five-year Plan.

The Chinese Government has amended the solar portion of its recently released 12th Five-year Plan. The new plan suggests that by 2015, total solar capacity within the country will reach 10,000 megawatts, doubling from the original plan of 5,000 megawatts.

Among the 10,000 megawatts, about 6,500 will come from large utility-scale solar power plants in provinces and regions such as Qinghai, Xinjiang, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and Shanxi, all of which are inland, less-developed provinces. Around 3,500 megawatts will be in the form of smaller-scale projects spreading throughout the mid-eastern provinces and regions, where factories need large amount of electricity to support the country’s gigantic manufacturing industry. The final 500 megawatts will be off-grid solar systems aiming to solve the issue of power shortage in countryside and the least developed regions.

Taken into consideration that the total solar capacity in China is merely 768 megawatts at this moment, this amended plan sounds quite ambitious. But let’s not forget that China owns a total solar cell production capacity of 8,000 megawatts, good for 60% of the global capacity. The problem is just that 95% of those cells were exported. Apparently , solar cells and modules will likely experience the process of “exports turning into domestic sales” in the next few years, similar to many other products that once were primarily exported but now has strong domestic demand (i.e. clothes, electronics, appliances, etc.). I would like to call this transformation the Version 2.0 of solar industry in China.

Although many would probably view this ambitious plan as another grandiose yet unrealistic vision of the Chinese Communist Party, there are indeed some indications that this plan might turn out pretty successfully. The cost of solar power has reduced by 50% in the past three years thanks to improving technology. And of course, China has no problem of offering a series of aggressive subsidies for solar power generation because of its political system. With the current trend, it is only a matter of time that the cost of generation hits the goal of under RMB0.8/kWh (currently it’s around RMB1.0/kWh).

China has seen a huge growth in wind power generation in the past five years via exactly the same route: ambitious government planning, aggressive subsidies, support from domestic equipment suppliers. Now the government would like to shift the focus to solar. Is five years enough? We’ll see.

For more information, please visit: http://blog.cleantech.com/cleantech-investments/solar-in-china-version-2-0/

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Top Ten Highlights of Cleantech in Berlin, Germany.

Posted December 5th, 2011 by admin. 0 Comments

The capital of Germany, Berlin, is commonly referred to as one of the global leaders within the renewable energy economy, as, for example, it is the top cleantech exporting country, with more than a 16 percent share within the international cleantech trade. With multiple avenues to promote clean technologies, including an exit market, early adopters of clean technologies, numerous engineers, and first class researchers and research centers, Berlin can slowly take over as the international hub for clean technologies.

1 ) Support from the Government.
The seat of the government is housed in Berlin, and without its support in leading the total transition to renewable energy and energy efficiency through comprehensive policy frameworks, Berlin would not have been able to rise up to take the cleantech leader’s seat. The cleantech sector has been steadily growing with a large number of capital investments made to various clean technologies. Because of the governmental support, numerous “green” jobs have been created and millions of tons of carbon dioxide have been reduced. The government has been very influential on the various feed-in tariffs. Through these, Berlin has been able to get the investments necessary to fund all their renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

2 ) Large Clusters of Clean Technology Industries.
Berlin is known for having a large cluster of businesses, research institutes, and venture capitalists all involved in the clean technology center. The “cleantech cluster” actually makes up a majority of the employment opportunities as well as research activity flowing out of Germany’s capital city. For example, one of the main automotive companies, Daimler, has a huge automotive plant in Berlin, and the plant has been very active in creating the means necessary to mass produce electric and hybrid vehicles.

3 ) The Berlin Solar Atlas Project.
As the cost of energy continues to increase, Berlin is constantly looking for more viable energy options. As one of the largest global producers of solar energy products, Berlin is constantly looking for ways to assist homes and businesses with saving money and aiding environmental protection. Their “Solar Atlas Berlin” project is a way for the city to further promote the usage of solar energy as an optimal energy choice. Individuals visit the atlas and are able to see the “solar potential” of different buildings. A three-dimensional model of Berlin is presented and individuals can see if the roof of a particular building is suitable for solar panel installation and how much solar energy from that location they are able to receive. It is part of Berlin’s ongoing process to be a “green metropolis.”

