Daily Archives: June 22, 2009

First solar plane set for 30 days round-the-world trip in 2011

Posted on June 22, 2009 | Leave a comment

Jean Cai, VP Deutche Bank (China)

The plane, covered in almost 12,000 photovoltaic cells, has a wingspan of 63.4 meters, or roughly that of Airbus A340, and only weighs 1,600 kg, equivalent to that of a motor car. It is reported to be able to reach a flying speed of 70 km per hour.

A model of the Solar Impulse plane is exhibited in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, where the Deutschland-Chinesische Promenade program, part of a Sino-German friendly exchange event, is being staged.

The prototype is to be unveiled to media on June 26 at Dubendorf airfield next to Zurich, Switzerland.

The ongoing Deutschland-Chinesische Promenade program is part of the Germany and China Moving Ahead Together, an event jointly launched by Germany and China in 2007 under the theme of “sustainable urbanization”.

The whole event is scheduled to conclude during the Shanghai World Expo next year.

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Posted in China, Europe, Technologies

$13.5 billion of new private investment went into companies developing and scaling-up new technologies

Posted on June 22, 2009 | Leave a comment

 Total transaction value in the sustainable energy sector during 2008 – including corporate acquisitions, asset re-financings and private equity buy-outs – was $223 billion, an increase of 7% over 2007. But capital raised via the public stock markets fell 51% to $11.4 billion as clean energy share prices lost 61% of their value during 2008. Investment in the second half of 2008 was down 17% on the first half, and down 23% on the final six months of 2007, a trend that has continued into 2009.

On a regional basis, investment in Europe in 2008 was $49.7 billion, a rise of 2%, and in North America was $30.1 billion, a fall of 8%. These regions experienced a slow-down in the financing of new renewable energy projects due to the lack of project finance and the fact that tax credit-driven markets are mostly ineffective in a downturn.

With developed country market growth stalled (down 1.7%), developing countries surged forward 27% over 2007 to $36.6 billion, accounting for nearly one third of global investments. China led new investment in Asia, with an 18% increase over 2007 to $15.6 billion, mostly in new wind projects, and some biomass plants.

Investment in India grew 12% to $4.1 billion in 2008. Brazil accounted for almost all renewable energy investment in Latin America in 2008, with ethanol receiving $10.8 billion, up 76% from 2007. Africa achieved a modest increase by comparison, with investments up 10% to approximately $1.1 billion.

 Source: UNEP

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Posted in Africa, Asia, China, Europe, Technologies, U.S.