News

• IFC breached standards on palm oil financing – ombudsman

  13 August 2009

  An audit by the International Finance Corporation's (IFC's) own watchdog has found it failed to apply its own environmental and social standards in a series of investments and loans to palm oil trading and plantation owner Wilmar Group.

• Mercer to study green investments for hedge fund giant

  13 August 2009

  Leading hedge fund GLG Partners has asked consulting group Mercer to conduct a study into how the perceived need to tackle climate change and other environmental issues is impacting mainstream investing.

• Price collapse and overcapacity hit solar sector results

  13 August 2009

  Falling prices and demand for solar cells and modules is causing pain for the largest companies in the solar sector, who may have to wait until 2010 to feel the benefit of renewable energy stimulus packages.

• Japanese corporates form climate leadership group

  13 August 2009

  Five Japanese companies have come together in what they say is the country's first business coalition around climate change.

• TMO raises £11m for bacterium-based ethanol technology

  12 August 2009

  TMO Renewables has raised £11m ($18m) from the sale of new shares to help fund the roll-out of its "second-generation ethanol" technology, the company said last week.

• Renewable Ventures closes $200 million solar fund

  06 August 2009

  Renewable Ventures has raised $200 million into its latest solar fund, which will finance development of 35MW of utility-scale projects across the US in the next year.

• Germanischer Lloyd and Garrad Hassan to merge

  06 August 2009

  Germanischer Lloyd (GL) and Garrad Hassan, two of the leading engineering and consultancy companies serving the wind industry, have announced plans for a merger.

• Bosch acquisitions herald solar consolidation

  06 August 2009

  Technology giant Bosch announced this week plans to take over two German solar companies – potentially representing the largest clean-tech deal since the financial crisis and heralding likely consolidation in the sector.

• Production cuts help ArcelorMittal reduce emissions

  06 August 2009

  ArcelorMittal cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 8.2% in 2008, despite increasing the emissions intensity of its steelmaking operations.

• Morgan to head WRI's climate team

  06 August 2009

  Climate policy veteran Jennifer Morgan is to join the World Resources Institute (WRI) as director of its climate and energy programme, succeeding Jonathan Pershing who left in March to become deputy special envoy for climate change for the US.