4 ) Berlin Climate Change Conference.
Ultimately one of the most important goals for Berlin is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It has been noted that in order to reduce the amount of emissions, there needs to be a sustainable energy policy, living and building standards, modern transport policy, promotion of climate protection technologies, and dissemination of information through training and education. The Berlin Climate Change Conference is a few days of exchanges between the government, businesses, and society on how to increase their “green economy” even further by providing items, such as various resource and climate saving technologies.

5 ) Berlin Electric Car Network. Daimler AG, one of the largest German car manufacturers, has partnered with RWE AG utility to install a network of electric car chargers throughout Berlin. Known as the “e-mobility Berlin project,” Daimler is providing over 100 new lithium-ion battery electric cars and RWE AG will take care of the development, installation, as well as operation of estimated 500 charging points throughout the capital. It has received funding from the German federal government and the charging points will be throughout private residences, work place, and parking areas. According to the Chairman of the Boar of Daimler AG, Dieter Zetsche, “Our joint initiative is a good example of what can be achieved when policy makers, energy suppliers, and the automotive industry all work together towards the same goal.”

6 ) Berlin Impulse.
The Berlin Senate created Berlin Impulse to provide the city with information on the consumption of rational energy as well as the use of renewable energy sources. The goal of this energy efficiency program is to enable everyday people to understand the importance of the shift to renewable energy. The Berlin Energy Standard is a known advice system, “which aims to help landlords and tenants to choose ‘the most efficient and more valuable energy service.’ It does cover renovation, but deals mainly with advice on energy supply.”

7 ) Solar Roof Exchange of Berlin. Aside from the Solar Atlas Berlin Project, there is also the Solar Roof Exchange of Berlin program. Existing before the Atlas Project, it was created by the Senate Department for Health, Consumer Affairs and Environmental Protection. It provides companies that operate solar arrays direct access to roofs that are publically owned. Starting in 2011, the program promoted the marketing of all suitable roofs. According to one individual, “Together with the Solar Atlas, private and public property-owners on the one hand and providers of solar technology on the other will have at their disposal an internet-based platform that brings together supply and demand.”

8 ) Energy Saving Partnership Berlin.
A partnership was created between the City of Berlin and the BEA – Berlin Energy Agency, to develop and apply an effective model to improve energy efficiency throughout all buildings. This model has offered help to more than 1,300 buildings that have been upgraded, provided a large reduction in CO2 levels by investing in energy efficient projects.

9 ) Vattanfall Business GROUP Central Europe. Vattanfall has currently set its eyes on Berlin to assist in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to stop the climate change throughout the world. In Berlin, it has been very big in pushing renewable energy sources, especially wind power. It has numerous wind power projects in the works to decrease reliance on fossil fuel sources.

10 ) Berliner Energieagentur. Founded in 1992, the Berliner Energieagentur agency is based on an initiative started by the Berlin House of Representatives with equal shareholders from a number of Berlin power players. The goal of this agency is focused on “the reduction of energy consumption and costs in buildings and installations through the identification of energy saving potentials. Long-term cost effectiveness is guaranteed by means of energy concepts and saving strategies.”

For more information, please visit: http://blog.cleantechies.com/

Focus on Germany: New Renewables Near 17% of Electricity Supply in 2010.

Posted December 5th, 2011 by admin. 0 Comments

The German Ministry for the Environment and Reactor Safety reports that in 2010 renewable energy generated more than 100 TWh (billion kilowatt-hours) of electricity, providing nearly 17% of the 600 TWh of supply.
Wind turbines and biomass plants delivered more than 70% of renewable generation.
Biogas plants powered with methane from manure alone generated nearly 13 TWh.

