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All together now – the case of the cleantech hub in the Basque Country

Stephen Marcus
by | May 2nd 2012
Posted in Cleantech Investment Insight
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Many in the cleantech industry bemoan that “times are difficult”. However, I argue that “times are different” – different in terms of where and how technology is conceived, developed, financed, and ultimately deployed. The encouraging truth for the sector is that there is a vast and growing amount of cleantech innovation activity occurring globally, financial appetite from investors (albeit in different pockets in different parts of the world than what we were used to), and a desire from incumbent companies in the most established industries to deploy them. The challenge is that cleantech stakeholders cannot rely on the same old tools in the tool box to rise to success, and thus new types of relationships in new areas of the world will become more crucial. This type of attitudinal change is more difficult to achieve.

However, I believe that there are regions out there who definitely “get it”. What struck me from attending the Cleantech Forum in Munich was the revolutionary mind set of a new cleantech hub emerging in the Basque Country in Southern Europe which I believe others, even those further down the path of developing a cleantech hub, can learn from. This was for…

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Cleantech in action: LEDs light up the “Night”

Whitney Michael
by | April 24th 2012
Posted in Cleantech Investment Insight

Last week after we wrapped up Cleantech Forum Munich, I got to spend a few days in the gorgeous city of Amsterdam. And in between Belgian beers and rediscovering the Golden Age of Amsterdam (the Dutch kinda ran the world for a while there…), I came face to face with clean technology in action, a real-life example of saving energy while improving performance.

In this case, I visited the Rijksmuseum and saw Rembrandt’s masterpiece, The Night Watch, illuminated by special LEDs provided by Philips, the lighting leader based in the Netherlands. According to a press release on the new lighting, installed in October 2011, the “innovative LED light, [brings] out the best of the painting’s color palette while offering increased sustainability and energy efficiency.”

Coming out of the dark galleries preceding the room that held this painting, the colors really did seem more vivid, and the LEDs brought out the contrasting areas of light and dark (chiaroscuro) that Rembrandt is known for.

Wikipedia claims that the museum saves 80% on energy and protects the painting from damage from UV radiation and heat. According to Artdaily.org, “previously, the painting had been under halogen spotlights…

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Sustainability and Sports: A Whole New Ballgame

Team i3
by | April 18th 2012
Posted in Cleantech Investment Insight

Last Sunday, members of the Cleantech Group team were invited to beautiful AT&T Park in downtown San Francisco to watch the Giants play the Pittsburgh Pirates in an opening game sponsored by Hanwha Solar, the Korean PV cells and modules manufacturer. Emmanuel Burriss’ beautiful 9th-inning run (Go Giants!) was not the only remarkable feat of the night. Speeches by executives and a post-game fireworks show served as introductions to a new partnership between the team and Hanwha that includes PV installations and a recycling program in the stadium. If the actual amount of energy offset by the program is minor, the impact on public awareness – not to mention brand recognition for Hanwha – is substantial. Considering the unmatched worldwide audience that sports like baseball, football and soccer have, we decided to take a closer look at how cleantech companies and sports teams have partnered up and whether these partnerships are a good use of money and time.

The Giants’ upcoming Hanwha solar array isn’t the first green effort by a Major League Baseball team. A number of teams have undertaken renewable energy, recycling & waste and energy efficiency measures.

  • The Giants have previously partnered with PG&E to

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Water: Week in Review

artipatel
by | April 18th 2012
Posted in Cleantech Investment Insight, Water

Veolia is keeping itself busy with new contracts and existing lawsuits, while Groupon is showing interest in water – the company recently teamed up with a nonprofit to raise money for water quality testing at California beaches.  Details on these stories, and more, can be found below.

M&A/ Partnerships

Projects

  • Iran

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Who will make the 2012 top global 100 list? It’s your turn to tell us who’s hot, who’s not.

Whitney Michael
by | April 17th 2012
Posted in Cleantech Investment Insight

This morning at Cleantech Forum Europe in Munich, our Managing Director of Europe & Asia, Richard Youngman, announced that nominations are open for the Global Cleantech 100.  This will be our 4th annual list of the 100 top private companies in cleantech as nominated by the public and chosen through a rigorous process including data analysis and input from a select panel of worldwide judges.  Read the press release.

Nominations are open through June 30.

As with last year’s list, Cleantech Group will debut the 2012 100 at the Global Cleantech 100 Summit & Gala in Washington DC.  The Summit & Gala will be held October 1-2 and will feature Global Cleantech 100 CEOs, investors and venture capitalists, policy-makers and corporate leaders.   Save the date and submit your nominations today.

Registration for the Global Cleantech 100 Summit & Gala opens in May.

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2012 kicks off with major moves in the small world of energy efficiency finance

kerry cebul
by | April 11th 2012
Posted in Cleantech Investment Insight
Tags:

In our final Quarterly Investment Monitor of 2011, I highlighted the year’s incredible upsurge of interest in energy efficiency financing, and predicted that 2012 would be a proving period when bets are placed, and programs and companies either mature or wilt. The first quarter of 2012 has already shown this to be true with the acquisition of Transcend Equity by SCIenergy, the re-repivoting of Serious Energy away from financing, and the likes of Deutsche Bank weighing in on financing in earnest with a detailed report on the subject.

