IKEA comes to us wind market with largest renewable energy investment so far

New Hampshire, USA-IKEA is at it again. In an effort, their goal to produce more renewable energy than it, until 2020 to reach consumed the retail giant announced yesterday that it has acquired the 98-MW-Hoopeston-wind farm in Illinois. Its first wind-project investment in the United States and the largest investment in renewable energy around the world marked this purchase. IKEA will have the wind park and American developers Apex clean energy will manage the project.

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Goes in January? What is the retreat in green investment funds

Alternative energy funds and ETFs have withdrawn seen 2013 of fantastic profits from some year. There is a saying in the investment world, that "as goes January, so the year goes." It's time to save this sector or stocks in General? Maybe, but wise long-term alternative energy should investors avoid rash steps that at this point.

Alternative energy fund yields

Mutual funds are around 4% in the average year-to-date and are basically flat for the last three months. Nevertheless, alternative energies are mutual funds by 22.7 percent last year, and not a single fund is trading in the red.

By far, the best performance is in the last 12 months firsthand alternative energy (ALTEX), up to 75 percent for the year. Who owns most of the stock funds are the high flying solar industry, including SolarCity Corp (SCTY), SunPower Corporation (SPWR) and GT Advanced Technologies Inc (GTAT).

Exchange-traded funds are on average just 0.9 percent. If the outlier iPath global carbon ETN (GRN) is removed, ETFs are 1.6 percent but down rather. On the other hand, the 17 alternative energy of ETFs scored a strong result last year to 34 percent in the average. Not surprisingly, two solar ETFs were the best one year yields - Guggenheim solar (TAN) and market vectors solar energy ETF (KWT).

The lowest funds on an annual basis are global X lithium ETF (LIT) and market vectors rare earth/strategic metals (REMX). Reflect these two funds the dip in raw materials markets, to live mainly in developing countries. Investors have soured on emerging markets in recent years betting on lower growth in China. The logic goes as China manufacturer in the world, and therefore the largest market for these materials, a slowdown in China will lead an economic burden for this sector.

Where we see opportunity

A Fund where we see opportunity, is Allianz RCM Global water (AWTAX), has risen to rank 1. This Fund for recycling has decent is a relatively low risk. His stock fundamentals are strong, and it has moderate management fees. AWTAX is relatively small in relation to its annual price class, commercial, so this looks like a good entry point.

iPath global carbon ETN (GRN), the Barclays global carbon index followed, finally had a lift. Profits began in April 2013 occur, then accelerates shortly after new year's. This reflects the fact so carbon markets from a ground dug crony. Despite these developments, it can take years before a viable CO2 market is emerging.

Goes in January?

Throwing so a closer look at the adage "as goes January, so goes the year." Is the S&P-500 to over 5 percent for the year so far is spooking investors. A brief look at the facts, but reminds me less reason to worry about than there slogan implies.

Look at historical data for the S - and P-500 back to 1950, there is a very high correlation of market direction for the month of January and the rest of the year. It was 70 percent of the time, when the market was in January at the time for this year, or if it was down in January for the year. The 45 years that there is a correlation, 32 of them were in one market and only 13 had a lower correlation. So the trend much more for one until January as from January. Is more interesting however, that as the S - and P-500 in January was low, it finished trading up for the year of 16 times. In other words, a from January a year forecast predicted several times that it later in the year. Although previous behavior to predict the future not always not too would I get forecast losses on the stock exchange in January down in 2014.

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Remember to consult a professional before important financial decisions with your investment.

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Cleantech of investment cycle: don't worry, think bigger

New Hampshire, USA-several reports this week, agree that Cleantech investments fell in 2013, but that's no bad thing. And the big question is what happens next: how much more is needed?

Three new reports of this past week-Bloomberg of new energy finance (BNEF) and Cleantech Group clean energy pipeline-all show that Cleantech investments for a second straight decline in 2013, the year down, although their numbers differ slightly. Bloomberg of new energy finance pegs 2013 the total investment in renewable energy and "smart" energy technologies to $254 billion, down 12 percent from 2012. The Cleantech Group said worldwide venture capital investments dropped 15 percent in 2013 to $6.8 billion. And clean energy pipeline pegs dropoff 20 percent in 2013 new Cleantech investments (up to $212 billion).