In 2010 renewables generated more electricity in Germany than gas-fired power plants — nearly as much as hard coal — and are fast approaching the contribution of nuclear power.

7,400 MW of Solar PV Installed in One Year

Doubling its previous record, the German solar PV industry installed 7,400 MW from nearly one-quarter million individual systems in 2010, according to the finial report by the Bundesnetzagentur.

In December alone, Germans installed more than 1,000 MW of solar PV, enough solar capacity to generate 1 TWh of electricity under German conditions. While they represent only half that installed in June 2010, the December installations were 50% greater than total solar PV installed in the USA in 2010 and as much as that rumored to have been installed in Japan last year.

Nearly 700 MW from some 100,000 systems were installed in a size range typical of that installed by German homeowners.
An astounding 3,700 MW from more than 135,000 systems were installed in a size range representative of that installed by farmers and other small businesses.
Another 1,700 MW were installed in a size class characteristic of small businesses and large industrial rooftops.
Large, multi-megawatt systems comprised 1,400 MW of capacity or nearly one-fifth of total capacity installed in 2010.

Renewable Electricity More than 30% of Supply on February 7th

A further sign that renewable energy has come of age as a commercial generating technology, certainly in Germany, is that penetration of wind and solar reached more than 30% of supply on February 7, 2010, according to data posted publicly by Germany’s electricity transmission exchange, EEX.

The exchange posts online the amount of capacity of conventional generation, wind generation, and solar PV generation delivered to the grid by time of day.

On Monday, February 7, 2011, the combined real-time wind and solar generation varied from a high of 32% of supply at midnight to a low of 18% of supply at sunrise. Solar PV generation delivered more than 8,000 MW for the two-hour period from just before noon until 2:00 pm, reaching a peak of nearly 8,500 MW at noon. During the same time period, conventional sources contributed 50,000 MW and wind delivered another 10,000 MW to the network.

There is 16,500 MW of solar PV capacity now on line in Germany. Solar insolation is weakest in mid winter, and highest in mid summer. The solar industry‘s February 7th performance bodes well for this coming summer, when solar PV can be expected to break new records.

For more information, please visit: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com

New Record for German Renewable Energy in 2010.

Posted December 5th, 2011 by admin. 0 Comments

New Record for German Renewable Energy in 2010

Germany set a new world record installing 7,400 MW of solar PV in one year. The country also reached a renewable energy electricity penetration of more than 30% on February 7th, 2010.

As the nuclear reactor accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant continues to dominate the world’s attention, Germany has quietly broken more renewable energy records.

The conservative government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, struggling to stay ahead of public attitudes toward nuclear power in the run-up to regional elections, issued its annual report on the contribution of renewable energy to the German energy market in 2010.

Wind turbines, hydroelectric plants, solar cells, and biogas digesters now provide nearly 17% of Germany’s electricity.

Meanwhile, the German network agency (Bundesnetzagentur) issued its final update on the installation of solar photovoltaics (solar PV) in 2010.

The results are nothing short of startling and will add fuel to the heated debate about how countries such as Japan can meet their electricity needs without reliance on nuclear power.

In the immediate aftermath of the Japanese nuclear accident, Germany’s Merkel closed two reactors permanently, and another five temporarily. She also called on her government to revisit its controversial decision to extend the life of its aging reactors.

The reactors at Fukushima Daiichi are 40 years old and their license to operate had been extended by the Japanese government.

The reports on the rapid growth of renewable energy in Germany may give Merkel’s government the cover it needs to reverse direction on nuclear power, and by doing so reverse its faltering political fortunes.

Germany uses an advanced system of feed-in tariffs to pay for renewable energy generation, and has an aggressive target of meeting 39% of its electricity supply with renewable energy by 2020. Its system of advanced renewable tariffs has enabled Germany to exceed its 2010 target of 12.5% by a wide margin.

For more information, please visit: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/

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