News

• Japan nuke decision boost for solar, looms over climate talks

  18 September 2012

  Japan's decision to phase out its nuclear fleet by the 2030s promises a boost for solar power – while adding substantially to its fossil-fuel import bill – but is likely to hang heavily over the international climate talks, according to analysts.

• Chinese solar firms dropped from green index

  18 September 2012

  US stock exchange Nasdaq will drop 14 companies from its Clean Edge clean energy index, including struggling Chinese solar manufacturers.

• State, federal incentives needed for US offshore wind – report

  17 September 2012

  The US federal and state governments must shore up financial incentives to support the country's slowly developing offshore wind energy sector, according to a new report.

• Best Buy no longer a good buy

  17 September 2012

  US electronics retailer Best Buy is one of the seven companies to be ejected from the FTSE4Good responsible investment index in its semi-annual review, announced today.

• More leading companies use 100% renewables – survey

  14 September 2012

  A growing number of large corporations are sourcing all their electricity from renewable sources, but a majority of leading firms still use only a small amount of clean energy, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) survey.

• Better PTC policy could help with renewables grid congestion – ICF

  14 September 2012

  A stable federal tax credit policy for the wind industry could help ease congestion on the US electricity transmission grid, according to consultancy ICF International.

• Pacific Northwest, Texas wind farms most at risk of shutdowns

  14 September 2012

  Wind developers in the Pacific Northwest and Texas are most vulnerable to costly forced shutdowns due to grid capacity or lack of demand, according to consultancy ICF International.

• SocGen, GSK dropped from sustainability index

  13 September 2012

  Bank Société Générale and pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline have been deleted from the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) family, while Microsoft and clothes retailer Target were among the largest additions.

• Wind energy assets underperforming, say investors

  13 September 2012

  Investors in renewable energy say most solar photovoltaic (PV) installations have performed as well, if not better, than expected, but wind farms have generally performed worse than consultants have predicted.

• Private equity funds, investors see growing ESG focus

  13 September 2012

  Almost all private equity funds expect to pay greater attention to management of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in future, according to a new study.