Top Stories

VC investments are up in renewable chems.—reliability medium.
"Cleantech Group  sent this report about venture capital investments in renewable chemicals sector reaching $361m in the first half of 2010, which could drive 2010 to a record-year if the second half will see the same pace. VC deals in renewable chemicals for 2008 reached a total of $425m." See ICIS Green Chemicals blog.

U.S. on track to double renewable energy capacity.—reliability high.
"With Energy Secretary Steven Chu by his side, Biden unveiled a new White House report estimating the impact of the Recovery Act funding on American innovation in transportation, renewable energy, broadband, smart electrical grids and medical research. ... The report outlined a goal of doubling renewable energy capacity from the 28.8 gigawatts of solar, wind and geothermal sources installed as of the end of 2008 to 57.6 GW by the end of 2011". From Reuters. White House press release here. PDF of report here.

Companies, Industries, Markets and Supply Chains

Daewoo targets boom in offshore wind power.—reliability high.
"South Korean ship building giant Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering has announced that it is aiming to generate a third of its sales from wind power by 2020 as global demand for alternative energy continues to climb. According to Bloomberg reports, the company is looking to diversify its revenue stream and generate sales of up to $7.5bn a year from its emerging wind energy operations by 2020." See BusinessGreen.

UK waste treatment company blazes trail in China.—reliability high.
"Eco-Solids International's inaugural unit in Shenyang could be the first of 20 more over the next three years as economic growth and wastewater infrastructure in the north-eastern province of Liaoning grows at one of fastest rates in China. ... Eco-Solids, which is based in Hampshire, uses lime stabilisation treatment technologies pioneered in North America. It has what it says are exclusive worldwide rights outside the US to the sludge treatment process and plans to establish the Eco-Solids Process in the Middle East and India." From edie.net news.

First Tokyo carbon credits trade for $142/tonne.—reliability high.
"The first carbon credits in Tokyo's new cap-and-trade scheme traded on Monday for 12,000 yen ($142.2) per tonne, well above market rates for units of the climate-warming gas, Point Carbon News reported. ... Prices were much higher than the current 1,500 yen ($17.78) per tonne rate for UN-backed carbon offset credits traded in the Japanese market." From Reuters. [Probably these credits were bid up to get bragging rights for buying the first ones, but the buyers may also calculate that Japanese companies will feel that credits created in Japan will be of significantly higher quality than those certified under the UN's CDM.]

UAW Joins Blue Green Alliance.—reliability high.
"Citing its commitment to energy-efficient transportation, the UAW today announced it’s joining the Blue Green Alliance. The Blue Green Alliance is a partnership among nine unions and two major environmental groups dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in the green economy." From AFL-CIO blog. [The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America probably appreciates that if the U.S. doesn't get moving on clean technology for transportation Americans could be buying even more of their cars from China and Japan in a few years. U.S. and European companies let Japanese firms steal a march on them in hybrids, and risk doing so on EVs.]

Toshiba plans solar power push in U.S. and Europe: Nikkei.—reliability high.
"Toshiba Corp plans to construct solar power projects in Europe and the United States, hoping to generate 150 billion yen ($1.76 billion) in overseas sales from solar power operations in fiscal 2015, the Nikkei business daily reported." Reuters story.

[shared from Daily Green Brief]