Comparing these reviews revealed some patterns and trends:

The largest Cleantech investment in two countries, China and the United States ruled both their Cleantech investment after BNEF--4 per cent for China $61 billion, the first reduction in a decade and 8 percent for the United States $48 billion-while Cleantech investments in Europe, largely subsidy "Fell 41 percent to $58 billion," attributed to constraints. Japan's appetite for Cleantech investment boomed, + 55 percent on $35 Milliarden.Projektfinanzierung total rose 22 percent to clean energy pipeline worldwide, mainly due to the large European offshore wind energy deals. Venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) were $4.3 billion in 2013 to a third of their weakest since fall 2005. Asset, the financing, the largest area of investment, slipped 13 percent to $149 billion. And small-scale distributed energy investment (in the main roof solar) fell for the first time since 2006 (-25 percent to $60 billion) mainly due to falling prices, BNEF pointed out. M & A transactions were for VC/PE-backed Cleantech companies Cleantech industries at 83 transactions in 2013 (+ 15%), though only a small percentage of those published in the amount of $604 billion (down 37 percent). "Investors continue to capital intensive services and distributed generation, resource sharing, agriculture and the topic digital oilfield in the direction" was Cleantech Group CEO Nambi given to Haji.By invested about 188 offers technology, energy efficiency, the big winner, with $1.3 billion, a $23 per cent higher than 2012 takes the Cleantech Group. BNEF tracks solar investments fall 20 percent to almost $115 billion, wind investments that fall only slightly declining, $80 billion, biomass/waste from 42 per cent to $8 billion and biofuels energy fall 26 percent to $4.9 billion, less than a fifth the peaked in 2006-2007.

But Cleantech investments not extinct, despite some of us believe want to make. Investments increased quarterly nearly 15 percent after five quarters of declining were, says the Cleantech Group. Dollar investments, especially in Europe, not because of label interest but was due to reduced subsidies and the overall falling cost of solar systems, beating BNEF CEO Michael Liebreich. (The other side of the coin: money means cheaper solar energy more bang for the investment.)

After two years of decline, this is only a further proof and confirmation, to clean energy is a tire market. "We have already seen this movie," said Dallas Kachan, Managing Director at Kachan & co. and former Managing Director of the Cleantech Group. In various tech-boom phase, waves of innovation and times of the "Frothiness" had a plateau and correction time-including a dropoff in venture capital-activity-but then new sources of capital came in and drove an upswing the sector life cycle. This is "more recognition, which is this class of technology is here to stay", he said. Would make what is happening in cleantech, provide as the established energy lobbying to undermine prices for renewable energy, and not where sources of capital to come, he proposed.

And wider participation so urgently needed. Another report suggests this week from non-profit sustainability group Ceres, annual Cleantech investment to $500 billion annually until 2020 will be doubled, and increased to $1 trillion by the year 2030 to the objectives of limiting the global warming (up to 2 ° C) and avoid the worst effects of climate change, reducing the demand for electricity and increased use of renewable energy sources, improvement of energy efficiency. (BNEF and Ceres projections from a climate change/investment conference this week organized by Ceres came at the United Nations.) And BNEFs Liebreich suggested, perhaps too conservative - it is possibly more than $2 billion a year be.

Total clean energy investment 2010-2050, in United States $B for a 2 ° C global warming scenario. Credit: IEA, Ceres

Institutional investors managing nearly 76 trillion $ of the balance sheet total, but only a fraction of a percent is way toward cleaner energy infrastructure projects, highlights Ceres. The Group's recommendations: this commitment to increase five percent portfolio-wide for clean energy investment, access to the capital markets with bonds and asset backed securities (we already see, this and more probably comes in 2014); and to support policies for pricing carbon pollution during expansion urge of fossil fuel companies risk positions.

The locks only now starting to open access capital, by deep-pocketed companies use their balance sheets to work to buy their way into the world of Cleantech to the exploitation of multitudes of individual and institutional investors. "There is lot of money still on the sidelines, looking for a way to participate", called Kachan.

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European Investment Bank (EIB) cut lending to fossil plants, supports renewables

London-the European Investment Bank (EIB), the world's largest public financial institution, has announced that effective immediately, it no longer the most coal, brown coal and oil fired power plants in Europe its climate targets to meet as an aid for finance is.

The announcement comes on the heels of a similar announcement by the World Bank, which has said, that it support "only in rare cases." will power plants in the developing world for coal

At a meeting this week that the EIB Board of Directors agreed to introduce an emissions performance standard (EPS) for energy projects, investments in power plants for fossil fuels, which have not implemented the emission technologies, which is effectively blocked the emitting more than 550 g/CO2 per kWh, screen. Coal plants get more funding, if with carbon capture and storage (CCS) and power (CHP) or cogeneration, biomass co-fire technology in place.

