Clean energy investment slumped in the last quarter of 2011, according to data provider VB Research.

DNV has acquired a controlling stake in Netherlands-based KEMA to create a 2,300-strong energy and sustainability consulting firm.

The European Commission is proposing to back project bonds that will make it easier to build and finance cross-border power lines and ultimately create an EU-wide power network.

Investors poured a record $41.8 billion into utility-scale renewable energy projects in the third quarter of 2011, driven by a surge in offshore wind, according to analysis firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).

Global clean energy project finance rose to a record $49.9 billion last quarter, as US developers rushed to take advantage of a cash grant programme that is soon to expire, according to data from VB Research.

An equity fund to invest in clean energy projects in Turkey has received a €40 million ($54 million) shot in the arm from the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

China, Germany and the UK have the most stable and consistent clean energy policies, a boon for investors seeking jurisdictions with the least amount of uncertainty, according to a report by Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors.

Denmark and the African Development Bank (AfDB) are to set up a DKK300 million ($57 million) fund to help African small and medium enterprises (SMEs) access sustainable energy.

The US Senate’s latest proposal for a green bank, also known as the Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA), is drawing fire from both conservative and environmental organisations.

The clean energy sector attracted $41.7 billion in new investment in the second quarter of 2011. Increased spending on solar thermal power plants and strong venture capital (VC) and private equity funding pushed investment 27% higher than the previous quarter, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).

A selection of the key responses to the UK’s electricity market reform (EMR) announced yesterday.

The UK government today set out reforms to the electricity market, with the aim of driving the £200 billion ($319 billion) of investment needed to keep the lights on and meet climate targets.

Connecticut lawmakers have passed comprehensive energy legislation establishing the first state-level green bank in the US and allowing the creation of municipal bond programmes to pay for energy retrofits, albeit with a key modification to avoid the wrath of federal regulators.

The nuclear disaster in Japan has killed the chances for a US clean energy standard (CES), according to a top Congressional staffer.

Chinese heat pump developer Nobao Renewable Energy has pulled its $300 million offering, just weeks after the firm revived its New York Stock Exchange listing plans.

If regulators give the green light to a proposed merger of US utilities Exelon and Constellation Energy, the combined company will be in a better position to finance the continued transition to cleaner energy sources, which in the US goes beyond renewables to include natural gas and clean coal.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will spend up to $5 billion to settled alleged violations of the Clean Air Act - quickening the government utility's transition from coal-fired power to clean energy.

Global clean energy investment in the first three months of 2011 totalled $31.1 billion, a 34% slump on the previous quarter and down 10% on the corresponding period last year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).

The clean energy sector in Latin America is poised to take off, even without the benefit of the major government subsidies enjoyed in North America and Europe, according to regional experts.

Nuclear power companies could hasten acquisitions in the renewables sector in response to the Fukushima disaster, says consultancy PwC.