Before diving into 2012, a brief review of several efficiency financing news highlights of 2011: the White House launched its $4 billion Better Buildings Challenge; Barclays, Ygrene Energy, and the Carbon War Room announced the delivery of turnkey Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program development; and Serious Energy joined Metrus Energy, Transcend Equity, and other financiers by formally launching its Managed Energy Services Agreement style financing program and pivoting to providing energy efficiency as a service.

For a space with only a handful of key players, 2012 started…

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The early bird gets the worm…

artipatel
by | April 11th 2012
Posted in Cleantech Investment Insight, Water
Tags: , , , , , ,

I see it all the time – a great idea, turned into a product, gone through a testing process, and earned certification….but now what?  So often, innovators don’t know where to turn when seeking partners for pilot testing.  And so often, they eventually run out of money and take their technologies and ideas elsewhere.  In an effort to keep the innovation within Water & Wastewater, I’d like to highlight a few water utilities that have “lent a helping hand” to entrepreneurs – and come away with successful contracts.

American Water – Four of American Water’s utilities were offered up for piloting new smart grid technology from ENBALA Power.  The technology aimed to increase efficiencies, thereby reducing energy and water usage, and ultimately, costs.  This was done through demand response – an energy management program that allows users to earn revenue if and when electricity consumption is reduced during peak demand hours.  The two companies announced a formal partnership in the fall of 2011.

Clean Water Services – The Oregon water resources management utility implemented technology from Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies at a pilot project, and made plans to…

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Global venture investment declines, but corporates step up and the IPO window cracks open

Sheeraz Haji
by | April 6th 2012
Posted in Cleantech & IT, Cleantech Investment Insight, Company Insight, IPO

Venture capitalists might be running short of cash. This past quarter (Q1 2012), global venture capital investments declined 19% from the prior quarter and 31% year-over-year (see our press release here). On a brighter note, the total number of deals recorded in the quarter was 185, up from 176 in Q4 2011, and the tally will rise again once we round up other investors who have not yet reported all their deals for the quarter.

Despite an investor bias towards later-stage investing, early stage deals increased this quarter. The proportion of early stage deals increased from 37% (Q1 2011) to 44% (Q1 2012). The absolute number of early stage deals increased from 67 in Q4 2011 to 81 this past quarter. Huh? What’s going on? I think investors are creating a “barbell effect” – favoring hot early stage deals with repeat entrepreneurs and capital efficient business models as well as later-stage companies that already have a proven product and business model (e.g. SolarCity). In the middle, life is tougher. These “in the middle” Series B and Series C companies already have institutional investors but often are still working to remove technology and market risk…

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Water: Week in Review

artipatel
by | March 21st 2012
Posted in Water

It was a big week in US water regulations, with the US Coast Guard announcing a new rule regarding ballast water and the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission giving preliminary approval to controversial nutrient-limiting regulations.  Hopefully these new regulations don’t cause any grappling, as did the new California state requirement mandating most users exercising a water right to submit precise water measurements on a monthly basis.  Continue reading for details on these news stories and more.

M&A/ Partnerships

  • Global healthcare company Merck formed a three-year, $1.5m partnership with Safe Water Network to improve water supply in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
    http://www.water-technology.net/news/newsmerck-and-safe-water-network-partner-to-improve-water-supply-in-india
  • Imbrium International Ltd and Australia’s Humes Water Solutions have expanded their strategic business relationship, with Humes becoming a licencee of Imbrium’s Jellyfish filter for stormwater treatment.  The agreement grants Humes the exclusive right to manufacture, sell and distribute the Imbrium Jellyfish technology for stormwater treatment throughout Australia.
    http://www.filtsep.com/view/24649/humes-licences-imbrium-jellyfish-filter-technology/
  • Oasys Water announced that Select Energy Services, LLC, (SES) a provider of engineered water to the oil and gas industry, will be the exclusive operator of Oasys’ technology in the Permian Basin for a 24-month period.  SES will use Oasys Water’s Membrane Brine

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Water: Week in Review

artipatel
by | March 15th 2012
Posted in Cleantech Investment Insight, Sector Insights, Water

Water companies had quite the showing in 2011 cleantech acquisitions, with Ecolab’s acquisition of Nalco (~$8.4 billion) and CKI’s acquisition of Northumbrian Water (~$4 billion).  The trend continues (albeit, on a much smaller scale!), as Mueller Water Products announced it is selling US Pipe to Wynnchurch Capital for nearly $90 million in cash.  Details on this story and other news items can be found below.

M&A/ Partnerships

  • Mueller Water Products has signed a definitive purchase agreement to sell United States Pipe, Foundry Company and Fast Fabricators, which together form US Pipe, to USP Holdings, an affiliate of Wynnchurch Capital, for $89.8m in cash, subject to post-closing adjustments.
    http://www.water-technology.net/news/newsmueller-water-products-to-sell-us-pipe-to-wynnchurch-capital
  • Aqua-Chem Inc has entered into a strategic joint venture with Brazil-based Vicel Group, to manufacture and assemble Aqua-Chem’s fresh water makers at the Vicel facility in Rio Das Ostras.
    http://www.filtsep.com/view/24428/aqua-chem-forms-jv-with-brazils-vicel-group/
  • IBM Research and the Sonoma County Water Agency have joined forces to better manage water resources in Valley of the Moon Water District (VOMWD) in California.  As part of the new initiative, IBM will provide analytics technology to address the problem of water loss and to potentially locate leaks in VOMWD.

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