The Board said that the standards, after an eight-month consultation over 80 industry associations, national committees and individual companies, are designed to strengthen support for investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency in Europe. Richard Willis, press officer of the EIB said REW, that the move "our ongoing focus towards renewable energies opens so far and reflects how we see our primary focus on investments in the coming years." Green as the WWF welcomed said the step but it does not go far enough, and some Member States had reportedly urged groups, the more stringent standards will be implemented immediately.

"In determining at what level the EPS set we nature of emissions across a range of technologies saw,", said Willis. "We have set a standard unanimously by all Member States which reflects current policy but the guidelines no longer still because we were asked that we review and consider also the exceptions that are in place to ensure we concentrate primarily on networks, renewable energy and energy efficiency."

Two exceptions to the standard, which it more financing for coal-fired plants, to the security of supply or allow "contribute to the alleviation of poverty and economic development", contribute in other regions of Europe, have been marked by green groups.

"We decided that the total new guidelines would be considered in the autumn of next year – this is normal that every initiative, which committed the Bank," said Willis. "We look to see if the level the difference between projects continue to the 550 g figure reflected, or whether technology improves, so we had a lower number, the more [] emission reduction and biomass investment would allow." He also speculated that "much stronger set" climate goals the next year's European elections most could follow the time ", which would be taken into account."

A number of Member States have highlighted the continuing importance of the gas as a transitional technology to a low-carbon economy, and the EIB said Willis recognizes this, although he didn't say what specific measures have been taken. But he said, "really, our main focus is for 90 per cent of our future commitments are in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency and grid networks to ensure that renewable energy can have an important role in Europe's energy mix." Investments in the network infrastructure is crucial, he said, and "no single Government or institution, who pay for it can alone; Companies are stretched. We can play a role as an important source of funding and a supporting role in providing technical assistance. As co-financier, we support about one-third of project funding on average, but can we contribute up to 50 percent, we can help, in other financial sources, often from other banks to bring, which is not such a big focus and exposure to renewable energy but are happy, with other much-needed capital for long-term investments to work."

Earlier this week signed a financing bank with Dutch grid operator TenneT for new grid infrastructure, linking the North Sea to Northern Germany and today the Bank and Spanish utility Iberdrola signed a loan agreement for €200 milliion for promoting the modernisation of the electricity network in Spain. Such net investment "is key to the use of not only existing investments in renewable energies, but also new investment as it comes forward", said Willis.

I am delighted, he concluded that "with regard to renewable energy, we realize that on a snapshot from year to year based on investment in the face of the different energy markets and regime varies. We are closely related to most of the larger projects but also always on the lookout for ways to work through intermediary banks to support smaller systems. We have a continuing role in other sources of financial support renewable energy: banks that can't our commitment on renewable energy to engage. We see this in major projects in the North Sea and in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere."

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Top 20 women in Cleantech investment

In 2011, the National Venture Capital Association and Dow Jones VentureSource released their study of the diversity makeup of the venture capital industry. Not surprisingly, the majority of people working in the VC industry were white and. . . wait for it. . . male. While women represented 21 percent of employment in the VC industry, only 11 percent listed themselves as actual investors. In cleantech, the number of female investors was 4 percent higher, at 15 percent. Meanwhile, as Founder of the organization Women in Cleantech & Sustainability, I know there are many female investors out there, if you know where to look. To make it simpler for everyone to applaud these women in their efforts to bring diversity to this traditionally male-dominated field, we’ve listed our top 20 here.

1. Nancy Floyd, Founder and Managing Director, Nth Power

Back in 1993, when Nancy Floyd started Nth Power, there were understandably fewer women in the sector than there are today. Floyd speculated to Gigaom in 2007 as to why the field lacks large numbers of start ups founded by women. “You just don’t have many women with backgrounds that investors would back,” she said. “You’re looking at energy industries that have been male-dominated for years and years. It’s not easy for anybody, but for investors to write a check, they’re going to want to see relevant background.” Before founding Nth Power, Floyd was a serial entrepreneur, having founded companies like NFC Energy Corp, one of the country’s first wind development firms, which, when it was sold three years later, generated a 25-fold return. Who says there's not money to be made?

2. Nancy Pfund, Managing Partner, DBL Investors

“As a woman in venture capital, I am part of a small club, and it’s part of my job to try to change that. As a woman in cleantech venture capital, the club is smaller still, but somehow it fits like a glove,” Nancy Pfund said in Forbes in 2012. Considering her groundbreaking role as a female cleantech venture capitalist, Pfund tapped into the press by writing articles featured in outlets such as Huffington Post Green and Forbes with titles like “Subsidies for Renewable Energy: American as Apple Pie” and “Women and Clean Energy: Overcoming The Double Standard.” In these articles, Pfund emphasizes her prominent position as a woman in cleantech and uses an honest and forthright tone that conveys the messages she wants to deliver as a green venture capitalist. “First, every great expansion of the American economy can be linked to the discovery of a new energy source. Second, each of these new energy industries received substantial government support at a pivotal time in its early growth.” Yet, Pfund’s enthusiasm for government investment does not define her personal career, which lies heavily in the private sector. Pfund is a partner at DBL Investors, a venture capital firm that strives to invest successfully and meaningfully in terms of social, economic and environmental change. She also sits on the boards of directors of several private companies including Primus Power, Solar City, Solaria, Ecologic, BrightSource and PowerGenix.

