Continue reading Martin Wolf: Green energy will require a green tax code

Martin Wolf: Green energy will require a green tax code originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Venture capital investment in clean technology grew 10% from the second quarter to the third this year. According to a report by the Cleantech Group and Deloitte, 134 companies received investments of $1.59 billion - up from $1.2 billion in the second quarter. The sector's upward trajectory continues, with last quarter marking the second in a row of double-digit growth. In the first quarter of 2009, venture capital investment in cleantech companies hit a low of $1 billion.

The strong third quarter has made the cleantech sector the largest in the venture capital business, according to the Cleantech Group, pulling ahead of biotech. Twenty-seven percent of venture capital funds invested in the second quarter of 2009 went to cleantech companies - up from 3% at the beginning of 2004.

Continue reading Cleantech VC funding up in Q3

Cleantech VC funding up in Q3 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GreenBytes, a unique data storage appliance company, has just received an $8 million Series A round of investment financing. Battery Ventures completed the deal, which provides fresh resources for the Rhode Island-based energy-efficient technology company.

Founded in 2007, GreenBytes offers network attached storage (NAS) and storage area network (SAN) solutions that reduce energy consumption, providing a cost savings opportunity while also addressing corporate social responsibility considerations.

Continue reading Green data storage firm picks up $8 million Series A round

Green data storage firm picks up $8 million Series A round originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A great deal of the new technology that U.S. car companies are showing at the big auto show in Detroit is based on the U.S. car industry's plans to "go green." Some of those programs are based on electric cars. Others are based on ethanol hybrids.

According to Reuters, "the stars of the show were a slew of new or improved fuel-efficient and eco-friendly 'green' cars like the Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Volt."

Some analysts think The Big Three are too late to the table with "green" cars and that Japan has too big a lead. That may not be the problem at all.

Often cars powered with alternative fuels are more expensive than gas-driven cars. All that modern technology costs something. Consumers are looking at gas in the $1.70 range and oil prices moving toward $30 a barrel. Car buyers are often short-sighted. Why buy a hybrid when a gas car is inexpensive to operate? Oil prices may not go back up for two or three years. Maybe.

"Green" may not sell because the price of filling up an "old style" car has become remarkably cheap again.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Detroit's 'green' plans may be dead on arrival originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Honda (HMC) makes plans for new affordable hybrid

Honda (HMC) makes plans for new affordable hybrid originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 May 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Josh Wolfe is best known for his industry-leading expertise in nanotechnology and likewise his focus is often on small, emerging growth companies.

But ironically, one of his core 'buys' is a company that ranks among the biggest of the big: General Electric (NYSE: GE). In his Forbes/Wolfe Emerging Tech Report, he looks at GE and its leading role in "green" technology.

"General Electric disappointed investors when its quarterly earnings recently fell for the first time in 5 years. Profits fell 5.8% to $4.3 billion and revenues rose 8% to $42.2 billion, short of the expected $44 billion.

"Moreover, GE reduced its 2008 annual earnings forecast, citing seizure of credit markets for struggling operations in its consumer and commercial finance divisions.

"'Green' has become transparent at GE. The missing ingredient to BP's green appeal, it seems, was some element of independent accountability. In 2005, when General Electric CEO Jeffery Immelt launched GE's own brand of green initiative, ecomagination, he hired New York consultant firm GreenOrder to keep score.

Continue reading Ecomagination: Going green with General Electric (GE)

Ecomagination: Going green with General Electric (GE) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 May 2008 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Venture capitalist Bill Joy: choose green tech over internet investments originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Oct 2007 19:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There are a whole lot of things to like right now about Trina Solar Limited (NYSE: TSL), the Chinese manufacturer of solar modules. The stock opened the year at $18.86 and closed Wednesday, August 8, at $62.08. Not a bad run up. Yes, the company is basically a start up, being in production only since 2004, and investors must be able to tolerate a high level of risk with patience. But the company is expanding on a variety of fronts while still maintaining a healthy enough balance sheet. Trina Solar 1Q 2007 earnings release back in May indicated a very positive investment scenario (the 2Q release is scheduled for August 23).

Despite the fact that the 1Q figures pertained to the winter quarter, generally a slow time for solar technology companies, Trina Solar posted a 10% increase in net revenues, to $42.5 million, from the previous quarter, but a staggering 194% (not a typo) increase from 1Q 2006. Gross profits from the quarter increased 5.3% to $9.5 million, and net income increased 7.3% to $4.7 million. Bear in mind Trina Solar posted these figures despite higher prices for raw materials and a decline in per unit price. Demand for solar technology continues unabated. Trina Solar shipped 17% more units by volume in 1Q 2007 than in 4Q 2006. That increase in volume meant Trina Solar produced and shipped 300% more solar watts in 1Q 2007 than 1Q 2006, and has plans to accelerate increases in both unit and watt volume.

Trina Solar is still in a rapid expansion phase, as is only to be expected from a company dealing in newer forms of technology. The company recently completed testing on its new line of increasing efficient solar modules and plans to market these modules to new and existing customers in Germany, Spain and Italy. At full manufacturing capacity, Trina Solar expects to produce 50 million solar watts with this product line. CEO Jifan Gao forecasts that Trina Solar will ship 87-80 million watts worth of solar modules in FY 2008, generating net revenues in the $270-$300 million range. Perhaps the wider investment community will hear of Trina Solar during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Trina Solar (TSL) shining brightly originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 11 Aug 2007 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Socially conscious investors may want to grab a copy of this week's (April 2, 2007) edition of FORTUNE magazine, which is all about the greening of corporate America. No longer can companies merely not pollute: The double bottom line of both economic profitability and social responsibility demands that companies re-engineer themselves and their products to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Companies that are ahead of the game will prosper. Companies that lag behind in environmentalism will be punished by investors as well as the media. The article "Green is Good" summarizes the green activities of 10 well known companies that stand to reap rewards for their environmentally sensitive manufacturing and operational practices. Companies taking the lead towards a low-carbon economy are:

Continue reading Companies going green to make the green

Companies going green to make the green originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Apr 2007 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A couple weeks ago I wrote an article about B5 blend biodiesel now being produced by Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation Ltd. in New Zealand. At that time I promised to provide their prospectus when it became available. I've received an email from them indicating that the prospectus is now available. If you would like to view their prospectus, either as a PDF file or as hard copy, contact Aquaflow by using this link: Aquaflow Bionomic Corp.

This is not intended as an endorsement of Aquaflow or B5 biodiesel. I'm simply providing this information as a direction for readers to investigate if they are believers in the advancement of alternate fuels. For right now, information from Aquaflow is actually rather scant, but they are working directly with the government of New Zealand, and you may wish to contact either or both of them. This situation involves overseas investment in brand new technology -- please do be careful.

B5 biodiesel consists of 5% fuel processed from algae that flourishes in sewage settling ponds, blended with 95% currently available fuels. This could translate as an unending fuel source that will be perpetually obtainable. It's a solid investment idea as long as people keep eating and ... well, you know. Possible downsides to putting dollars into backing this fuel include the newness of the technology use and its limited scale. This is an investment idea that should be researched extensively before jumping into. Technology in its infancy can be a tough game to play, but the rewards can be phenomenal.

Investing in Aquaflow B5 Biodiesel may be worth considering originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GE to invest $50 million in green technologies in China originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 31 May 2006 09:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GE's Ecomagination shows profits up and orders doubled originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 May 2006 15:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.