3. Andree-Lise Methot, Founder, Cycle Capital Management

At Cycle Capital Management, Methot assists projects in everything from water management and biofuels to community development. Cycle Capital Management strives to help potentially successful companies in cleantech and renewable energy gain the financial assistance they need. Methot received her Master’s degree in Science from Universite de Montreal. Her BA was in Geological Engineering from Universite Laval. In her career she has spent 15 years working in company financing, financial program management, and engineering.

4. Joyce Ferris, Founder and Managing Partner, Blue Hill Partners

An entrepreneur in the green technology industry for over 25 years, Ferris currently acts as the Founder and Managing Partner of Blue Hill, an investment firm with a focus in green technology that provides capital, management assistance and strategic goals for companies. Before founding Blue Hill, Ferris worked as a senior funding executive at Reading energy, an independent power company, where she managed energy projects and financial transactions totaling over $500 million. Ferris’s expertise is in helping entrepreneurial companies build high-performance culture. Recently for a project in Pennsylvania, Blue Hill built its headquarters with the hope that the facility would be home to a community of green-tech companies. As Ferris asserted to the Philadelphia Business Journal in 2010, “If you can create an environment where people are helpful and supportive and somebody learns something new about a particular piece of legislation, for instance, there’s some sharing of it, that really strengthens everybody.”

5. Diana Propper de Callejon, General Partner, Expansion Capital Partners

Diana Propper de Callejon boasts more than 20 years of experience in clean technology. Her work has spanned diverse sectors including energy, forestry water, agriculture, and advanced materials. de Callejon believes that many private companies are now created with a commitment to values of “continuous improvement in environmental performance and social impact...as a primary driver of innovation and value creation over the long term,” as she wrote in the essay Integrated Value - A New Private Model for Driving Value Creation. Prior to becoming a partner at Expansion Capital, de Callejon was a founder and Managing Director of EA Capital, a firm she co-ran for more than ten years. At EA Capital, Ms. de Callejon worked with Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, and private equity firms to identify new business and investment opportunities related to resource efficiency and sustainability. Ms. de Callejon’s efforts to mobilize investment capital to address environmental and social problems are rooted in her sustainable development work in the 1980s and early 1990s. For six years, de Callejon worked in Africa and South America. In particular, de Callejon worked in Brazil with a trading company that extended loans to small businesses in the Amazon that harvested, processed, and exported non-timber forest products such as fruits, nuts, and essences. de Callejon has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Duke University and speaks French and Spanish.

6. Marianne Wu, Partner, Mohr Davidow Ventures

Marianne Wu is a Partner at MDV where she focuses on cleantech investments. With more than 15 years of technology development and business experience, Wu helps build meaningful, successful businesses via investments and assisting entrepreneurs. As Wu noted in Fast Company, "We look for teams of people with varied skills. As always, you need to have great entrepreneurs, people who have the energy and passion and commitment to start something. We're also looking for great technical skill and some kind of technical advantage in terms of the platform that gets the product to market at a cost point that's really exciting. You also need to know the people you'll work within the larger system. So, over time, companies need to add significant industry operating experience. The key in these biofuel and biochemical companies is marrying the entrepreneur, the technical genius, and the industry domain experience, and making that into a strong, cohesive team.”

7. Cathy Zoi, Partner, Silver Lake Kraftwerk

Cathy Zoi has over 25 years of experience in both the public and private sector working with energy and resource development and deployment. Currently, Zoi works at Silver Lake Kraftwerk, an enormous equity firm that invests in energy and technology related projects. Zoi believes our society has the willpower to fight global warming. As she wrote in The Huffington Post, “The good news is that the solutions to this crisis exist. Unlocking innovative technologies to change how we power our lives will grow new and exciting sectors of our economy, helping ensure not just a healthier plant, but a healthier economy as well.” Notably, Zoi was the founding CEO of the New South Wales Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA). SEDA was a $50 million fund devoted to commercializing technologies that produced fewer greenhouse gases. Moreover, SEDA launched the first nationwide green power program that boasts the world’s largest solar-powered suburb.

8. Jill Watz, Venture Partner, Vulcan Capital

Jill Watz is a Venture Partner at Vulcan Capital, a private investment group, where she is responsible for strategy and portfolio management in the cleantech sector, with specific emphasis on solar, geothermal, nuclear, advanced materials, and water technologies. Prior to Vulcan, Watz held senior management and technical research positions at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in applied energy technology directing multidisciplinary research projects in oil and gas exploration and production, geothermal energy, energy storage and conversion technologies, alternative fuels, and energy and climate policy. While at LLNL, Watz also led industrial partnership development for energy technologies. In advising the Millennium Village Project’s Energy group on new technology development and business strategies, Watz is able to fulfill her passion for developing distributed energy technologies to combat poverty. She is also a participating scientist at LLNL and is a member of the Corporate Advisory Committee to Washington State University's Foundation. Watz has a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from University of California at San Diego and SM degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Technology and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

9. Kiki Tidwell, President, Tidwell Idaho Foundation Angel; Investor, Astia, Empower Micro Systems, and Mission Investors Exchange

Kiki Tidwell is a cleantech angel investor in Seattle and President of the Tidwell Idaho Foundation, a small family foundation she started after considerable thought about inherited wealth when her daughter was born. Individually, Tidwell is a Limited Partner in several venture funds: Nth Power Fund IV, CalCEF Angel Fund, Good Capital's Social Enterprise Expansion Fund, TrueBridge Capital Fund II, and Aligned Partners. Since 2007, she has been a member of Northwest Energy Angels, a cleantech-focused angel group, and served two years on its board. She was also an advisor to the Fall 2012 Astia Global Entrepreneur Program. As she noted to Sramana Mitra for her One Million by One Million Blog, Tidwell’s interest in cleantech developed around 2003 when she was working at an industry in Idaho for rural economic development. “I was very proactive and started learning about the opportunities available in cleantech, and I realized what a huge change this was going to be and what a huge market opportunity it presented. My background is in real estate investing. Why I was interested in cleantech were the tax credits. I understood those from affordable housing–type tax credits I’d looked into. I’m also a philanthropist. . . trying to make Idaho a better place. I saw what a state could do with new industry could far eclipse what we would could do in grant making. Communities could build industries and fund their own schools and their own social needs through these new industries.” In 2009, Tidwell won the first ever successful carbon reduction shareholder initiative with a utility for her initiative with IdaCorp, Inc. It was one of only 15 successful shareholder initiatives in any category in the last 10 years.

10. Yvette Go, Partner, Chrysalix SET; Board Director, MicroShade A/S

Yvette Go is a Partner at Chrysalix SET where she focuses on companies in the areas of biofuels, biomass, waste-to-energy, energy efficiency, hydrogen, and fuel cells. She also serves as the Board Director of MicroShade A/S, a Danish technology and knowledge-based company that develops and markets advanced, transparent solar shading and photovoltaic solutions for new and refurbished buildings. An experienced investment professional for the past 15 years, Go works to build and develop businesses through maximizing value. Prior to becoming a partner at Chrysalix SET, she acted as the global Product Portfolio Manager of DSM Powder Coating Resins, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition, and materials. While at DSM, Go was selected to represent the company on the 2004 Young Managers Team (Future Leaders Team) of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development where she led a sub-team focused on China’s capacity building and Sustainable Business promotion. Feeling that the work she had accomplished at YMT gave her a wider outlook on sustainable development, both within the YMT and beyond, Go noted in an interview, “I consciously look for opportunities to work sustainable development into the marketing and sales area at DSM. That means challenging myself and others to be more aware about the environmental and social impact of business and asking more questions about how we do things.” Go holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from IESE Business School (Global Executive MBA 2008) and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering.

Don't forget to submit a nomination for the 2013 Power-Gen Woman of the Year Award here.

The information and views expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of RenewableEnergyWorld.com or the companies that advertise on this Web site and other publications. This blog was posted directly by the author and was not reviewed for accuracy, spelling or grammar.

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Solar: A High-Yield, Low-Risk Financial Instrument for Your Investment Portfolio

Recent talk about the upcoming fiscal cliff has caused many investors to reflect upon the real long-term threats to their own portfolios. It occurred to me that there are some striking similarities between the current rate of return on a solar investment and the rate of return one would have earned on a bond investment during the high-interest-rate era of the late 80s. Many people are dead set against bonds right now and for good reason — the fact is that bonds, or any interest-bearing vehicles for that matter (especially ones that are guaranteed like U.S. Treasury Bonds, the most secure bonds in the world), are just not paying anything. This certainly was not always the case.

In the late 80s, the investing public was typically earning 8.5–9.0% (and even more on high-risk bonds). Not surprisingly, many portfolios at that time were 100% invested in bonds. Today, the nominal interest rate is a paltry 1.0% and people are staying away, but imagine if rates were much higher. It's fair to say that if investors could, for instance, make 8.0% or 10.0% on their money, they would come back to the bond market in droves.

One can still earn such a high rate of return on such a low-risk investment. It’s called solar. Here’s how that scenario would unfold.

Consider a $15,000 investment in a hypothetical 8.0% yield, low-risk, 5-year bond vs. the same dollar amount invested in a solar purchase for a home or a business. The bond would yield $1,200 in dividends annually ($100/month). An average sized solar residential system (5 kW) would cost about $15,000 installed (after 30% Federal Tax Credit and utility rebate) and would routinely save owners around $125/month on their electric bill. Since the electricity generated from the system would be covered under warrantee, it’s fair to consider solar low risk — unless you think the sun might not rise tomorrow morning or that your utility might go bankrupt. Notice how money saved on the electric bill could be looked at as a dividend. Now, when the 5-year bond matures, investors would cash-in that bond and receive their $15,000 back.

Comparing this idea of cashing in a bond at maturity to a solar investment, let’s say the investor wants to sell his or her home after five years. A recent study from Berkeley Lab looked at 72,000 homes sold in California from 2000 to 2009 and concluded that, as far as an investment goes, solar homeowners are able to increase the resale value of their homes by more than the system’s installed cost. In other words, they get their money back. (Click here for the full report). Prior to this study, solar investments were frequently compared to home improvement investments like remodeling a kitchen or bathroom, where owners do not get their money back (also of note: the higher assessed value of a solar property is not subject to taxation per California state law). The Berkeley Lab study was a powerful finding and made it easy for investors to see the similarities between funds gained on the maturity of a bond and gains attributed to the addition of solar realized from the sale of a home.

Also, by adding solar, a homeowner is able to hedge against the decreased purchasing-power effects of future electricity rate increases. In California, the cost of electricity has risen at the rate of 6.7% per year during a 30-year period (Source CPUC Electric Rate Compendium Nov. 2001). Nationwide, electricity rates are expected to increase 12.64% on average (according to Southern California Edison’s AEE 2013 Electricity Outlook). Take our example again, looking beyond year five and factoring in future expected electricity rate increases. To be conservative, we will assume electricity costs increase by 5% per year. Let’s look at the money saved (which looks like a dividend, right?) as well as Return on Investment. Whereas the homeowner saves $1,500 in year 1, he or she saves $1,575 in year 2 because of the increased cost of future electricity, and so on. Thus, a 10% ROI in year 1 increases to an eye-popping 24.2% in year 20. The table below shows that a homeowner who adds solar today will have saved (earned) $49,597 in twenty years. By the same token, a homeowner who decides not to go solar today, will end up paying $49,597 extra for electricity in that same time period.

Forward-thinking investors tend to be good stewards of their resources while extrapolating what the future will hold. They would undoubtedly see that investing in solar is not only judicious for the investor but extremely practical. As the cost of electricity predictably rises, negatively impacting the purchasing power of future money, solar energy becomes an attractive, financially appealing investment. Those whose portfolios factor in longevity as well as diversification will wisely venture into areas that bode well for their economic futures. Solar thus serves as an intelligent and expedient choice for economically prudent individuals concerned about their financial growth.

I would be happy to help you to go solar. Call me at 773-802-0606 and I will patiently guide you through the entire process and help you get the best deal, regardless of your geographic location, from the best company in the market. Take care, Mark

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Global Clean Energy Investment Rebounded in Q2 2012: Report

Global clean energy investments increased 24% in Q2 2012 compared to Q1, with new investment totaling $59.6 billion, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The amount was still 18% below the near-record quarterly figure of $72.5 billion in Q2 last year.

The United States enjoyed solid gains in investment in Q2 of 18% over Q1, reaching $10.2 billion, the report said. China surged 92% in investment to $18.3 billion in the April-to-June period. Overall, solar accounted for $33.6 billion of investment in Q2, up 19% over Q1, and wind had $21.6 billion, up 47% quarter to quarter. The largest venture capital and private equity deals of the quarter saw U.S. automaker Fisker clinch $148 million for its plug-in hybrid vehicle development. The figures draw on a comprehensive database of transactions in clean energy worldwide. See the Bloomberg New Energy Finance press release.

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Obama administration announces investment in biofuels

The Energy Department is increasing support for biofuels. The biorefinery pilot makes such cellulosic ethanol from corn on the cob.
Credit card: Poet

$30 Announced the Department of energy, the U.S. Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Navy on July 2 millions in promoting private investment in commercial advanced drop-in bio-fuels adapted. Drop-in biofuels are fuels, direct serve can substitute or supplement to existing gasoline, diesel and Jet fuels, without changes and existing distribution networks or engine fuel pump - and have the potential to us significantly to reduce dependence on oil imports. DOE offers $32 million in new investments also for earlier research, continue to drive for technological breakthroughs and other costs in the industry.

In his design for a secure energy future in March 2011 President Obama published objective of reducing oil imports by a third by the year energy efficiency and accelerate the development of biofuels and other alternatives set by 2025. As part of this effort led the blueprint DOE work Navy and the USDA to support commercialization of drop in biofuel substitutes for diesel and jet fuel, that the current funding announcement (FOA) lead opportunity. This FOA has a two-phased approach to share with Government and industry in the cost. In phase 1 applicants will submit a package of design and comprehensive business plan for a commercial biorefinery, identify and project sites to secure and further necessary steps set out in the notice. Selected winners still in phase 2 will present additional information for the construction or the upgrading of a biorefinery. Applications are due by August 13, 2012. The funding opportunity announcement and the blueprint for a secure energy future, see.

In addition, research that complement the commercial efforts of the Navy and USDA announced bot DOE new investments in earlier stage of biofuels. The last steps in the Obama Government are this early, pre-commercial systems to reduce efforts for the further development of biofuel technologies, improve performance, and to identify new effective and non-food feedstocks and technologies. Find the full funding request. Applications are due to the 13 August 2012.

DOE funding innovative pilot-scale and demo-scale biorefineries that could produce renewable bio-fuels, announced $20 million to support today covers to meet the military specifications for kerosene and ship diesel with a variety of non-food biomass raw materials, waste-based materials and algae. These projects support may be new plant construction, retrofit on existing U.S. bio-refineries or operations plant to begin production on the pilot or pre commercial scale. This investment will help made collect also federal and local governments, private developers and accurate data on the costs of the production of fuels from biomass and waste raw materials industry.

In addition, DOE announced $12 million to up to eight projects focused fuels on the exploration of possibilities for the development of organic transport and products with synthetic biological processing support. Synthetic biological processing provides innovative technology to efficiently, to enable low-cost conversion of nonfood biomass to biofuels. These projects will develop novel biological systems, which improve the breakdown of raw biomass raw materials and in the conversion of raw materials into transportation fuels.

Projects - carried by small businesses, universities, national laboratories and industry - will endeavour to overcome barriers to scientific maritime trade competitive advanced biofuels and bioproducts. Applications are due to the 10 July 2012. See the full funding opportunity announcement and the DOE press release.

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SunShot initiative investment and solar competition announced

DOE's SunShot initiative is a new competition and investment so that easier and less expensive to solar energy technologies to provide it.
Credit card: Craig Miller Productions

In the context of the initiative announced the Department of energy SunShot the Department on June 13 one new competition and investment to it easier and less expensive to solar energy technologies to deploy. The Department "Americas Best rooftop solar" competition starts to aggressively drive the cost of solar panels on the roof. It is also providing almost 8 million $ on nine small businesses, reduce the cost of financing, with a beautiful and other "soft costs", the almost half of the cost of residential solar systems can make. To promote the use of low-cost residential and small commercial roof solar systems across the nation, the Department of America at the most affordable rooftop solar launches competition us quickly to challenge reduction in the cost of installed roof photovoltaic (PV) systems team. The contest offers prize money $10 million total for the first three U.S. teams, which can install solar PV systems at an average price of $2 per watt 5,000 roof. The competition is to set by an ambitious goal, to make affordable helical creative public private partnerships, original business models and innovative approaches for solar energy for millions of families and businesses. Find America's most affordable rooftop solar competition Web site.

The Energy Department to support incubator program awards up to $8 million to nine highly innovative start-ups in four States by the SunShot. These companies in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, develop transformative solutions to optimize the solar system processes such as financing, approval and control. See the list of projects.

A national joint effort to solar power cost is the SunShot initiative until the end of the decade with other energies to make competitive. "Moon Shot" program, to put the first man on the Moon inspired by President Kennedy, SunShot has created initiative provides new impulses for the solar industry, by the need for American competitiveness in the clean energy race. See the DOE press release and the SunShot initiative Web site.

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Revving Electric-Motor Plant Highlights Recovery Act Investment

Energy Secretary Steven Chu inside the new 2013 Dodge Dart at the 2012 Detroit auto show. He later delivered an address on DOE support for U.S. auto industry innovation.
Credit: DOE/Hantz Leger

Highlighting the Obama Administration's efforts to boost innovation in the U.S. car industry, the Acting Undersecretary of Energy toured UQM Technologies' electric drive component manufacturing facilities on January 13. DOE's Arun Majumdar visited the Longmont, Colorado-based company that was able to purchase and renovate a 130,000-square-foot facility because of a $45 million DOE grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which the firm matched dollar for dollar. UQM recently announced it would provide electric-propulsion systems for 100 UPS delivery vehicles to be deployed in early 2012.

When completed, the Longmont plant will be able to produce electric-drive systems and power electronics and processors for up to 120,000 electric drive vehicles each year. The plant has the flexibility to produce systems for light-duty hybrid, plug-in hybrid electric, and all-electric passenger vehicles, as well as heavy-duty hybrid trucks and buses.

The Recovery Act award is only a part of DOE's longstanding collaboration with UQM, which dates to the 1990s and includes competitive awards as well as grants through the Small Business Innovation Research program, which includes DOE as a partner. Most recently, DOE awarded the company a $3 million competitive, cost-shared award to develop non-rare-earth magnet electric motors to support more efficient, less expensive electric-vehicle technologies. See the DOE press release and Energy Secretary Steven Chu's remarks on automobile innovation.

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Clean energy fuels receives $150 million investment

Clean energy fuels Corp. has collected $150 million in new investments as a trio of companies, including Singapore's sovereign wealth funds in the growth market of natural gas vehicle to participate.

Clean energy, a California company that builds said natural gas service stations for heavy goods vehicles, that the investment in the form of 7.5% convertible takes in the year 2016 due and are expected to end...

Clean energy fuels Corp. has collected $150 million in new investments as a trio of companies, including Singapore's sovereign wealth funds in the growth market of natural gas vehicle to participate.

Clean energy, a California company that builds said natural gas service stations for heavy goods vehicles, that the investment in the form of 7.5% convertible takes in the year 2016 due and are expected to end...

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Siemens announces major investment in Saudi Arabia

It is planned to be government approvals and permissions operating 18 months after the final. Start making many job opportunities to create and start page be hub to both international and Saudi experts.

"The establishment of this production facility in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a natural progression of our historical ties to the country", says Peter Loescher, President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens AG. "The Center is State-of-the-art and the latest sustainable technology to produce." "Thus the Center is a job machine both be Center of excellence for engineering."

The investment decision was announced during Peter Loscher Khalid A. Al Falih, President and CEO Saudi Aramco and Ali S. Al Barrak, President & CEO Saudi electricity company, other senior executives of Saudi Aramco and Siemens in Saudi Arabia met last week.

Siemens involved gradually more than 1000 jobs in the new plant. It is estimated in the broader context of creating approximately 3,000 indirect jobs in the Eastern province where the factory is built. Siemens training the young Saudis further boost giving, by building technology expertise through professional training, based on the German concept. This proven and successful concept includes theoretical courses and "on the job" teaching applied.

Khalid A. Al Falih, President and CEO, Saudi Aramco says of the investment plan "Siemens has a stellar global reputation for technology and innovation culture." You have with Saudi Aramco and the Kingdom have worked and Saudi Arabia by contributing to the development of products and services over many decades. "Their balance in our country covers many fields of power generation up to health care on various aspects of oil and gas production and processing, and I am convinced that the establishment of a manufacturing hub and quality jobs Saudi Arabia for technological will make a significant hub excellence."

"We are proud to continue our successful history in Saudi Arabia with this outstanding project", says Wolfgang Dehen, CEO of energy sector Siemens AG. "The country and the region are quickly develop." "There is a clear demand for sustainable and efficient energy and the ramp-up of technology expertise and positions for ambitious young people."

"Develop the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to create the latest technologies and expert and engineering expertise for the energy industry in the Kingdom urges." To engage how Siemens support with a global leader in innovation, the Kingdom will make best use of natural resources and its vision of a knowledge-based society to realize. "This commitment from Siemens will strengthen the partnership between the two companies," said Ali S. Al Barrak, President & CEO Saudi electricity company.

Mr. Abdulrahman F. Al-Wuhaib, Senior Vice President of operations services, Saudi Aramco, said that an important milestone on two strategic fronts for Saudi Aramco. On the one hand supports it the corporate strategy to increase local participation in procurement activities, where Siemens and Saudi Aramco corporate procurement agreement (CPA) announced. This agreement is another corner stone which develop intensive and progressive relationship with Saudi Arabian company. On the other hand, brings Siemens participation of the world's best technologies in the direction of the company to take efforts to improve the Kingdom energy efficiency and reduce energy intensity.

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